Reflecting on Reflections

“Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you’re just a reflection of him?” ― Bill Watterson

What do I love about photography the most? What drives my desire to continue to look at the same types of frames, but in different ways through different means or repeat the same or similar frame? Why do I continue to look into anything that reflects and what am I searching for while looking? Is there a purpose?

I am not sure I will ever have any answers to the questions that continue to be asked of me and by me, but I do know that no matter what type of reflection there is, I will stop and have another, deeper look. There is a little piece of mystery that I see that drives my curiosity and compels me to look, reminding me of some distant memory of something I have witnessed before. I can get easily distracted with the expected and typical shots that I sometimes make and find myself needing an edge to fill the void of “mundane”. Often a reflection does it for me and makes life seem so much more surprising and lighthearted. Just a simple puddle that I pass can offer a different way of seeing the world surrounding me and makes it feel vibrant, mysterious and a little more interesting. And on occasion, the quote above keeps my imagination working and considering the idea of an alternate universe just beyond the “glass”.

I love the obscure and how a ripple in water can make a beautiful scene almost dreamlike in quality. I love a window reflection that exhibits a scene unlike the ordinary site if I were to look directly at it. A passerby seems so much more enigmatic reflecting in a puddle than in real life when the story can feel more like a memory rather than a simple juncture in the day. I love that something simple can suddenly be slightly more complex,  deeper and provide a view into an “alternate universe”.  I love that a portrait with the use of a reflection can be dynamic and compelling, edgy and maintain a strong personality.

I have been thinking quite a lot about the reasons and whys for what makes me look twice and the subject matter that compels further inspection. Over the last year there have been some bumps, big and small, in my journey that have left me contemplative and considerate of what I am doing behind the camera, the reasons for picking it up and the desire to continue forward. Obviously reflections mean something to me, but to define it properly, I cannot. I am not sure if I even want to because there is magic in the sights I see which I rather enjoy and passing them onto you brings me pleasure. For the rest of the work I do, well, I shoot what makes me look twice and sometimes its nothing more than a leaf blowing across the road.

No matter what happens in the future, reflections will always captivate my imagination. That I am certain of.  Here are but a few token examples of thousands of images that I continue to reflect back on. I hope you enjoy them and they inspire you.

As always, thank you for reading and I am happy to anser any questions or hear your thoughts. Cheers.