Reflections

Capturing reflection is a fun and creative part of photography.  Photographs that incorporate reflection are appealing on multiple levels.  But as I was conceiving this post I had to ask “why?”  I know I enjoy shots that take advantage of reflection, but simply acknowledging the affinity is not a sufficient explanation.  To answer the question, I decided to gather the shots for this post and analyze them…what specific elements of the shots created interest, drew the eye, and why. 
The first shot (above), is an example of reflecting something that is not actually in the frame.  All told, this is a more complex form of using reflection.  The composition is dominated by the water feature at the center of the Hirshorn Museum in Washington DC.  However, in addition to the water feature, we see the reflection of the Hirshorn museum proper.  I find this shot particularly appealing because unlike most water reflected shots, the water feature has it’s own texture and depth.  The reflection of the interior walls of the Hirshorn is overlaid on the beams or channels that span the water feature, just below the surface, leading to the large hole where the water drains at the far side.
Now contrast the first shot of the Hirshorn with this one:

This is essentially the same shot, but the composition was expanded to include the interior walls of the Hirshorn rather than just reflecting the walls.  This composition introduces what I have concluded is the second way reflections add interest to a shot; repeating patterns.  Our eyes are naturally drawn to repeating patterns.  I can’t explain why we are attracted to repeating patterns, but I know it to be true.
The next photograph, from the Thames River in New London, CT, is another example of the appeal brought by repeating patterns.

We can differentiate some of the elements of this photo to further distinguish what we find appealing.  In this shot, the reflection is primary limited to the two principal subjects in the shot; the swan and sailboat.  Other features such as the far shore and a house emerging from the fog do not have reflections.  This results naturally in your eye falling on the sailboat, then moving to the swan, and eventually to the fog shrouded shoreline in a clockwise manner.
Now contrast the swan and sailboat with this shot of Mystic Harbor in Mystic Connecticut.

In this case, the reflection runs the width of the entire composition; everything has a reflection.  If you notice how your eyes move through this shot, you will likely find that you pick something of interest such as the lighthouse or the tall ship, then your eyes will move horizontally along the waterline to take in the rest of the shot.
Returning, to the reflective form that brings something to the composition from outside the frame, this shot from Millennium Park in Chicago is a great example.

In addition to the skyline brought into the composition by the reflection, I like having a person standing under the “egg” to provide some scale to the shot.
Water is the most common surface for compositions using reflection.  Naturally, this leads to many nautically themed photographs.  The next four shots are exceptions to the nautical them and use reflecting pools (U.S. Capitol and of minaret of the grand mosque in Abu Dhabi) and the tidal basin in the case of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial.
 



The next group of shots focus on animals and water reflection.  Specifically, a shot of retriever entering the water with perfect form, and a pair of swan shots.  Notice with the shot of the swan and the boat how the swan mimics the boat.



Finally, I will leave you with two nautically themed shots.  The first is of a radio controlled sailboat in the boat basin of the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland.  The second comes from a fog enclosed marina in New London, Connecticut.


I hope these examples of reflections in photography are helpful in understanding their appeal.  So the next time you are composing a shot with a reflection, try to understand how the reflection adds interest by either developing repeating patterns, or by adding to the composition something that is not directly in the frame.
Enjoy!
Craig

Magical Rays of Light

In nearly every post placed on this blog, I state that photography is all about light.  Well, in this entry I take that idea very literally.  The shots featured here are clearly about light, but in a very literal sense; they feature rays of light.
Rays of light coming through a window, cloud, or between the trees in a dense forest encourage the imagination.  They make you wonder what is at the other end?  How do they come to be?  What do they mean?  What are they shining on, and why?

From a very practical perspective, lets take a look at the bits and pieces that must come together for us to see these light rays.  First, and most obviously, you need a light source.  In all the shots shown here, the light source is the sun.  But other light sources can result in the same effect – spot lights on a stage, a street light in a snow storm, or stadium lights in a driving rain.
Next,  you need an aperture for the light.  In other words, the shot above with a wind turbine blade in the foreground and operating wind turbines in mid-field would not have light rays unless the clouds were there to block out some of the light while allowing bands of light to pass (this shot, and the others with wind turbines, were taken at the US Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado).

Next, you need to have a sufficiently dark background to allow the rays of light to standout.  The shot above was taken in the Church in the Field near Garmisch Germany.  The dark background of the church walls make these light rays pop from the picture.  Rays of light shining through churches always add to the mystical nature of light.  It almost seems as though God is shining a flashlight through the window with the intention of bringing your attention to something important.

The final ingredient to forming light rays is something to reflect the light.  In other words, with out fog, rain, snow, mist, sand, dust, or something else suspended in the air, the light would continue on it’s path and never be reflected to your eye.  The shot above was taken in the deserts of the UAE.  Most likely, the light rays are a result of light reflecting off dust or sand blown into the air.

Like the last shot, the one above is taken in the UAE.  This shot was taken at the oasis on the outskirts of Al AIn and like the previous shot, the light rays were likely formed from suspended dust and sand. 
The next shot is taken in Washington DC and includes a view of the Main Avenue marinas in the foreground and Haines Point in the midfield.  This shot reinforces all of the elements necessary to have these wonderful rays of light; light source, aperture, dark background, and something suspended in the air to reflect the light.

The final shot is a bit different than the others, because it involves a reflection that fills the same role as the aperture we talked about earlier.  The shot is of the very top of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.  This hotel is the second tallest hotel in the world and stands 1050 feet.  The Burj Al Arab anchors the Jumeirah beach and is just minutes from the Palm Jumeirah (a series of artificial islands shaped like a palm tree).  I will not attempt to talk about the immense list of features this hotel showcases, but I will mention one of my favorites.  About one third of the way up the photograph, you see a disk suspended on somewhat of a cantilever.  This platform is at a height of 692 feet and is a helipad.  The really cool thing is that in 2005, the helipad was temporarily converted into a tennis court as a promotion associated with the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open.  Andre Agassi and Roger Federer took advantage of the opportunity to get in a couple of warm-up rounds.  (Check out www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=520 for some shots of the “tennis court.”

I hope you enjoyed these shots and find the opportunity to capture some sunbeams.
Craig