Golden rain appears to stream down against a scaly forest colored background in this abstract photograph of what could be an alien world.

Fire Falls Rain Forest – it’s also available in a super tall version

Ever walk around your entire house looking for your car keys, only to realize you’re holding them? Me too, and that’s how I felt the first time I photographed a reflection and discovered it was only an illusion.

I mean, duh, reflections aren’t real, but I always assumed they existed on the surface of whatever shiny object made them.

While testing my gear before a pet session one day, I took a snapshot of a reflection bouncing off my phone. The resulting photo resembled a puddle; the reflection was sharp, but the phone, and the table below it, were totally blurred. Even more intriguing, in one corner of the image, several feet away, Gracie’s food bowl was in focus.

The reflection was of our backyard, streaming through sliding glass doors, and Gracie’s bowl was up against those doors. Since focus is determined by distance, it seems reflections are at the same distance as whatever they’re mimicing, but on the other side of the reflective surface.

Crazy, right? I’ve been obsessed ever since.

You don’t need a camera to see this, find a reflection in your screen and these words will blur. The keys were in my hand all along.

 

This is the silly snapshot that inspired the reflection series!

This is the silly snapshot that inspired the reflection series!

P.S. Do you have any title ideas for this photo? I’m not totally in love with the one I chose.

 

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