Hi everyone, I’m Jennifer Connelly. A little bit about me: I’m married to my best friend and a mom of two adorable kids who inspire the majority of my photographs. I love capturing the beauty and light in the most magical way - and my camera is my tool to do so.
I mainly am a natural light photographer living in southwest Florida. There is rarely a time I do not have a camera in my hand. Photography is such a passion of mine and though I’ve done my share of studio work, weddings, and so forth, I truly love capturing the candid and beautiful moments of childhood as creatively as I can.
It is such an honor to be asked to write a small lesson about photographing reflections and I hope what I have to say will help you out!
“The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it.”- B.K.S Iyengar
I have loved reflections since I was a kid. There is just something magical about them. As most children do, my kids, especially my daughter, love water. For the most part, I will just let them do their thing while I shoot away. Though I tend to shoot reflections primarily outdoors, there are times when I pay attention to my surroundings, I see them indoors as well! Usually in a mirror, a shiny countertop, or any glass type item.
Canon 5dmiii, 35 mm, 1.4, 1/5000, ISO 100 (taken in a Library parking lot where water collected in a lower lying area.)
1. Lakes, Rivers, Puddles, OH MY!
In Florida we have an abundance of water. From the beach, to pools, and all the puddles we can want during the rainy season! But there are times where something as simple as sprinklers, a hose, even just a bucket of water can create a magical reflection.
So first, find your water, or create some! And don’t be afraid to get wet (while keeping your camera safe!) I’ve often used my iPhone or GoPro if the situation seems a bit non-camera friendly, or if I am really trying to get something different!
I’ve been known to pull off into a parking lot because I saw a body of water that offered an amazing reflection! From sidewalks, to dirt roads, the possibilities are endless! After it rains, I sometimes will take a drive and check out the neighborhood - scouting different locations that are safe and provide some good photo opportunities.
Canon 5dmiii, 85 mm, 2.0, 1/640, ISO 200
2. When to shoot?
I am a rule breaker when it comes to lighting and weather situations. Also as a mom I usually am subject to my kids schedules so I learn to wing it. I have captured many reflection photos at sunset, with perfect lighting conditions. I have also gone out in the middle of the day, when it's extremely bright. The kids and I have gone out puddle jumping when it has been super overcast and threatening to rain. But by shooting in all different situations with light and weather, it not only has helped me grow as a photographer, it has also created some amazing photos (and fun memories too!).
GoPro 8 - 2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100
Sony a7iii - 24-70mm @24 mm, 4.0, 1/1250, ISO 100
3. Dance in the rain and jump in the puddles!
Shooting with kids can be a roller coaster. With my son, I can sometimes request a certain idea and he’ll go along with it. But for the most part, I have found letting the kids just be kids results in the best photos and most enjoyable time for everyone. We normally will bring buckets, trucks, boats, rubber ducks - anything for them to play with in the water, to entertain but also provide more dynamic to the storytelling, and pop of color. I also can sometimes lead them to a better lit area that has a prettier reflection by moving the toys and directing their attention to the new location! It also gives me that little bit of extra time to get additional shots, as well as adjust my settings. My kids are constantly on the move and allowing myself even 25 extra seconds can mean getting that perfect shot or not! I encourage them to just PLAY! Get dirty and wet. Make big splashes! See how high they can jump. This again gives them something to do, making the activity even more fun, not to mention those creative action shots! My son now even asks to go take pictures after it has rained!
I always have extra clothes and towels for all of us, and unless we’re at the beach, I have the kids wear rain boots. (Keeps their feet safe and adds color!)
Canon 5dmiii, 85 mm, 2.0, 1/640, ISO 200
Canon 5dmiii, 85 mm, 2.0, 1/2500, ISO 160
4. Move around
I have found myself to forget this advice often. I get so caught up in the image I am currently seeing that I tend to overshoot in that one spot! Lately I have been trying to force myself to move around my kids. The light hits the water differently, causing alternate reflections when you change your perspective. The sky could reflect better, color may pop more. It changes the scenery, even if it is slight, and you don’t end up with duplicates of the same photo!
Canon 5dmiii, 135 mm, 2.0, 1/1250, ISO 160
5. Change your perspective.
Similar to moving around, practice shooting from all sorts of angles. Moving yourself even the slightest can result in a completely different image of the same scene. For me, I tend to get as low to the ground as possible. This may mean you may get a little wet, but I promise it will totally be worth it. One of my favorite photos of my sun on his bike at sunset, I was laying flat on the ground with a small stick under my camera. This allowed me to get a full mirrored reflection with the sky and all.
Sometimes there isn’t enough water to give a good reflection, or so you may think. Shooting from above with the light behind you will give an awesome reflection plus create a cool perspective! For this technique, I like to use the widest lens I own, which is my 24-70. If I can, I look for something to stand on to give me a slight boost for a higher point of view. So get creative! Move around. Go high, go low, go somewhere in between and just see what you can create!
Here are a few examples below:
(1) I actually have a few from this series. We started a quick walk right after it poured and the sunsets after a storm are always the best! Hunter wanted to ride his bike and I had no problems convincing him to ride through the puddles! This was one of my first shots as I just was wanting to quickly capture it before he kept riding. Lucky for me, he got stuck and it gave me more time to move around. Plus, he thought it was so cool his tires were spinning out in the puddle! Here, I am standing in the puddle and slightly on my tippy toes to get a higher POV.
Canon 5dmiii, 27-70mm @ 44mm , 2.8, 1/1000, ISO 250
(2) Same shot technically but this one was everyone's favorite. I got out of the puddle and laid down to get as low as I could. And it was totally worth it! I wanted to get the sky so I underexposed this image when I shot it.
Canon 5dmiii, 27-70mm @ 24mm , 2.8, 1/1250, ISO 250
(3) Here the road was wet, but not deep enough to create a reflection without getting creative. I stood on the speed bump, as high as I could go on my tippy toes and raised my camera slightly to get a tad higher. I loved the slight reflection the power lines, trees and clouds created on the black asphalt against the pop of yellow he was wearing.
Canon 5dmiii, 24-70 mm @24mm, 2.8, 1/400, ISO 125
6. Get creative in post processing
From rotating an image to creating a reflection, the possibilities are endless with tools such as Photoshop.
Here, it was literally midday, right after a morning storm, slightly overcast, but not much. I had this shot in my mind for awhile. And though the color version wasn’t working for me, I was obsessed with the black and white.
Edited:
Canon 5dmiii, 85mm, 2.0, 1/2500, ISO 100
SOOC:
Edited:
Canon 5dmiii, 24-70 mm @70mm, 2.8, 1/200, ISO 125 SOOC:
You can even create your own reflection! There are countless tutorials and resources on how to do this in photoshop and the more you practice, the better it will get! In both of the below images I had a vision for what I was wanting to do, but I couldn’t get it 100% in camera. So I got creative! Edited:
Canon 5dmiii, 85mm, 1.8, 1/320, ISO 640 SOOC:
Edited:
Canon 5dmiii, 85mm, 1.8, 1/1000, ISO 200 SOOC:
7. Have fun!
Look around you, reflections can appear in places you least expect them. Let yourself break some rules - by maybe allowing your son to drink out of the sink faucet, splashing water all over the counter and floors. It usually ends up with not only an amazing image, but a fun memory that he still brings up!
Don’t be afraid to pull over in a random parking lot (as long as you are being safe!) because you see a great opportunity for a photo! Don’t get caught up in trying to get that perfect shot or the perfect settings at all times. I normally end up missing my chance when I’m too busy messing with my camera or I can’t get out of my own way and just have fun. Let the kids be kids! Even if that means one of them trying to drink out of a puddle. (true story) Kids will get bathed, the clothes can be washed, the car eventually will get cleaned out, but the fun from those images and memories will never fade.
Xoxo, Jen
