Reflection Perfection: 60 Photos That Show You How It’s Done

Capturing beautiful reflections is not as easy as it looks. It takes planning, patience, creativity and sometimes luck to be able to capture that perfect shot off any natural or artificial reflective surface. From the surface of a lake, to a window pane, a broken mirror to a recently polished and waxed car, the world of reflected surfaces will astound you, if you know where to look, and shoot.

A well-executed shot can show perfect symmetry or a slightly distorted one and sometimes the shot is a one-in-a-million opportunity, that may not come again. Take a look at 60 of our most favorite photographs that will take you into the world of reflective photography.

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Vesturhorn Mountain by Eddie 11uisma. This is a stunning example of a perfectly symmetrical shot. It’s so clear, the mountain looks like it is floating on a mirror. (Image source: Eddie 11uisma)

Invisible by Laura Williams. Here’s an incredible yet surreal self-portrait by Laura Williams. She said this photo was never edited, which makes this photo trick more brilliant. (Image source: Laura Williams)

Crocodile by Pyreaus. Look at that big yellow eye pop out of the water! Getting the reflection of just the crocodile’s eye makes this photograph even more compelling. (Image source: Pyreaus)

Ghost Rider by Ravikanth Kurma. Fire dancing is a pretty intense display of art and skill, as this brilliant image tries to show. (Image source: Ravikanth Kurma)

Nature by Jasper James. One of the best shots from Jasper James’ City Silhouettes collection. The series reveals the city of Beijing through the silhouettes of its Chinese residents. (Image source: Jasper James)

Wedding by David Hayes. At first, I thought there’s a glass surface near the camera. There isn’t. The reflection comes from an infinity pool, a pool with no edges. (Image source: David Hayes)

Stripes by JMeyer. Here’s a very cool photo abstraction. JMeyer uses the refractive effect of water and glass to bend and twist these black and white stripes. (Image source: JMeyer)

Ferrari by Mark Berriman. While there’s a place and time for mirror-like replication, distortion of the reflected subject can sometimes be just as fascinating. (Image source: Mark Berriman)

Taj Mahal. The magnificent Taj Mahal with a nice silhouetted camel in Yamuna River at sunset. (Image source: Your Arvind Kumar)

Bubble by Richard Heeks. I think the world needs more bubbles. (Image source: Richard Heeks)

Street Art by SOKE. This graffiti is dope. Is that an alien in the middle of a gorilla fight? (Image source: SOKE)

Fluorescent by C. Anderson. It looks as if the fluorescent lights are dripping down to that well-waxed floor. This was taken using a fisheye lense at the Dan Flavin exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (Image source: C. Anderson)

Lifelines by Alper Doruk. Alper Doruk turns a usual sight to an artistic photo. The people, the colors, the noise, the rush — you can feel them all on this image. (Image source: Alper Doruk)

Dog Rises by Simon van Cleeff. The reflection on the water looks more like a bear! (Image source: Simon van Cleeff)

Hanover City Hall by Spreng Ben. The vibrant color and symmetry of the City Hall makes this picture pop. (Image source: Spreng Ben)

Black Skimmer by William Dalton. William Dalton snaps a picture of a Black Skimmer perfectly copied on the surface of the lake. (Image source: William Dalton)

Skydiving by Suz Graham. Suz Graham captures this amazing moment as she jumped out of the helicopter. You can actually see the chopper from the reflection on her helmet, thanks to her GoPro. (Image source: Suz Graham)

Notre Dame by Loic Lagarde. Excellent composition! The mirror-like symetry draws your eyes to the middle. (Image source: Loic Lagarde)

Tanker by Andy Gocher. Lucky photographic opportunity here. Andy Gocher’s shot turned out pretty well. (Image source: Andy Gocher)

Hot Air Balloons by Dave Biddle. The fall colors are very vibrant in this shot! It looks wonderful. I wish I was there to witness this. (Image source: Dave Biddle)

Small Island by Shane Kalyn. It is a simple composition with awesome symmetry due to the reflection of the small island. The slight off-center placement gives a bit of dynamism to this photograph. (Image source: Shane Kalyn)

Fireworks display around Petronas Tower by Lim Su Seng. Soaring into the air, these fireworks explode around Malaysia’s landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers during the 2014 New Year celebrations. (Image source: Lim Su Seng)

The Finish Line by Lee Sie. There’s something pure and mystical about this image. I love it. (Image source: Lee Sie)

Field of Love by Radloff. This wedding photoshoot got a wonderful reflection of a polished car, and tones that convey the most romantic of atmospheres. (Image source: Radloff)

Leopard Stare by Chad Cocking. Chad Cocking deliberately flipped this image upside down which is actually clever. Turn your head upside down, and look again. Chad must have been pretty close to take this shot. (Image source: Chad Cocking)

Rhododendron Park in Kromlau. Popularly known as the Devil’s Bridge, this bridge is located between the borders of Germany and Poland. See this on Google maps (Image source: Kromlau)

Multiple Personalities by Eva Pech Marie. The subtle reflections from the broken mirror depicts the title so perfectly. (Image source: Eva Pech Marie)

Rainbow by Seffis. It’s very rare to spot a rainbow reflected on off a watery surface. Great catch by Seffis. (Image source: Seffis)

Doppelganger by CasheeFoo. Lovely focus and softness of the light. Love the colors and contrast clothing. (Image source: CasheeFoo)

Lightning by Lise Sundberg. Waiting patiently for a lightning bolt to strike, Lise Sundberg managed to take 4 bolts illuminating its surroundings for just a split second. (Image source: News Australia)

Broken Mirror by Bing Wright. Bing Wright placed a set of shattered Mirrors againts the bright sunset. The result is suprisingly appealing. They look like stained glass windows. (Image source: Bing Wright)

Drive above the Clouds by Tomohiro Nakatate. This is the world’s largest salt flat and it is located in Bolivia. The rain collects on top of the salt causing this mirror effect. (Image source: Tomohiro Nakatate)

Waterway to Orbit by James Vernacotola. This is a spectacular photograph of a shuttle launched into orbit from the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge, in Ponte Vedra, Florida. (Image source: James Vernacotola)

Luray Cave. You’ll find this more fascinating when you realize that the bottom half is actually water reflection. (Image source: WUnderground)

Miniature Liquid Worlds by Markus Reugels. The perfectly timed shots by German photographer Markus Reugels resulted in this beautiful spherical representation of Earth. (Image source: Markus Reugels)

Watercolor by Patrizia Sapia. Here’s another flipped image of a reflection from a puddle on the streets of Rome. It does feel like the watercolored version of old buildings, doesn’t it? (Image source: Patrizia Sapia)

Sin City by Sina Poursohi. I name this one Sin City because its looks like a scene from that movie. (Image source: Sina Poursohi)

The Golden Gate by Nathan Spotts. One of the most famous and most photographed bridge in the world. The reflection off the water is just fantastic. (Image source: Nathan Spotts)

Levitation by naytttt. A guy jumping in a puddle in Pittsburgh. The image here is upside down. (Image source: naytttt)

Houses by Jan Siebring. I love the serene feel of this shot. These lovely houses are from the City of Monnickendam in the Netherlands. (Image source: Jan Siebring)

Anniversary by Ismael. Ismael and his wife were toasting their first year anniversary when he noticed the reflection in his glass and decided to take a picture of it. This was taken at Glacier Bay, Alaska on their cruise. (Image source: Ismael)

Bullet by Alexander Augusteijn, With the help of a high-speed camera, Alexander Augusteijn captured the moment a bullet slices through a drop of water. The refection of the bullet is equally stunning. (Image source: Alexander Augusteijn)

Aurora Borealis by Johnathan Esper. Johnathan Esper manages to capture the lights reflecting on the surface water of Silfra crack in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. (Image source: Johnathan Esper)

Eye of the beholder by Mitchell Phelps. Really good composed shot, with delightful colors and reflections. (Image source: Mitchell Phelps)

Dragon’s Mirror by Nancy Falso. Its’ almost night time as the illuminations of this chinese dragon sculpture is reflected in the tranquil river. (Image source: Nancy Falso)

Pyramid by Felix Bonfils. Here’s a vintage photo of the great Pyramid of Giza. This photo was taken by Felix Bonfils during The Ottoman Empire, between 1860-1880. (Image source: Felix Bonfils)

Polar Bear by Paul Nicklen. A polar bear with an unbelievable reflection from crystal clear Arctic ice, gives a confused look towards the camera of Paul Nicklen while he was shooting this in Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada. (Image source: Paul Nicklen)

Windmill by Jeff Morgan. Great capture of vivid green with a great composition and reflections off the lake. The angle makes this even better. (Image source: Jeff Morgan)

Anamorphosis by Jonty Hurwitz. Anamorphosis is the distorition of objects or images to create an image ona reflective surface. In short, something like this. (Image source: Jonty Hurwitz)

Dubai Panorama by Beno Saradzic. Here’s a beautiful panoramic view of Dubai’s massive skyline. Taken by Beno Saradzic, the glowing buildings are nicely reflected on the desert lake. (Image source: Beno Saradzic)

Silhouette by Piriskoskis. The dark silhouettes of people against the bright yellow background reflected with clear symetry is beyond amazing. (Image source: Piriskoskis)

Space Selfie by Mike Hopkins. Astronaut Mike Hopkins takes an out-of-this-world selfie. (Image source: NASA)

City Park. A colorful evening at a quiet river near a theme park. What a great sharp photo! (Image source: WallPapersCraft)

Water Droplet by Teguh Santosa. Just seeing an ant pushing a droplet of water is just fascinating. (Image source: Teguh Santosa)

Inception: New York by Trey Ratcliff. Modern architecture reflecting the old ones. Check this out on Google maps (Image source: Trey Ratcliff)

Sphere by Carlos Gotay Martinez. What sort of wizardry is this? Very cool idea. (Image source: Carlos Gotay Martinez)

Underwater by DobsonFly. This image was rotated 90 degrees clockwise to give the standing illusion. (Image source: DobsonFly)

Black and White by Hannes R. Taken at Strandvagen, Ostermalm, Stockholm, this captures a terrific reflection of trees after snowfall. (Image source: Hannes R)

Mom and Dad by Luna Bella. The cutest family portrait I have ever seen. Fantastic angle! (Image source: Luna Bella)

Smiley by Aoao2. Perfectly timed photo! Aoao2 captured this water drop refracting an image of a smiley. (Image source: Aoao2)

Some of them may look like it was created with a nifty photoshop skills, but these collection are nothing but showing the beauty of mixing reality and reflection. Feel free to give your opinions and knowledge about these listing. And don’t forget to let us know your favorite images.

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Reflection Perfection: 60 Photos That Show You How It’s Done