Photographing Reflections: 9 Tips for Stunning Reflection Photos

Reflections in images can appear enigmatic and generally create great effects. Looking at a reflection is like seeing another dimension that actually shows our own. Impressive examples include snow-capped peaks reflecting on the water surface of an opposite lake. But they can also be attractive for architectural photography, self-portraits, and numerous other types of photos. That's why here are our nine best photo tips for reflections.

What is reflection photography?

Reflection photography is a type of photography that uses reflective surfaces. This allows framing the main subject and a surface that mirrors it. Some photographers capture the reflection alone, while others include the subject in the frame.

If you want to perfect the craft of reflection photography, use the following tips. But before we talk about our nine best tips, let's briefly refresh our knowledge of reflection photography.

Reflective surfaces

Mirrors are not the only reflective surfaces. To find the best places for your reflection photos, you should know some surfaces that can creatively mirror your subject.

• Water: Puddles, pools, and lakes are among the most popular reflective surfaces for photographers. They are ideal for a natural aesthetic.
• Glass: Windows or glass panes can very well reflect the landscape and the respective subject you want to capture.
• Polished surfaces: Polished countertops, tables, or even floors can also create an artistic reflection of your subject. It may not be as crystal clear as a mirror, but the effect will definitely be dramatic.

Tips for capturing reflections

Below we present some techniques that will help you create great reflection photos when it comes to reflections:

1. Choose your subject

Before you focus too much on finding the best reflective surface, remember that the subject should be the star of your photo – not the reflection. Therefore, determine the main subject you want to use in your picture. It could be a landscape backdrop, such as a wooden bridge, mountains on the horizon, or bright city lights over the lake. Or it could be something smaller, like a single tree or a person. Just imagine how stunning your subject will be when its reflection is perfectly captured.

2. Choose the best reflective surface

There are many reflective surfaces around you. Whether it's a body of water or a polished surface. Even small reflective objects, like sunglasses or a glass of wine, can become a great reflective surface.

3. Make sure you are not visible in the reflection

Reflective surfaces reflect everything – including yourself if you are in the frame. One of the most common mistakes in reflection photography is capturing yourself in the reflection. No matter how beautiful the photo is, this small mistake can negatively impact your image if your own reflection in the picture was not planned. Therefore, choose an angle where you do not appear in the reflection.

4. Not too much sun

If the sun appears in the picture, the light can degrade the entire shot. Its intense brightness will most likely overshadow the rest of the composition. If you are shooting outdoors and need sunlight to illuminate your subject, then you should ensure you shoot at the right angle to keep the sun out of the frame.

5. Keep it as minimalist as possible

Another technique that can enhance the effect of reflection photography is removing all distractions from the image. You can focus your composition solely on the subject and its reflection to achieve a dramatic effect. This technique works, for example, when you use a body of water to reflect the main element in focus while keeping the background blurred (e.g., with the bokeh effect).

6. Always include both the real object and its reflection in the frame

While it's not a bad idea to focus only on the reflection of a specific object, capturing the target object along with its reflection can create an even more artistic effect.

7. Accept distortions

You don't have to be such a perfectionist that you only accept straight or smooth and reflective surfaces in your picture. It's okay if the reflection of your primary element is distorted by surface features like ripples on a pond. The distorted image can give the foreground of your picture an interesting effect.

8. Shoot from up close

A good idea is to try to shoot close to the reflective surface to emphasize the reflective part of the image in your composition.

9. Use long exposure

If you use moving water as a reflective surface, you can achieve stunning effects with long exposure shots. To do this, you need to work with longer exposure times by setting your camera to a slow shutter speed. Long exposure creates diffuse reflections that lead to a dreamlike atmosphere in the picture. For this, you should primarily have a good tripod so that your camera stands absolutely securely and, for example, the wind does not cause blurring in the picture. For the best results, you can then experiment with aperture, lens, and different ISO values.

With camera triggers like the MIOPS Smart Camera Trigger, the Mobile RemotePlus, or the Mobile Dongle, you can easily implement long shots. These triggers control your camera remotely via a mobile app – which is crucial to avoid camera shake during shooting. In addition to the ability to adjust your long exposure settings, these devices offer other interesting shooting functions.