Canon 5D Mark2, 50 mm (1,4) lens.   

Aperture - 14 

Focal lenght - 50 mm 

  

CONTEXT 

I really love making photos with mirrors.  I think that mirrors are always wrapped in mystery. There are many legends and stories about this magical glass:  vampires, who have no reflections, portals, that lead to other worlds etc. I decided to make one more story using my favorite properties ? clothespins.   

THE PICTURE 

This photo is made with just one shot. I made it in RAW. The light is set with my hand-made light brush (a pocket flashlight with 6  light-emitting diodes). The most difficult thing was to find the correct place and the good angle for the mirror  to catch the reflection of the peg. After it was done, I had to stretch a rope between the peg and the mirror. To do this I used a small piece of plasticine. I used plasticine to stick on the rope to the mirror.    

PROCESSING 

The photo was made in RAW. In Digital Photo Professional (DPP) I converted the photo into black and white, added some contrast and made the shot darker.  After that I converted the photo from RAW into Tiff. The Tiff file was opened in Photoshop CS3. In this program I had to work with a small part of the photo (the part where the rope sticks to the glass). You can see this part below. The ?stamp? tool solved the problem. I saved the picture and the work was over. I?ve also made one more version where the reflection and the object were not the same. (You can also see it below). For this photo I have made to different shots and then combined them in Photoshop. The other steps were the same.   

OUTCOME 

This photo was made in the first part of January, when (as Russian people believe) it was the perfect time for fortune-telling, card reading and doing some "magic" with mirrors. I didn't try to see the future, but I decided not  to forget the tradition.  

HINTS 

You will need a tripod, if you decide to use a lightbrush. And the tripod will also be needed if you try to make a photo with a different reflection. If you use a lightbrush, try not to touch the mirror glass with the light. 3. A simple flash-light with light-emitting diodes is good enough to be used instead of a real light brush. Try to find the most stiky plasticine. It will make your hands dirty, but it is a very usefull thing. I use small pieces of plasticine in almost all cases (to make my pears stand and not fall down etc.). It is very important to clean the mirror before making a photo. After cleaning let it dry and try not to touch the glass with you bare hands.  Fabric gloves will help.   

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

This photo is a part of my clothespin's project. This series consists of 12 photos.   About me: Photo is the best way to let your friends look at this world with your eyes.

I am a senior lecturer in university (Candidate of Economics) and a PR manager, but photography is the best part of my life. If you have any questions about this photo or my lightbrush (or something else), I will be glad to answer them. You can  contact me here or by e-mail briard1@rambler.ru

P.S. I'm sorry again for some mistakes in the translation.

They are all wonderful, thanks for sharing.