I think this type of effect is a photographers trick that has been around for a while, and one that I wanted to have a go at. I had seen a number of these and you run the risk of creating something that looks obviously photo-shopped. so my idea was to have the subject over water and include not only a reflection but maybe the subject interacting with the water by touching it and maybe even creating ripples.

So on the one year anniversary if this shoot I thought I would share an insight into how I put it together.

I had a number of options with location and had even taken a couple of test shots before deciding on the spot I ended up using.

Once I was happy with this location I took some photos around the time of day I wanted to do the shoot, and even did a test shot using Fiona allowing me to go through the editing process.

The final thing I needed was somebody that was up to the challenging physical requirement of the photo … someone that was flexible, athletic and had enough strength to hold the pose all whilst being graceful.

This is where Tianna came into it and with a background in dancing she was perfect… and even better was she was willing to give it a go.

So along with a Tianna, Fiona, Brice a stool and a reflector we had a fun 40 minutes or so during the golden hour of that day taking a number of shots that I would edit together over the next few days.

The two photos below are the actual files I used to construct the final image that went on to feature on the cover of the Roleystone Courier.

I took a number of shots that I really liked that day and edited a few though to completion before settling on the one I did and pushing it forward as a potential cover shot.

All in all it was great fun and a good learning experience after revisiting the experience I think I’m just about ready to try another one :-)