Ideas on the PHOTO COMPETITION THEME of REFLECTIONS, and a few images to illustrate some diverse ways of creatively approaching this assignment.
I want you to have fun with this one!
The rippled water surface created a painterly brush stroke effect…
entirely in camera with no post production needed.
Here is a special message to the ROSWELL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY from Robin:
“Soon I will be judging your Photo Competition and the Theme is one of my favorites… REFLECTIONS!
When I last spoke to your group, I talked about “Dream Assignments” that we can give to ourselves, and the creative use of REFLECTIONS in photography is a great SELF-ASSIGNMENT and one that I’ve given to myself …MANY times!
Here below I’ve shared some images from my past exhibitions, where REFLECTIONS are a major element. In creating these SERIES of images, I first formulated a defined visual plan to follow.”
If you would like to create your own personal SELF-ASSIGNMENT, I am happy to offer you my half price PERSONAL SESSION to envision and complete your own Dream Project. From these fun and helpful sessions, my students have created meaningful photographs that they really love.
Five ideas to consider for your upcoming themed competition on REFLECTIONS:
#1 – Titles are important, and sometimes even a short one-line description of your intent can clue-in your viewer, to engage them, and give them a deeper understanding of the purpose of your image, or perhaps some of the photographic decisions you made while creating the image.
Just a few words can go a long way to make your photograph more meaningful to the viewer, who was not there when you made the shot.
Wild Bird Images were combined with Patterns of Water REFLECTIONS and printed on Silk
#2 – When we think of Reflections in photography, the first thing that pops into our mind are images of nature reflected in water. With this subject, it is deeply satisfying to practice our COMPOSE in CAMERA technique that we talked about!
Get closer and closer AS you a photographing your subject and do NOT after-crop. This is the way we discover fascinating shapes, hypnotic patterns, and abstractions that dynamically FILL our FRAMES edge to edge! These are the photos you will really love.
where both the nature reflection + the water’s surface patterns combine as one.
(Poster Design, Typography and Photography by Robin Davis)
#3 – The term REFLECTIONS can mean a lot of different things and is open to your interpretation. Please feel free to explore this to the fullest! While judging, I will be looking for personal creativity in each of your entries. If you feel the call to go beyond the obvious, then I support you!
Street photography from the June Cortona Italy Workshop
Going deeper into the realm of the mind, a reflection could also be illustrated as a pensive or introspective moment. If you like photographing people, or creating dramatic stories, perhaps there is a deeper psychological theme that you would like to tell with your camera. Please note that if you choose to define the word REFLECTION in this way, be sure your photo’s TITLE describes it well, and perhaps include a short blurb or artist’s statement that supports your image’s intent.
The theme of strong archetypal women is one that I return to again and again.
Here my model Morgan, is playing the part of THE SORCERESS who is watching you from her magic mirror!
#4 – You may also consider other reflective surfaces such as mirrors, metal, or glass, and you may choose to show your reflected subject in tandem WITH its reflection to visually entertain us. I know you will find many exiting reflective surfaces to play with, and I cannot wait to see what you come up with!
#5 – One last thing to be sure to AVOID is any elements that do not serve your composition! A foreign or incongruent object (or piece of OFFENSIVE SHRUBBERY as I like to say!), should be consciously composed out of, or if necessary, retouched out of, your full image frame. Just be aware of those pesky branches, or unintentional wires or poles that sneak into the edges of your perfect image area, and be on guard to keep them out!
Here are some more examples below, and thoughts on designing your own photographic series.
with the sphinx, goddess, centaur, and a giant collossus figure.
These images were created in Pompeii and Ravello Italy, and Paris, France.
The final images for exhibition were printed on metal panels to enhance the reflective feel.
It also serves to simplify and beautify the FOREGROUND of each shot.
In this series the clouds, forms and backgrounds were all really there
and composed WITHIN the frame of the cellphone camera.
The ADDED reflections were generated by phone APPS to mirror the original scene.
Le Sphinx Egyptienne 2 – ©Robin Davis
And here are two more examples that I will conclude with…
The secret?? …it’s actually the REFLECTION in a very old and spotty mirror.
Reflections add a beautiful dimension to our photos and we are always on the lookout for ways to use them to support our subjects and complement our overall design.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
-ROBIN
Aloha Robin,
I can relate to your thoughts on introspective reflection and enjoy exploring this theme through my portrait photography. I’m looking forward to your return visit with us at the Roswell Photographic Society.
I can’t wait to see everyone and the great REFLECTION images that will be presented for the competition. Talking about our photography in this deeper way is my favorite thing to do!