Vantage Points

A column written for the Northport Arts Coalition section of the Northport Observer.

Reflections and Point of View
First appeared April 7, 2005 • All rights reserved • © 2005 John Ellsworth

“Turn it upside down!” shouted someone in the audience. I was projecting my slide of a reflected sailboat to the Huntington Camera Club. Several of us were showing our photos as part of a “watery” assignment.

I turned it upside down.  Low and behold, a different photo, from a totally different perspective. I liked it, as did the audience.

Ghost Ship
Old Timer

When reflection becomes the subject, images become intriguing, sometimes abstract. Invert the image, and you may see a reflection that yields an unusual

perspective. And as the case with “Ghost Ship” and “Old Timer,” sometimes reflections make a photograph look like a watercolor painting. (Roll your cursor over an image to see the original photo.)

I am always on the lookout for reflections. If you look carefully, you will see them in water, windows, vehicles, or polished granite, as in the Vietnam Wall. Vehicles--whether a locomotive, motorcycle, or car--are likely to produce unusual images distorted by bent surfaces.

Water reflections are more temporary then those produced by other subjects. Sometimes waiting several minutes will yield a much different image because of wind changes.

The best water reflections are obtained in early morning or late afternoon when there may be only a wisp of wind. Here lines and colors undulate, but not enough that you don’t recognize the subject.

So the next time you go out shooting, look for reflections in puddles, pools, lakes, and harbors. Let the water become your artistic filter and create an impressionistic image.