How to photograph reflections and flip them to skew reality

Turn the world upside-down as we show you how to replicate reality by photographing reflections and then flipping the image on its head.

Words and images by Tom Welsh

Aperture: ƒ/22
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Flash fired: no
Focal length: 21mm
ISO: 50
Shutter speed: 1/5s

Reflections always make for an alluring image. They can add real depth to a scene, while literally doubling the area of interest.

Flipping the image 180 degrees, so that the distorted reflection of the vista is at the top, can bewilder your audience and make them question reality. You will need to find a picturesque viewpoint with a water source such as a river or lake – we photographed a hillside in the central Brecon Beacons.

You will also need to consider the correct height for your scene. Down at water level, the reflection will be taller but more blurred. The higher you go, the sharper your reflection will be, and the stiller the water the clearer the image.

Using a shutter speed of a second or two will blend slight water ripples together, to give a silky-smooth surface. To attain this length of exposure you will need to use a tripod along with a remote shutter release, and you’ll usually need to use neutral density (ND) filters to darken the bright daylight sufficiently.

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How to photograph a reflection

01 The right spot
You’ll need a static subject or scene on the edge of (or in) a body of water. You’ll need to shoot across the water, so that the scene is reflected in its surface. A small bay, lake, or gently flowing river is ideal, as you can shoot from the opposite shore.

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02 A perfect still day
You need still water, as fast-flowing water won’t produce a sharp reflection. But even then, you will need a long exposure of a second or two to smooth out ripples on the water’s surface. Use a tripod and remote release (or self-timer) to avoid camera shake.

SEE MORE: The landscape’s greatest challenges: free photography cheat sheet

03 Take your time
Set your shutter speed to at least 1 sec; the longer the shutter is open, the smoother the reflection will appear. A narrow aperture will help to achieve this, but even so, on a sunny day you may need to use an ND filter for a sufficiently slow exposure time.

SEE MORE: Best camera settings for long exposure landscapes

04 Angle it right
Pick what angle to shoot at to gain the level of detail you’d like in the reflection; lower down will reflect more of the scene but will be more distorted, higher up will be clearer, but with less depth. In general, it’s best not to shoot right down at the water’s edge.

SEE MORE: Angle of view – how to choose the best focal length for your image

05 Closely cropped
It’s best to keep things simple. Filling the frame with too many different elements will take away from the reflection, so crop in close to your subject to remove distractions, or shoot bigger scenes with plenty of empty space around the edges.

06 Reversing reality
To turn your image upside-down, open it in Photoshop and go to Image>Image Rotation>Flip Canvas Vertical. Finally, use the Crop tool (press C) to position the horizon bang-on the centre, splitting the reflected scene above from the land below.

Darkening down
Unless you are shooting at dawn or dusk, you may struggle to get a slow enough shutter speed. A neutral density (ND) filter extends your shutter speed by cutting down the light that enters the camera.

We shot with a four-stop ND filter but, even so, shooting on a bright day at f/22 and ISO50 still only gave us a 2 sec exposure time. In any case, don’t push the shutter speed too far as the water is far more reflective than the rest of the scene, and too long an exposure will result in the water being overexposed.

SEE MORE: 5 essential photography filters (and why you can’t live without them)

Find the right angle for your reflection

Different angles will give a variety of looks, so get the right effect for your reflection.

Low down
This results in reflections becoming taller than the subject, and more distorted due to shooting across the water.

SEE MORE: 8 tripod mistakes every photographer makes (and how to avoid them)

Keep level
If you shoot level with your subject, the reflection will be equal in size, with a reasonable- quality image.

SEE MORE: How to blur water for a dreamy seascape effect

From up high
When shooting from a higher vantage point, you will achieve a much sharper reflection that’s smaller than your subject.

Change your angle of view
For sharper reflections you need to get higher up, taking a small step ladder can raise your angle of view sufficiently

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Where to find reflections

01 Rock pools
While beaches have an abundance of water, it’s impossible to capture reflections in a raging sea. However, rock pools are ideal as they will be perfectly still. Look for interesting rocky shapes that will make symmetrical reflections, such as this example from Craster, Northumberland.

SEE MORE: Composing pictures with foreground interest – simple ways to draw in the eye

02 An abstract take
Occasionally you can find a pool of perfectly still water in odd locations, such as in this flooded forest, causing the ground to act as a mirror. When reflecting an array of branches we gain an abstract effect, with multi-levelled upside-down interest though the entire scene.

SEE MORE: Water Photography: take stunning pictures of water in any environment

03 Reflections in portraits
With clear enough water, and shooting at the right angle, we can add interest to portraits, with a reflection duplicating your model. Here we also have the opportunity for the model to interact with the reflection; this can be them reacting to themselves or simply touching the water’s surface.

04 Fragments of reflections
Smaller bodies of water in the foreground can replicate specific sections of the scene, thus adding intrigue. And as water catches bright light so effectively, this can also brighten up shady, otherwise-uninteresting foregrounds. In this pond, the reflection is framed like a mirror.

SEE MORE: 10 common landscape photography mistakes (and how to avoid them)

05 Hidden reflections
There are reflections virtually everywhere, and obscure ones can make for interesting images. This glass chess set, simply lit with a household lamp, not only mirrors the pieces in the board, but features an inverted image of the surrounding pieces in the glass pawn’s head.

06 Level horizons
While most scenic shots look better when placing the horizon at the top or bottom third of the frame, reflected scenes usually work best with a central horizon. But we’ve still followed the ‘rule of thirds’ for other elements, such as the ship occupying the left two-thirds of this scene.

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