For this month, October 2019, the theme challenge is “Reflections”.

In coastal Nova Scotia we have many opportunities to photograph subjects near the water and with calm weather conditions it’s a great time to get out and capture some reflections.

There are many different types of subjects to photograph and so many different reflective surfaces. The reflection can come from not only calm water but from glass buildings or surfaces, a mirror(s), any reflective surface such as the surface of a car, or even a water puddle.

The angle where you place your camera is important the lower and closer you get to the reflective surface the more exaggerated and grander the reflection.

Stability of your camera is important for any type of photography and reflection photography is no different. Using a tripod or using your hands or body against a fixed object or surface can help with stability.

For camera settings you can start in Aperture Priority mode (Av for Canon or A for Nikon) with a smaller aperture (lower f-stop number) say f/8 with as low ISO of 100. Keep an eye on what the camera chooses for a shutter speed especially if you are taking your images handheld. If the shutter speed is slow say 1/50 then raise your ISO to obtain a faster shutter speed of at least 1/100. For these types of images, landscapes, you would use a wider angle lens as an example somewhere around 18 to 30 mm.

Students are encouraged to develop their ability to tell a story or invoke an emotion, as well as how to plan and troubleshoot while creating their images. As such it’s important to not only create the image but to also include a “title”, and write a short paragraph about; how they came up with the idea, any interesting back ground that compelled them to make the image, and describe any techniques on how they overcame any obstacles.

As always with our monthly theme challenges we try to seek out an instructional resource, below is a YouTube video link to give you some hints and ideas.
Reflection Photography instructional aid (although this video uses an iphone, all of the concepts are applicable to all cameras):
Secrets For Taking Incredible iPhone Reflection Photos: by iPhone Photography School
Link: Secrets For Taking Incredible iPhone Reflection Photos (18min 4sec)

Some additional Reflection Photography instructional aids: by Visual Art Photography Tutorials
■ Water Reflections Photography Tips and Tricks – Super Ideas For High Impact! (7min 56sec)
■ Creative Photography Tutorial – Abstract Photography With Window Reflections (9min 3sec)

An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge, in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips.

For this month, September 2019, the theme challenge is “Intentional Camera Movement”.

f/16, 0.6 sec, ISO 100, @ 150mm

Intentional Camera Movement or ICM photography is intended for the creation of “abstract” images. The techniques consist of choosing camera settings to achieve a slow shutter speed and then moving the camera, while the shutter is open, in an “intentional” direction and speed that will complement the subject.

Practicing ICM will help you look for ways to incorporate colour, lines, patterns, and light into your images and will open a whole new world of possibilities. The time of day and atmospheric conditions sometimes are not favorable to create those traditional landscape images, with ICM it provides us an alternative as long as you can obtain a slow enough shutter speed.

As far as equipment goes you can shoot with or without a tripod. It may be necessary when the light is bright to use a neutral density filter to get the shutter speed slow enough. For your camera settings start with manual mode or Shutter Priority, the ISO at 100, and the shutter speed at 1/30sec or slower. If you are not getting the effect you were hoping for continue to slow down your shutter speed. To get slow shutter speeds your aperture will need to be small (that’s a larger F-Stop number such as F8, F11 or even F16).

Take a look at the previous Blog post on Motion as it will help understand how shutter speed allows you to be creative in many different ways.

Students are encouraged to develop their ability to tell a story or invoke an emotion, as well as how to plan and troubleshoot while creating their images. As such it’s important to not only create the image but to also include a “title”, and write a short paragraph about; how they came up with the idea, any interesting back ground that compelled them to make the image, and describe any techniques on how they overcame any obstacles.

As always with our monthly theme challenges we try to seek out an instructional resource, below are a few YouTube video links to give you some hints and ideas.
■ Landscapes Reimagined Video Tutorial by: Stephanie Johnson (46min 14sec)
■ The Art & Beauty of ICM Photography – A Visual Journey by: Stephanie Johnson (10min 44sec)
■ Simple Ideas for Creative outdoor photography by: Nigel Danson (9min 40sec)
■ 8 Steps To Photograph Motion Blur Seascapes by: Tom Woods (11min 40sec)
■ Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) with Charlotte Bellamy 2021 by: SheClicks (1hr 9min 9sec)

An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge, in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips.