MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
WHO’S THE COOLEST PHOTOGRAPHER OF THEM ALL?
IT’S YOU!!
In Part 1 and Part 2, I shared my favorite way to utilize white sheets and the many ways you can dress up your couch, so in this Part 3 I am going to show you 5 different ways that you can utilize mirrors in your photoshoots to create interesting, beautiful, fun, and artistic images that will make your clients swoon! Mirrors literally give you the opportunity to see things differently and I freakin’ love using them!!
Get a new perspective on your space - Regardless if you are shooting in a hotel, airbnb or your very own studio, have a mirror allows you to see the reverse of a space which can have it look bigger, see light differently, and give you a totally different vibe. Below are some images that showcase how I normally see the room and then how the mirror helps me see the reverse!
The left image is me shooting INTO the bathroom the right image is me shooting into a mirror on the wall which shows more of the scene - giving more of a voyeuristic look to the image.
The image on the left was taken into the mirror and the image on the right was taken from the same spot just into the room. Both images are beautiful, but just make space look a little different!
Use the mirror to create a composition - I love to use mirrors as a way to paint a scene where the majority of the image is the wall with the mirror on it, but you see the subject in the reflection. It’s a great way to frame your subject and tell a story at the same time!
Double The Pleasure, Double The Fun - Mirrors are a great way to show different sides of your client and create a really cool composition. I love when I can get both my client AND their reflection in the same shot create an interesting effect…kinda like a photographic Rorschach test!
Double Exposure…Kinda - You can use small handheld mirrors to create an interesting double exposure kind of effect onto your image. By putting the mirror/smooth surface (like the black screen of your phone) in the middle of your lens and shooting wide open (f 2.8 or lower) you can create a double exposure kinda vibe onto your image - taking pieces of the space you are in and reflecting them back into the image. In the same vein, you can make some trippy images by using mirrors to reflect a space in interesting spaces throughout the image.
Create a Cinematic Feel - By shooting into the mirror and also capturing part of your client it will feel like you are watching a movie. The focus should be on the reflection so the person in the foreground is softer but ultimately you can do anything you want!
Mirrors can come in all shapes and sizes (just like humans!) and it’s fun to play around with different ones to imagine all the things you can do! Personally, I love using mirrors to expand a space and give context to image that I am creating! You can get some really stellar large mirrors to create magic on, but getting a small hand held mirror plate (you can get from the dollar store) is also great for creating magic! The possibilities are endless. As an added bonus, you can also REFLECT light from your mirror to add a fill light if you are back lighting or to bounce some prism effects back onto your subject! I can’t wait to see what you create! Share your magic with me on instagram @terihofford so I can see!!!
