Use Reflections as Compositional Elements

Posted by scottbourne on January 1, 2009

Posted in: Tips. Tagged: "photo composition", reflections.

Happy New Year – I wanted to be sure to start 2009 with a tip so here it is.

I made this image in Alaska. I liked the reflection from the seal and decided to use the leading line to draw the viewer’s eye into the picture and directly to the subject.

Reflections can be strong compositional elements in a photo in addition to just being pretty to look at.

0 comments on “Use Reflections as Compositional Elements”

Bill Boehm on January 1, 2009 at 12:48 pm said:

Thanks for the tip Scott! These simple, yet often overlooked tips like this are a big part of what I love about TWIP! Happy New Year to you and the rest of the TWIP team!

Bill
Thomas Hanford on January 1, 2009 at 5:21 pm said:

Wow – that is an incredible capture – great tip as well. I’ll be on the lookout, trying to make use of reflection. Happy New Year – thank you for your podcast – it prompted me to take photography more seriously, buy a DSLR and work on mastering the craft (as much as I can).
kj.image on January 1, 2009 at 10:16 pm said:

Really interesting point-i like working with photos of birds on the water because of the reflections. Reflections and sun shadows are just cool in general. I keep a lot of these types of pics in my personal collection. Its like getting two images in one.
Kristina on January 2, 2009 at 4:40 pm said:

I love this photo, as well as the tip about the reflections. I always try to keep reflections as a part of my photography. I must ask, where was this photo taken? And what type of seal?
Scott on January 2, 2009 at 4:56 pm said:

@Kristina I made this image at Kenai Fjords National Park. I believe this is a harbor seal but I could be wrong.