[matthew]

When I consider how my light is spent ere half my days in this dark world and wide...
- John Milton

Reflections are all around us, in many different ways. Windows, water, mirrors and metal are abundant sources of reflections, but there is no end to the variety of images that can be made from them. Just watch out for the Pretty trap: it's easy to get caught up in the idea and forget to make a good photograph. For this assignment, look for creative ways to use reflections, and share your successes and your lessons with us.

[Pavel]

Now he comes up with reflection, after I just posted photos! Now I have to go and hunt for more. Not only that - I still did not do the time. I have ideas with regards to time, I just did not have TIME to get around to it yet. Pavel

[matthew]

Now he comes up with reflection, after I just posted photos!

How do you think I come up with the assignment ideas?

A couple of recent photos that I've taken that depend on reflections:

[Pavel]

Wow Matthew, I really like the second one - it is quite clever. I like the abstractness of it- you do not quite know what you are looking at. I like the "glitches" which are not, like the tip of the roof or what looks like a sliver of a human head (but I think isnt). I even like the "smeering" @ bottom left. Pavel

[blowup]

Hi Matthew,
I also like your second photo. Here is on old one of mine. Less surreal than yours. Maybe an impressionist slant, instead.
Gary

[Pavel]

Oh Gary, I really love this photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would not change a thing. This is a perfect one for the assignement. Congrats. Pavel

[blowup]

WOW! Thanks!!

[matthew]

Pavel, Gary, thanks. It is in fact a head as someone was walking through the open patio door. This is the reflection in my brother's big-screen TV, shot at f/2 and focused on the fence to ensure that the TV's black bezel would be blurred.

Gary, I also really like your photo. The lines and colours are very nice.

Here's a new photo shot for this assignment. I was trying my new 150mm, and it was too long, so I built a panorama instead. For some reason photoshop couldn't get the order right on its own and I had to help it.

[mranshumansinha]

hi
in the name of reflection
i too want to have a review bout this pic of mine.......

[Pavel]

Matthew, as almost always, I really like your photo. In particular, I like the "inserts" made of reflection into the buildings. I like reflections in windows and have taken a lot of them in my younger days (Olympus OM-1), TriX processed at ASA 200 instead of contrasty 400.

[blowup]

Matthew,
That's an interesting set of reflections. Is this a vertical or horziontal panorama? After looking at it a long time I see a sharp difference in brightness/contrast between the bottom third and the rest. Is this part of the reflection, or an artifact of assembling the panorama?

mranshumansinha:
Welcome to Shuttertalk. I like your photo, the blue color is captivating and makes an interesting contrast with the green. Unfortunately, the copy that you've posted is very small, and hard to see. To create a larger image for posting: in Photoshop go to File> "Save for Web", set the longest side of your image to 1800 pixels (sometimes that's too big, so you might have to experiment), and then adjust the quality slider until the image size (shown below the image on the lower left) is 250 K or less. Try that and repost your photo.
Cheers,
Gary

[Pavel]

Hello Anshuman, I will be glad to review your photo, but it is difficult to do it with my old eyes at this almost thumb size image. May I suggest that in your favourite software, you keep the long side of the image somewhere between 1000 to 1800 pixels long, let the short side sort itself out and than adjust jpeg quality until it is 250K or less. Since you may be reposting, you may consider placing it in the critique section. Looking forward to review your photo. Pavel

[craig]

It's been awhile since I've posted ... still too shy to show much work. This is a photo of the building I work in Commerce Court West, reflecting the older Commerce Court North Bulding, Toronto.

[matthew]

mranshumansinha, thanks for joining the assignment, and I really like the photo. But for more effective feedback, it's always best to start a new thread to highlight only your own photo.

Gary, it was shot as a horizontal row of five or six photos, but with lots of overlap. In this case I wasn't trying for a larger file size, I was just trying to compensate for having the wrong lens on the camera. All of the tonal variations are from either the reflecting windows being shaded or having light shining through from the inside of the host building.

Craig, good to see you again. I was hoping that you're still around - there are some plans in the works for a Toronto-area gathering for Saturday, Aug 9. It would be great if you could make it.

Here are a few that I shot today while looking for a different kind of reflection:

[jstefani]

Nikon D50
8/4/08 - 6:30 PM
55mm
1/125
f/5.6
Matrix Metering

the girl inside the car is holding a book whose spine created the distracting white mark on my nose.

[Pavel]

Clever and interestingly confusing photo Joe. Some postprocessing may make this photo hotter still. Pavel

[NT73]

This is just a 15" plastic plant pot tray which I use as a bird bath/drinking water.
The reflections are plants behind, but why does the reflection come out of the water on to the front edge of the tray?

[Pavel]

I have a burning question NT, what sharpeining tool are you using and where can one buy one? Pavel

[Pavel]

It is actually an interesting photo NT, perhaps worth a little cleanup and dress up in PS. Pavel

[NT73]

I have a burning question NT, what sharpeining tool are you using and where can one buy one? Pavel

That one is not sharpened. But I resized it in smaller steps. Somewhere I read that was the way to go.

[matthew]

Hi jstefani, I really like the reflection photo and the two layers to the image. It took me a few moments to understand the scene, but now I find that it's very rewarding to look at. Nicely seen.

[Keith Alan]

jstefani's photo was a pleasant surprise.
Very nice work.

[NT73]

I got a few jaggies with this one from the archives. Taken with the Fuji f420.

[Pavel]

What a remarkably beautiful photo NT. I love the composition with the perfect instroument placement, I love the playful red hat without a had to go with it. I love the reflection in the instrument and the interesting reflection of the building. The only thing that mars the photo is this reflection of the ugly photographer that got into your photo and is spoiling your reflection NT . Perhps you could clone him out and replace it with your own likeness. Pavel

[NT73]

That is actually another photographer, as I am stood at this side.