Reflect-me-not: when mirror meets camera

"I have an idea for a photo, and I want you to take it." So announced a friend of mine when she walked into my room one day. And so it was. 

She had seen a photo online, which idea she wanted to replicate. She explained it to me, I got the concept and agreed. But it was not until I saw one such photo myself, could I really see the possibilities in my head. What with work, the ever shortening daylight hours and both our various after work engagements, it was not easy to find a suitable time to carry out this plan. And as it was to be an outdoor photo, there was also the added problem of getting the weather to cooperate. A few weeks passed before we found an opportunity to put this plan into action. Finally, on one cloudy Sunday afternoon, there we were, marching down the street with our respective cameras strapped on, carrying the essential prop: a mirror. 

I have enjoyed being behind the camera for years, I have spent a relatively small amount of photography hours taking photos of people, or with props. I tend to let random things catch my eye, be it a tree or a squirrel or a Coke can in a fountain. If I do photograph people, it tends to be candid, surreptitious. And this is why, to most people's surprise, my favourite lens to use at a wedding or a party is my zoom lens. The camera adds ten pounds of awkwardness. Even if people think they are ignoring the camera, most people tend to stiffen if they know it's there. So I hide in the back and zoom in from a far. I am always hesitant to photograph people on their request. I worry that they already have such a fixed idea of what they think is a good photo, that nothing I take has a chance of making the cut. Having said that though, when the "model" doesn't have fix ideas, or has the same ideas as me about what makes a good photo, then it can become quite fun.

And this was fun. It took some time before I figured out how to accurately communicate to my friend how she should hold and tilt the mirror so that we got the 'right' reflection in the mirror, and so that I did not appear in the reflection... except when I wanted to, of course!

It is really quite cool what you can do with a mirror. Some of the reflections that were caught in the mirror while we were walking down the street alone would have made for a good shot or two. 

Part of me is now thinking that it would be really nice to take more fun photos like these. That part of me is actually considering having another similar session with a mirror, just to play around a bit more and see what other images we can get. Maybe at a different location with a different reflection. Unfortunately, that part is subdued by the other part of me that is laziness itself, and cannot really be bothered to go through the trouble. Besides, even if I do manage to get some really cool shots, what am I going to do with them? Having said that, there's nothing wrong with taking photos just for the fun of it. So, who knows? Maybe I will...

One of my favourites.

*see photo no.69 Invisible Reflection