Time for reflection

Think outside the box to produce interesting results, says Roddy Llewellyn

One excellent way of producing extra artwork from your photos is to find an image that you think would look good reflected, horizontally or vertically, to produce something surreal, like out of the movie Inception. An image with lines, either within the image itself, or going off to the side of the frame, can produce eye-catching results; the effect will work better when set against a clear background. This project can be done quickly in Photoshop; have a go, and you might be surprised how eye-catching some of your results might be!

1 Crop along a plane

Crop your image into the subject. Make sure the subject is perfectly horizontal; if not, rotate the image until it’s level. Resize your canvas vertically by 200%.

2 Duplicate the layer

Duplicate the Background layer, then select Edit > Transform > Flip Vertically. Move the flipped layer to the blank half of your canvas, lining up the cropped planes. Flatten the layers before exporting.

Experiment with colour to produce some surreal shots

You don’t have to experiment in black and white to create artistic images. Have a go with a colour image, and you can achieve equally surreal results. This image was interesting because there were three elements in the original image that, when reflected horizontally, draw your eye from the foreground to the bridge

Experimenting with your images can produce interesting artwork that will make the viewer stop and pause. Try using images with lines going off the side of your image, and with clear elements within the shot. This is a good way of bringing a fresh perspective to over-familiar landmarks.