One of my favourite times to photograph landscapes is autumn here in Michigan. The colors are spectacular, but one of the things I enjoy even more than the fall colour itself is finding creative ways to use it.
One technique I come back to year after year is photographing reflections in water. It’s simple, it works almost anywhere, and it can transform an ordinary scene into something much more colorful and abstract.
The beauty of this technique is that you’re not photographing the trees directly. Instead, you’re photographing the light they’re reflecting into the water.
In this article, and in the video below, we are going to show you how to photograph light reflections, combining fall foliage and water to make creative and unique images.
The Secret Is Reflected Light
The key is to look for a shaded section of water that’s reflecting brightly lit fall color.
Imagine a stream running through a woodland. One bank is shaded, while the opposite bank is bathed in sunshine, with brilliant yellow or orange leaves glowing in the light.
That sunlit foliage acts almost like a giant reflector, bouncing warm color into the shaded water below.
Instead of pointing your camera at the tree, point it at the reflection. The result is often far more interesting.
Look for Shade and Sun Together
This technique relies on contrast.
The water itself should be in shade, while the trees you’re reflecting should be brightly illuminated by the sun.
If both the water and the trees are in full sunlight, the effect is much weaker.
When you find the right combination, the reflected colors almost seem to glow.
Once you start looking for it, you’ll begin seeing these opportunities everywhere.
Composition Is Everything
Finding the reflection is only the first step.
The next challenge is lining that reflected color up with the rest of your composition.
I usually take my camera off the tripod first and simply move around the scene until I find the strongest reflection. Once I’ve found the viewpoint that creates the most interesting composition, I’ll note where I’m standing before setting up the tripod and fine-tuning the image.
Sometimes moving just a few inches completely changes where the color falls across the water or how it interacts with rocks, waterfalls or other foreground elements.
Experiment with Shutter Speed
Shutter speed has a huge influence on the final look.
If the water is moving quickly, a relatively faster shutter speed preserves the ripples and texture in the reflection. Those ripples can add energy and help define the colour.
A slower shutter speed has the opposite effect. Instead of recording individual ripples, it blends the reflected colour into soft washes of yellow, orange and blue, creating a much more abstract image.
Neither approach is right or wrong. They’re simply different interpretations of the same scene.
Whenever I’m photographing reflections in water, I’ll usually make several exposures at different shutter speeds before deciding which effect I prefer.
Manual Exposure Makes Life Easier
Scenes like this can fool your camera’s meter.
Because the image often contains very bright reflections alongside deep shadows, I prefer working in Manual mode using spot metering.
I’ll choose an area of reflected color that I want to appear as a mid-tone, take a spot meter reading from that area, and then check the histogram to make sure I’m holding detail in both the highlights and the shadows.
There’s no single “correct” exposure here. You’re making creative decisions, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
This Technique Isn’t Just for Landscapes
Although I often use reflected light in fall landscapes, the same principle applies to wildlife photography.
I’ve used reflections from colourful shoreline trees to add beautiful backgrounds behind ducks and other water birds, making their colours appear richer and more vibrant without changing anything in post-processing.
The technique also works wonderfully with silhouettes, where the reflected colors of a sunrise or sunset can create striking backgrounds that add atmosphere and depth to an otherwise simple composition.
Once you understand how reflected light behaves, you’ll begin spotting opportunities almost everywhere.
Watch the Full Demonstration
In the video below, I demonstrate this technique in the field while photographing Michigan’s fall colors.
I walk through exactly what I’m looking for, explain how I position the camera, discuss shutter speed choices and show several examples from both landscape and wildlife photography.
If you’ve never experimented with photographing reflections in water, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a simple technique that can dramatically change the way you photograph autumn landscapes and moving water.
We made this video near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. A great place to visit to photograph Fall foliage.
Watch the full video here
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
Related: How to Photograph Moving Water with Neutral Density Filters