How to master the shooting skills of reflection

Mirrors and reflections are interesting visual elements in photos. Whether it is landscape, portrait, street shooting or sketch creation, it can enrich the momentum and pattern of the picture or arouse the imagination of the viewer. Besides keen observation, what are the main points of mirror shooting and reflection shooting?

1. Grasp the shooting angle

The angle between the camera and the water will affect the reflection in the picture.

The appearance of reflection is closely related to the shooting angle. As long as the angle between the camera and the water surface is adjusted, the reflection in the picture can be changed. Simply put, the number of reflections in the picture is inversely proportional to the height of the viewpoint. In addition, the size of the reflective surface will also have an impact. For example, because the coverage area of stagnant water is limited, it is even more necessary to actively find a suitable shooting angle to present an ideal picture.

In landscape photography, the elements reflected by the water surface are common. In addition to the accumulated water after rain, there are lakes, rivers, ports and ponds, and reflections can be seen everywhere. Does that mean that no matter what kind of reflection you take, the camera must be close to the water? Actually, it is not, because the distance between the reflection and the photographer should be considered. The farther the distance is, the reflection and the real scene are almost in the same proportion, and the height of the viewpoint will not have much influence. In addition, the distance will also affect the choice of lens focal length.

Step 2 skip the standard framework

The reflection is usually underexposed, but it is easy to keep the highlights.

When shooting the subject of reflection, mirror symmetry is often used to split the picture into two parts, showing a neat and orderly aesthetic feeling and strengthening the momentum of the image. Sometimes you can jump out of this box and try to change the ratio of the real scene to the reflection in the picture, and maybe there will be unexpected gains. As for how to allocate the proportion, it depends on what the image wants to emphasize, and the key position is the same. If you have special needs, it is not bad to focus on reflection.

In addition, you can also reverse the photos, and reversing the actual situation is also the fun of dealing with such subjects. There are usually several reasons for this: because of the material of the reflecting surface, reflection is more interesting visually than the real scene; Because to express abstract artistic conception, reflection is naturally more suitable than real scene; Another possibility is that the reflection retains more details than the real scene. Because the reflection is underexposed, the highlights on the screen are unlikely to be overexposed, so the photos will be reversed to enrich the details of the subject.

3. Narrative presentation

Intermittent reflection caused by accumulated water on the road surface uses a large aperture to form a scattering view of reflected light points on the water surface, showing a dreamy and hazy effect.

There are many media that can form a reflection, such as car body, windows, glass curtains, water droplets, smooth walls and floors, and even the pupils of eyes. As long as you pay more attention, you can find interesting reflections and shoot stories.

The real scene doesn't have to coexist with the reflection in the photo. The reflection can serve as a foil and echo other themes. If the reflection is more interesting and meaningful than the real scene, then focus on capturing the reflection picture. Sometimes, the seemingly inconspicuous subject is particularly eye-catching in the form of reflection, which may be because the subject becomes a silhouette in the reflection, and its outline shape is more attractive, or it may be because the reflecting surface filters out the original messy background and makes the viewer's vision more focused.

In addition, sometimes only a partial reflection (such as groundwater) is presented, and the complete face of the real scene can not be seen, but it can add a lot of imagination and fun. The water surface is usually a very interesting theme, which can easily present a fantastic virtual world and show different visual effects in different lighting environments.

4. Similar to the re-exposure effect

In portrait creation, shooting through the glass window is a common way to express artistic conception.

Have you noticed that the image reflected from the glass, combined with the real scene behind it, can produce an image effect similar to multiple exposures? It's exciting to play reexposure without going through the later stage and returning to silver salt tablets.

What needs to be paid attention to when shooting is to avoid the photographer himself entering the lens. Therefore, photographers usually hide behind columns or glass frames, or even change the location of the view, so that their reflection will not be projected on the glass, or let their reflection blend into the dark area to avoid being too conspicuous.

This effect, similar to re-exposure, is often used in portrait creation. For example, in a coffee shop or specialty store, capture the charm of the protagonist from the outside through the window. At this time, the reflection or reflection of glass can often add a unique artistic atmosphere. If you have a chance, you might as well give it a try.

Here are some reflection pictures, hoping to stimulate the photographer's infinite creativity: