You can find shiny surfaces everywhere–even in the London Underground. Reflection is a cool effect to play with and you can use it with any digital camera. The photo above was taken on the subway. I was trying to get a unique group picture.
How to recreate this digital photo effect with any camera:
Step One: Find a shiny surface that is reflecting what you want to photograph.
Step Two: Focus on one stationary point in the reflection with the subject of the picture surrounding the focal point.
Step Three: Make sure your flash is turned off, and snap the picture.
Fine tune the effect:
In the example above, I pointed the camera at the subway car window. The people standing by the pole were the subjects of the photo, but the pole made a strong vertical line and provided a good focal point. The naked eye registers three layers–a foreground (the window,) mid-ground (the pole and people) and background (the opposite side of the train.)
The result is a “ghost-like” image which is really nothing more than a reflection on the window of the train. It gives a layered effect where the subjects are identifiable but not concrete.
You can use this effect looking into a church window, a barber shop, water, people’s eyes, a shiny toaster, anywhere there’s a reflective surface. Clear glass works best, but give it a try with colored glass or shiny metal, too. Remember, you can always hit the delete button.