Connecting Essay - Reflection

The image at the top is a reflection based photograph taken by me, and below it is a reflection based photograph by Marie-Claire Montanari. These photographs have both similarities and differences based upon their use of composition and the formal elements.

Based upon composition, I would say that these images are very different. For one, my image was taken using a landscape orientation and captures a wide angle, whereas Montanari's image was taken using a portrait angle, and captures a wide angle vertically. My image shows some symmetry in the reflection, as there are metal pillars which are reflected from one side of the glass to the other, however, the reflection shown in Montanari's image bears no symmetry at all, with view through the window being bookshelves and the outside image that is being reflected onto the window being a tall building. This creates a chaotic and disorganised mood in her photograph, whereas mine has connotations of calmness and order, due to my use of symmetry and straight lines.

These images also vary in the way they use other formal elements. The image by Montanari is in black and white so there is a very wide tonal range. There are some very light tones shown near to the bottom of the image in the books in the window and at the top on the building. It also displays some very dark tones in the middle of the image, which is created by the dark building being displayed in the reflection of the dark building behind the window.

My image, however. doesn't have a very wide range of tones. This is partly because I kept the image in colour rather than shooting in or converting to black and white. Also, the image was taken in a bright and well lit environment of a shopping centre, meaning there is not going to be a range of tones or areas of different brightness that could create a variation of tones.

Reflection - Contact Sheet(studio)

Reflection - Work Diary

For Reflection, we did both studio and candid shoots. For my Candid shoot, I focussed on finding reflections around an urban environment. I mostly went for glass windows and shiny marble floors as you can often get reflections of people in them, which I find an interesting subject matter. In my studio shoot, I used a mirror we had in our studio and captured symmetrical reflection of parts of peoples' bodies.
Here is the best photo from my candid photoshoot.

This image was good because the glass I used was stained white, meaning the image in the reflection almost looks like it is foggy. I also like that you can still tell it is a reflection as the people look like silhouettes; their features are not clear and they appear entirely black, like a shadow.
Here is my least favourite picture from my candid photoshoot.

I think this image could be a improved, but the place I took it, which was at a walkway in a shopping centre, meant that the colour of the floor was similar to the colours in the image reflection, therefore the reflection was not very clear. Also, I would use a monopod in future to avoid my feet being caught in the shot.

Here is my best image from my studio shoot.

I like this because it shows a sort of distorted reality. It has a reflection horizontally

Reflection - Image bank

 This image shows a horizontal reflection. It is a reflection of two cyclists, and also reflects the background of the sky and the clouds.

 This is a horizontal reflection too. The background doesn't reflect this tie; only the foreground with the woman laying down is reflected.

 In this image, the window and the reflected object are not touching. It is reflected horizontally, however the reflection is not man made like the others.

This is a slightly different reflection. Though it's reflected horizontally, the reflection is in the middle of the photo, and doesn't take up the bottom half of the image.

This is a very different reflection , as it is not across a straight line, and it is reflected vertically rather than horizontally

Reflection - Straight Images

Reflection - Contact Sheet

Definition - Reflection

A reflection is a mirror of an image. The mirrored image is identical, only it has been flipped around, so it is the exact opposite of the other image. This creates one perfectly symmetrical image.

Here is an example of a reflection to better explain what reflection is. As you can see, there is a cat standing on a mirror, which is a reflective device. Inside the mirror, you can see the exact same image of the cat as you can see with the actual kitten, however it has been inverted, creating a perfectly symmetrical image. You can also get reflections where you cannot see the original image symmetrical image as it is not touching it.

Here is an example of this. As you can see, there are not two instances of the image like in the photograph above, but only the reflected one, which is an inverted version of the original image.