by Judy
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| Photo by Leigh Love |
What do you see when you look at this photo? Do you look up? Down? Can you tell what you're looking at? Reflection photos are always so interesting to me - and puddle
reflection photos, like Leigh's above - can really confuse the eye and
bring a lot of interest to your photos.
When Leigh posted this photo on Instagram last week it really drew me in - and it reminded me of an article I had recently seen about "Puddleography." Whether you're shooting with the camera on your phone, or a dslr, you can bring a fun, new twist to your photography if you keep your eyes open for puddles, and what may be reflected in them! If you love shooting reflection photos, give puddleography a try!
With "Puddleography" there aren't a lot of strict rules and techniques to follow, but I've listed a few things to help get you started.
1. Shoot Low. One of the really distinctive looks to "puddleography" is done by shooting low. Really low. Getting down to the puddle level and capturing the reflections from this angle. A low perspective allows the reflection to be sharper and more defined.
2. That being said, don't be afraid to break that rule! When you see a puddle reflection, slow down. Take a few steps toward it, take a few steps back. Kneel down. Stand up. It's up to you. Which position gives you the most interest? When you find it, shoot it!
3. If you're shooting with a dslr, try choosing a higher f-stop. F-11 or higher works great to enhance the reflection portion of your photo.
4. Turn it upside down! Leigh inspired me to add this puddleography rule. As you can see, she turned her photo upside down, which turned the predictable into something completely unique and abstract.
I know some of you may be thinking, "hey, I live where there isn't much rain!" It's all good. Look for puddles made by lawn sprinklers, or by someone hosing down their driveway. Once you start noticing puddles and their reflections you will find them everywhere!
If you're interested, you can view some puddle pics taken by an EyeEm photographer, Brian Podolsky. He captures some really great puddle pics in New York City. I'd love to see what you capture in your neck of the woods!
6 comments:
Great idea and what a lovely shot this is!
Oh, what a fun post, Judy! This will surely bring out the long-lost kid in each of us. I loved Leigh's photo when I saw it on IG but it's even more fantastic to see it on the "big screen"!
Hey, I live where there isn't much rain!" Sorry, couldn't resist that! As Dotti said, I loved Leigh's photo when I saw it on IG and thought it was so intriguing. I kept looking at it (and still am) to try to figure out up from down. So fun! I am going to have to try to find some sprinkler puddles to shoot because we aren't expecting rain in the foreseeable future. Thanks for sharing this and giving us some inspiration to go look for reflections to shoot.
Funny that I got out of my car today and saw some cool reflections in a nearby mudpuddle.........actually thought it was photo worthy. Then I asked myself, "who would want to see a mudpuddle"? I didn't think I'd be able to capture a reflection worthy enough. Thank you for this article! I'll give it a try next time! :)
Oh reflections are one of my favorites to photograph...all I can say is great minds think alike. Hmmm, thinking, tapping pencil....haha....I'll just push my post back a bit! ;) Nice post Judy!
it's that time of year. so thankful for all the rain we're getting so i'll keep this in mind.
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