Have you ever gone to the same location multiple times in the same day, simply to observe what the place looked like at those different times of day? You would think that I, of all people, would have done this many, many times since I love landscape photography. But getting to a location isn’t always the easiest thing to do. (That’s probably why you haven’t done it either, right?) So for this assignment, I was determined to do it intentionally for the first time! And here’s what happened….

I have to say, arriving at that little lake early in the morning, with the mist and pink clouds off in the distance, it was quite the thrilling experience. I was kinda amazed something so pretty was so close to home. It felt like I was way out in the middle of nowhere exploring an epic place. But I guess “epic” can be close to home if you’re looking for it.

Of course the scenery was beautiful. But the assignment wasn’t for beautiful scenery. It was for a reflection of a tree or house or mountain. This was more a reflection of a hillside. So I tried to single out one tree and photograph that in such a way that the tree’s reflection would stand out.

And….I guess, not really the kind of tree I want to look at. So I went wide. Maybe showcasing the feeling of a reflection would do.

Better, but still not what Suzanne was looking for, I don’t think.

There were no stand alone trees around. And the one house that I could see, was in the shadow and I didn’t like the look of it. I was going to have to get creative. And I was going to have to see what the rest of the day would provide too.

At noon, I discovered that “epic” had vanished with the mist.

The lighting was just so harsh and blah. So normal-looking. Seriously, the above photo is heavily edited.

But at least top-lighting was setting trees apart from each other.

I scanned the opposite side of the pond to find a shapely tree that I could use.

And photographed it with it’s “reflection”.

The wind was really destroying all my efforts to make this thing happen.

So I tried with as slow a shutter speed as I could get with the amount of ambient light that I was working with. 0.3sec.

Really didn’t help anything.

Then the wind died down for a bit!

I really don’t think this works for the “awesome reflection” that she was looking for. So, I packed up, hoping that the evening would offer something better. I really wasn’t feeling like the middle of the day was giving me much opportunity.

And boy was I surprised that evening! I think if I had arrived earlier, I would have had maybe some side-lighting to work with. But one thing was for sure, the water was very calm and the reflections were the best I’d seen all day.

So I photographed the house this time. A pebble (or was it a little wad of mud?) in the water added a special touch.

Though I don’t think I have any assignment-winning photos from the day of shooting, I feel like it was a fun day with the Creator and Redeemer and I had learned a lot.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Even the smallest puddle can create some stunning reflections. If you’d like, see what you can find near you and go shoot this month’s Lenspiration Shoot to Serve assignment, Awesome Reflection!