[Photography Skills] Use Reflection to Create Unique Composition

Ever felt interested in finding a good composition? The use of reflective surfaces can easily create unique compositions. Things with reflective surfaces are ubiquitous in daily life. As long as you pay more attention and use them, you will not have to worry about taking good pictures!

[Reflective Surface 1] Glass Window

Glass windows or glass walls from buildings are the most easily accessible reflective surfaces, bus windows, office windows, and shop windows. The composition of glass windows generally has the following two situations:

The Glass Becomes a Mirror

When the amount of light on both sides of the glass is very different, the glass will become a mirror, which reflects the objects on the other side of the light. For example, when the bus enters the tunnel, the light outside the bus suddenly weakens, and the windows reflect the appearance of the passengers in the car. At this time, the camera is close to the glass, you can easily take pictures of symmetrical composition.

Adjust the Angle

But the reflective surface is not necessarily symmetrical. It is also good to try different angles, adjust the ratio of glass to the outside world, or put the subject you want to highlight in the golden section.

The Reflection of Glass Overlaps with the Real Image

When the amount of light on both sides of the glass are similar, you can see the image reflected on one side of the glass and the scene on the other side through the glass. The virtual and real overlap and overlap, resulting in a lot of creative space.

The following picture records the situation of a concert. The photographer deliberately shot the interior through the glass window. The glass reflects the outside city landscape and overlaps with the image of the band’s main voice, creating the illusion of a band performing in the downtown area and expanding the photo Lenovo space.

It is worth mentioning that this processing method omits other details of the performance scene, such as the audience, other members of the band, and the atmosphere of the concert. If you want to faithfully record the live situation of a concert, go to the room to shoot.

Glass is a very good tool. It is quite appropriate to use the glass window to shoot some urban atmosphere subjects, and it is easy to get the desired effect.

[Reflective Surface 2] Lake or Sea Surface

I believe everyone must have photographed Victoria Harbour. The dark sea at night reflects colorful lights and billboards, which is a very good theme for photography. Since everyone is familiar with the composition of the sea reflection, it is better to talk about how to increase the composition changes.

We don’t have to use asymmetrical composition every time. Take a picture where a tree forms a reflection on the lake. For example, we should pay more attention to what is still happening on the lake. For example, if a duck swims freely, the ripples cut through the flat tree reflection; Several yellow leaves are scattered on the water surface, and the golden leaves dot the blue water surface and reflect the black branches. In this way, the reflection is used as a background, and other objects in the water greatly enrich the content of the photo.

[Reflecting Surface 3] Water Area

Don’t miss every opportunity for photography, even on rainy days, there are many themes to shoot!

After the rain, the semi-dry and wet streets are covered with small puddles, and the water surface can reflect the surrounding scenes of the streets, such as hurried footsteps and bustling traffic. Unlike large lakes or seas, small puddles vary in size and have irregular shapes, so the reflected shapes are also different. Take advantage of these natural frames. Of course, you should pay attention to the road surface of the street when taking pictures, taking into account the safety of yourself and passers-by.