![\"Delisa](\"https:\/\/www.aquasoft.net\/blog\/en\/files\/2015\/10\/Delisa-reflection.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h2>\nReflection photos can be as simple as taking a photo of your friend with mirrored sunglasses and show the city reflected in the lens or a photo of a landscape on side of the shore, showing the mountains and forest area reflected in the water. Many surfaces can give you a stunning photograph; the easiest is water, but you could also use glass (a storefront or wine glass) or metal (car hubcaps or sunglasses). The most important things to remember are getting the right angle and choosing the right time of day.<\/p>\n
Get the right angle<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting the right angle is very important with reflections shots, so it\u2019s important to try out different viewpoints to get the best reflection possible. If you choose to take a shot straight ahead, (especially when photographing reflections on glass and metal surfaces) you will most likely get your own reflection. Even worse, when photographing reflections on water, putting the farther shoreline in the middle of your photo will give you a basic shot which is at eye level and frankly is quite boring as it\u2019s a view that everyone sees. Instead, you should try to change your angle by sitting or lying down by the water\u2019s edge. That way you can have truly stunning photos simply by including a bit of the foreground in the shot.<\/p>\n Time of day<\/strong><\/p>\n Another important factor is the time of day. High noon, for example, is not a great time for reflections, you should try to take the shot when lighting is the best, utilize the early morning light and sunsets.<\/p>\n Choosing the surface<\/strong><\/p>\n Choosing the right surface is important, as is understanding how the reflection plays on that surface. Wine glasses for example, unlike beer, or soda glasses– have a great shape that allows for nice reflection photos. It is the same effect as if you were to look at your reflection in a spoon on the rounded end, you will see that your reflection is upside down. To achieve the effect shown in the photo below\u00a0make sure that the edge of your liquid (wine, water, or clear juice) lines up with the top of the building or object that you\u2019d like to flip. Then set your camera\u2019s focus on the glass and shoot away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Light painting or light graffiti are very popular with night photographers. The tools you need are minimal (tripod and light source) and the results are intriguing. They can be made using 4th of July sparklers, colored LED lights, flashlight, black light, and even glow sticks. For a full tutorial on how to do it check out our article on light painting<\/a>.<\/p>\n For some inspiration, this video <\/a>has achieved some great light graffiti using a bike wheel to turn the\u00a0sources of light quickly. This person in the video used their cell phone, which we wouldn\u2019t personally do or recommend, but he also uses glow sticks \u00a0attached to a bike wheel and then spins it and that produces a much cooler effect (at 55 seconds into the video).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to carry a product everywhere with you, but we can tell you that its great fun to imagine your product having a coffee with you, going up the escalator, or enjoying the beach. I took a product box on a journey through Southern Germany and it was entertaining to prop up the box in front of castles and monuments, in the empty seat on planes\/ trains, and to have a drink with it. \u00a0Alternatively, if you don\u2019t want to use a product you could also choose a figurine that you like as in the photos below where some friends of mine\u00a0took a Minion on their trip through Europe.<\/p>\n Almost everyone has one of the classic forced perspective photos, such as someone trying to hold up the tower of Pisa, kissing the Sphinx, or touching the tip of a skyscraper. This type of photography makes the massive objects appear tiny in relation to the people in the photos, and that is part of their appeal. You can take forced perspective a step further with some simple props, as in the photos above; photograph your friends jumping into a bag, being blown away by the force from a hairspray can, or one that has now become a classic bridal party shot\u2014show yourself and guests running away from a dragon\/ dinosaur\/ or other scary creature. This is a great article with 99 examples of forced perspective photos<\/a> that will spark you to create your own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Equipment<\/strong><\/p>\n Tripod- this will help you to keep your camera still and reduce the chance of having blurry photos, it\u2019s the best way to achieve crisp trails.<\/p>\n Camera with manual settings- you\u2019ll need a camera that allows you to adjust how long you want the shutter open.<\/p>\n Moving light source- cars are great for light trails but you could also photograph trains, someone riding a bike, or even some friends running down the street waving glow sticks.<\/p>\n Taking the shot<\/strong><\/p>\n On a basic level, you set the self-timer and manual controls, press the shutter, and back up. But let\u2019s look at it in a little more detail.<\/p>\n Point and shoot: set the aperture higher than F8 and play around with shutter speeds. Not all light sources move at the same speed, so depending on what you\u2019re shooting the necessary speed will differ. Usually it will be anywhere from 3 to 30 seconds. Alternatively, before taking your first shot you can time how long it takes a few cars to pass by and then set your camera to the same speed.<\/p>\n SLR: make use of the bulb mode, press the shutter when you see a car passing by and press it again when it has passed. It\u2019s more efficient than the settings in manual mode because you don\u2019t have to guess or estimate how long the car will take to travel across the screen.<\/p>\n Isolating the light<\/strong><\/p>\n For a really cool effect you\u2019ll want to make sure your trails are the only source of light. To achieve this, one of the best spots is on a highway\/freeway overpass at night. Just remember that the longer you want your light trail to be, the longer you\u2019ll want to keep your shutter open.<\/p>\n Timing <\/strong><\/p>\n Deep night is not necessarily the best time, just before and after sunset is a great time to catch light trails because you will have a heavier flow of traffic as well as adding an extra element to your photos with the help of ambient light.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019d be amazed at how many interesting doors and windows there are out there, and not just in historical city centers; all over cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Rome, or Berlin, there are hidden gems down side streets. This Portuguese photographer, who inspired me to create the collage above, turned his love of photographing windows into a profession, (Windows of the World<\/a>) travelling the world and creating collages of windows to highlight each city\u2019s unique culture. Don\u2019t find doors, windows, or doorways all that interesting? No problem, the aim of this tip is to say, focus on one thing (street lamps, signs, oddly shaped buildings, etc) and seek it out, like on a treasure hunt. It\u2019s fun to photograph and looks great as a collage on your wall afterwards.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nLight Painting\/ Light graffiti<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nProduct \/ figurine photos<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nForced perspective<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nLight trails<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nOne subject photography:<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nNumbers and letters<\/h2>\n