Reflection on the Reflecting
Reflections
A reflection, not in the metaphorical sense but in the physical sense, is a return of light waves from a surface that produces an image as if it’s a mirror. There is also a metaphorical sense of reflecting, the act of thinking back and contemplating. The biggest thing I take away from it, is that reflecting is like a mirror, whether that is in a metaphorical or physical sense.
Reflections can happen anywhere, my favorites are the ones on water. I remember the first week I was here in Paris, I went to see La Tour Eiffel and there was a puddle on the ground with a perfect reflection of the tower standing tall, glimmering. This picture doesn’t have much of a mirror 0f the structures on the water, but the sky and tops of buildings that are visible is amazing. I can’t begin to explain how incredible nature is and how it makes me feel.
The water is still enough where there is a perfect mirror image of the buildings, but no buildings are actually in the photograph. The power of science and natural phenomenon.
Black and white reflections are incredible, I love the illusion of a shadow that appears instead of a reflective mirror image like in color photos.
Fish Eye Reflection
Mirrors offer time for reflection, time for you to look back at what you are seeing and think about it. I hate mirrors in that way, in the metaphorical sense of reflecting that is. It’s funny, a metaphor is used to reflect on information you know or learned and look at it in a different sense. It allows us to see things in new light. A physical reflection is the bouncing of light waves, allowing us to see things, a mirrored image, in new light. I am amazed by reflections, even in the way that mirrors work… not so much in the act of reflecting though.
The royal blue water encapsulating this photo is spectacular. The way the reflection on the sphere almost works with the concrete surrounding it and gives a sense of illusion to it. A reflection of beautiful Monaco shown on a mirrored ball.
In each reflection, when there is a piece of the background image I feel it adds more depth to the photo, more of a story. Most of these have the fisheye look to them with the picture taken off of sphere like images. I like them this way, it gives a broader story, more reflection space to look back at what you have right in front of you, in a different sense.
You can get a reflection on most smooth surfaces, like the top of this coffee pot, or the hood of the car below. This is the beauty of reflection and creating a mirror image. We are able to see incredible things through our own eyes, most of which cannot be photographed, but this can.
Even the side of a car using a window, at just the right angle a reflection image shows up with no shadows or sight of the interior view of the car.
Though this reflection is distorted due to whatever material is making it up, I enjoy it. It’s not so static, but I’m not mad about it.
I will never not be amazed by the capabilities of nature to create such beauty in natural phenomena, and the human eye to notice and photograph these illusions.
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Our Desnouettes photo studio in the 15th arrondissement of Paris is dedicated to companies looking for professional portraits of their managers, directors and employees to feature on their websites, annual reports, brochures and other marketing materials.
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