MIRROR PORTRAITS
Mirror images
Project two: Creative techniques
Mike Harris uses a little smoke and plenty of mirrors to capture a series of creative portraits you can shoot at home
The Mission
– Use mirrors to capture creative portraits
Time
– One hour
Skill level
– Intermediate
Kit needed
– Glass cleaner
– Mirrors
– Tripod
VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE
www.bit.ly/NPhoto123
Reflections are a photographer’s best friend. They crop up in many genres of photography, whether it’s a building reflected in a puddle, neon lights reflected in a shop window or a product reflected on a sheet of acetate. And portraits are no different.
In this project we’ve captured a series of indoor portraits using household mirrors. All you need is a willing model or the mind to shoot a self-portrait. We’ve shot images where the reflection is the main component of the photo and portraits where the reflection adds additional interest (see main image, right). While there’s no correct way to shoot portrait reflections, it’s worth remembering that mirrors don’t behave like a two-dimensional image, so depth of field still very much applies.