Reflection is a great way to spice up a lifeless photo and create a beautiful composition. Using water, mirrors, windows or any other kind of reflective surface can change an image into a work of art.

The best thing about using reflection is that you can turn something really simple and straightforward into something abstract, richer and even mysterious. However, reflection photos can be rather dull, so it’s good to be able to see things in a different way.

Photographing reflections in water and other surfaces is difficult and almost impossible without learning and preparation. Plenty of different guidelines were written on this topic, so here I’d like to share inspiration instead of tips. Here are 50 smashing reflection photography ideas to give fuel to your imagination. In this showcase, mostly water reflections are shown as they’re the most common, reflective surface in nature. Scroll down and enjoy the collection!

Two Jack Lake by Pietro Canali

Blue Hour by Daniel Bosma

Autumn in Slovenia by Marie-Jose van Rijsbergen

Winter Reflections by Cindy Costa

Lake Reflection by Tuah Roslan

Reflection by Batter Job

Reflection by Batter Job

A Night To Remember by Arild Heitmann

Crossing the Arno by Michael Woloszynowicz

Moraine Magic by Philip Kuntz

Mirage by Karim Nafatni

Autumn Reflections by Evans Lazar

November reflections 3 by Frank Jensen

Winter Symmetry by Yan Zhang

Urban Reflections by Azul Obscura

Rusky Autumn by Karl Williams

Hot night on a cold building by David Juan

Reflections by Craig Hill

River Ablaze by Margaret Morgan

Lemaire-Reflection by Dirk Hondelmann

Neighbours and reflections by Artem Savateev

Reflections by Bright Creation Photography

Reflection by Thomas Riecken

Lovely Reflections by Darvin Atkeson

Lights at Riomaggiore by Simone Pomata

Venice reflections by Daniel Vine Garcia

Yosemite Valley Reflections 1 by Mark Cote

Daybreak by Melanie M

City HeartBeat by Karim Nafatni

Riding on the reflections by Wajahat Mahmood

Frost and Reflections by Ari Salmela

Moon O’Clock by Tristan O’Tierney

Reflections by Brane Kosak

Lazienki by Pawel Tomaszewicz

Reflections by Keith Burtonwood

Reflection by Martin Fransson

Reflection V by John Sturgis

Red Line by Christian Lim

Watching Sunset by Zeynep Ugurdag

Autumn in the Valley by Joe Ganster

Double Exposure by Larry McCloskey

Shining pond by Carlo Murenu

The Cime di Lavaredo (Italy) by Marco Carmassi

Reflections at Albufera Natural Park by Javier Girbes Cervero

Reflections by Jorge Maia

Evening Reflections by Natasha Pnini

The City Between by WK Cheoh

Reflections by Paul Emmings

Westhaven Marina by Dmitry Serbin

Reflections at Moraine Lake by Zach B

Join the Conversation

Have any of these pictures inspired you to grab your camera and go out looking for reflections? If you have something to say, don’t be shy, and join the conversation in the comment field below. Tons of inspirational articles are coming! So subscribe to be the first who discovers all these goodies!