1
Set up the shot
Find a reflection, which
could be inside or outdoors.
Here it’s the reflection on the wall
to the right. The tripod is key to this
technique: it enables you to keep
the camera steady while you use Live
View mode, so you can work out the
exposure you need to highlight the
light of the reflection. Using a 50mm
lens or similar gives you more
flexibility in changing the aperture.2
Take the shot
The strength of light can change
constantly and affect the reflection
you’re shooting, so you need to be adaptable
with your settings. Your priority is to keep the
background as dark as possible, to heighten the
contrast between light and dark. This requires
a fast shutter speed and a wide aperture. (Try
something like 1/1,000 sec at f/2.8 or f/4; you
may to raise the ISO setting to achieve this.)
You want to get the light as bright as possible
without overexposing it and losing detail.3
Edit the
image
While you’re editing
your photograph, you need
to concentrate on Brightness
and Contrast. As you used a
wide aperture, the brightness
may need to be adjusted
slightly, otherwise the detail
of the reflection will be lost
and overexposed. The contrast
needs to increase to make the
surrounding black. You could
also use Curves or Levels to
make these adjustments.16 DIGITAL CAMERA
Adapt to your
surroundings
This technique can be adapted
for different environments.
The weather is forever
changing, so always be aware
of light and its reflections. This
outdoors image, highlighting
light across a wet beach,
was taken with an exposure
of 1/1,600 sec at f/22.
Finding abstraction within
your scene is a great skill:
you’re showing a natural
subject in a more creative
way, asking the viewer to
question the subject of the
photograph and how the
image was created...CORRECT
EXPOSUREINCORRECT
EXPOSURE