Shooting things, people, skies, mountains or buildings reflected in water can be really beautiful, but becomes even more mysterious when you flip the shot upsidedown. The reflection monkeys around with the quality of light and the colors, and sometimes you cannot tell how the shot was made. Next time you’re confronted with a reflection, try flipping the shot upside down.

Some things to think about:

1) When the water is in shadow, the effect will be more pronounced. When direct light hits the puddle or lake, the reflection can look washed out. Keeping the water in shadow will help.

2) Reflection shots can look great with petals or small leaves resting on the water, but beware of large leaves in the shot as that will give away the effect.

3) Ripples or shimmers in the water can look great, particularly when shooting something straight, such as a building. It can also give the reflected object a de-focused, dreamy quality.

4) Crop the image so you cannot see anything but the water. Edges of a puddle may give away the effect. Sometimes it looks cool to include the far edge of the water at the top of the frame, because when you flip the shot, it looks like ground at the bottom and increases the dreamy effect. It’s definitely worth playing with different kinds of framing when you have a reflection opportunity.