The Free Compositional Tool Most Photographers Walk Past
📷 Reflections are free composition. You're not moving anything, you're not waiting for the light to change — you're just recognising that the world has handed you a second image inside the first one. Once you start looking for that, you can't stop seeing it.
In this video I explore why I actively look for reflections when I'm shooting — across wildlife, portraits, and commercial work — and why the broken, imperfect reflection is often more interesting than the perfect mirror image.
We also do a quick edit on one of the swallow frames in Camera Raw, including subject masking, basic adjustments, and a touch of vignetting — keeping it simple and deliberate.
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⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 The Shot I Didn’t Plan
00:25 What This Video Is Really About
00:57 What Reflections Actually Do
01:30 Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
01:54 Shooting Low for Reflections
02:14 Motion vs Stillness
02:44 The Tiger Example (Emotional Impact)
03:42 When Reflections Do the Work
04:19 Imperfect Reflections (Why They Work)
05:07 Abstract & Impressionistic Reflections
05:33 A Softer, Painterly Look
06:02 Using Reflections in Portraits
06:45 Subtle vs Obvious Reflections
07:22 Seeing Reflections Everywhere
07:47 The Real Shift (How to Think Differently)
08:14 Why Reflections Add Depth
08:25 Editing the Final Image
09:27 Noise Reduction (DxO PureRAW)
10:20 Cropping & Composition
11:00 Using Presets
11:37 Masking the Subject
12:16 Refining the Image
12:57 Sharpening
13:16 Adding Detail to the Eye
13:56 Final Image
14:09 Why the Reflection Matters
14:38 Where to Find Reflections
15:04 Final Thoughts & Outro
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Do you actively look for reflections when you're shooting — or is it something you notice after the fact? I'd love to know how it fits into your process, please let me know in the comments down below.
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