​How to take a beautiful reflection photo

Taking photo of reflections is one of the most easy composition techniques to master. Reflections can be made from glass, mirror, rain, sea, lake, etc. This time let's focus on the skills to pay attention to when taking reflections of sea or lake. After learning, the next time you will be very easy to take a more beautiful reflection!

The water should be level

To photograph the mirror-like lake, the calmer the water, the more prominent the reflective surface, so we must grasp the water surface waves very small time to shoot. When there is a wind or a boat passing by, the water ripples, greatly reducing the chance of a clear reflection.

If you are traveling to other places, it is better to ask the local people when the wind will be lower or the mirror will be clearer. It is usually easier to shoot early in the morning! If that's not possible, try using a slow shutter and tripod to smooth the surface of the water, suitable for shooting light reflections at night. The technique is basically the same as shooting water.

Along the light or side light shooting

The best time to take a picture is when the scene is in the direction or side light, which means that when the sun is shining on the front or side of the scene, the reflective surface is the most obvious. At this time, if the situation is calm, the chance of taking a beautiful reflection will be greatly increased!

Use a graduated grey filter (GND) or black card technique to balance out light differences

Water reflections are usually darker than the light of the scene itself. If the reflection is more prominent, we can use the gradient grey filter (GND) or black card technique to balance the light difference.

Middle composition

Unlike normal composition techniques, it is important to "balance" your reflections, so feel free to put horizontal lines right in the middle of your picture, so that the scene and reflection will complement each other. Of course, sometimes just taking a reflection is a good idea!

CPL circular polarizer is used

CPL can eliminate the white reflective part of the water surface, making the reflection inside more prominent!

There is a point to pay attention to, is the photo distortion! In particular, when using a wide Angle lens, the tube shape of the photo will be more severe; we can use a non-wide Angle lens or a computer after the use of a more positive, so that the finished product will be more professional!