Project 52 - Week 29: Reflections

I was hiking down a back country road just after a pouring rain storm.  Yes, I had my camera.  I was out looking for deer to photograph in the fields, and there is a pond very close to this road where I thought I might find a gray heron.

Instead I found this..

And that began my love affair with reflections.

I got lucky that day, because I wasn't really prepared for a cat near a puddle on the road.  I only had the natural light of late day and I wasn't that close, but what I had was just enough to give me a nice reflection of pretty kitty, who ran as fast as kitty legs will carry within two seconds of taking this photo.

Kitty's puddle is nice and clear, with no extreme depth, so the light is reflecting the image upward.  It's a different story when you photograph in murkier, deeper water, as you will see with the next two images.

What might have turned into a great reflection in shallower water, the choppy, deeper lake water sucks up keeping it just below the surface. Our text tells us we can't discount the shadow in the reflection process, and I've made sure my shadows are a full extension of this lovely husky.

David Duchemin is telling us that we should spend more time playing with reflections because it will teach us how to use them more effectively when we encounter them, and what to expect from them as an extension of our photography work.

It took me a good 15 minutes of playing with reflections (and Pete the turtle) to decide how to finally capture the following photo. Pete was as intrigued by his reflection as I was.

To find more reflective work, head to the blog circle starting with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay area. Enjoy!