Capture the upside down
Turn the world on its head! Jessica Billett shows you how to use muddy puddles to shoot surreal reflections
Use muddy puddles to shoot reflections
Don’t let a little rain stop you from getting out and about with your camera! Just after a heavy rain shower can be the perfect time to get out and capture an environmental portrait with a difference – by using the reflections found in puddles as the subject for a fun photo project. The mirror-like reflections in the water surface enable you to explore an alternative perspective, and flipping the image, so that the reflection becomes the main point of focus, gives a surreal quality to your shot.
Using your DSLR gives you control over how the image is going to be taken, but getting the exposure right with changing conditions, and the potential for it to rain again, can be tricky. With a little practice trying out angles and perspectives, you’ll soon perfect your shots.
Making sure you have your settings dialled in beforehand can speed up shooting too, while using semi-automatic exposure modes, such as Aperture Priority, means your camera does some of the work for you.
We’re going to be shooting in a woodland area, with dense forest and tall trees, resulting in a lot of green and brown, leading to a potentially lifeless reflection. To fix this we’ll need to ask the model to wear something bright and contrasting, which will help break up the composition. You could also try this in an urban setting – street lights at night can work particularly well.
Get the weather right
To get photographs like these you’ll need to shoot soon after a heavy rain shower. Cloudy or overcast days work well for helping to create moody reflections in the images. Try shooting in woodland areas, these work well as there’s lots of deep puddles and trees to make for a more interesting backdrop in your composition.
Find the right puddles
Find a puddle that’s smooth and wide without too much poking out of it – you can remove any large leaves or stones from the puddle to create a clearer reflection. If you are shooting in muddy areas, as we were, make sure you use one that hasn’t been walked through. Check that the reflection shows the landscape around you clearly.
Set up your camera
We shot in Aperture Priority mode so we could set the widest aperture to blur the background. Keep the ISO low to maintain image quality, but make sure your shutter speed isn’t too slow, especially if it’s still drizzling – any droplets falling into the puddle will cause ripples, which could distort your reflection.
Flipping the image
In editing software, such as Photoshop, rotate the photograph by 180 degrees (Image>image Rotation>180º) so that the reflection is now at the top of the frame. Crop out any distractions – bits of debris, like leaves or stones, sticking out of the ‘sky’ will ruin the illusion. Finally, brighten up the image and add a little Clarity if needs be.
Practise your framing
To get the best perspective you’ll need to get down low and shoot across the surface of the puddle; this will make it look like a much bigger body of water. Focus on your subject’s reflection, rather than the subject itself, and ensure that it is dominant in the frame. Be prepared to get a little muddy when trying to frame up the perfect shot.
Shoot using models
If you’re shooting in a location like ours there can be a lot of the same colours. In our case the woodland location is very green and brown. It helps if your model is wearing an item of clothing that is from a different colour palette to the rest of the image. Try a brightly coloured raincoat or hat to add some nice contrast.