Photography in its essence...: The Sun hangs like a Fiery Fist over the Ocean...

Even though the class is basically over, I still wanted to update my blog and show what little pictures I have left....

For this post I tried reflection photography. Initially it was meant to be about birds, as I visited the Caroni Bird Sanctuary.

Photographing reflections can be extremely rewarding and produce stunning results, but sometimes achieving those dramatic shots can be harder than first thought.

I went in the evening, around after 4, and while taking the boat ride, the sun began to descend.

According to a photographer, it would be best to try and go when the light is at its best; either bright and early, or in the evening as the sun is setting.

When the tour guide stopped the boat in the middle of a clearing, you could hear all the birds flying around, gathering themselves and their families to their destined homes or nests in the trees. The stillness of the water had a very neat and serene view of the sun and its reflection in the water. According to Nathan Cohen, a photographer whom I gathered some tips from on reflection photography, he said, "The best reflection shots happen with well illuminated subjects against the clear blue sky. That means the sun should not be in front but in the back of your position"...
I...... did not take that advice, I wanted to risk it and take a chance of capturing the sun and its reflection, rather than the objects that the sun shun on.

He also said that often, but not always, the best shots are with still water. And the best candidates for still water are very shallow ponds, and especially puddles.

"Teach yourself to see the reflection rather than the water. It takes a bit of effort IMO. Learn from others experience and mistakes"....

"The strongest reflections tend to be when light is relatively low and direct on the object you want to see reflected, but not directly on the surface you want to see the reflections in. That is, the mountain in light and the water without direct light. But that's no hard and fast rule. If you have good conditions, the angle for shooting can be largely a result of your compositional choices. Let your eye guide you as much as the science".

http://photo.net/nature-photography-forum/005thn