Blog 3: Lee Friedlander - Reflections

     Lee Friedlander spent time in the 1960s and 70s photographing urban areas through reflections. He used objects such as doors and lamp posts to frame reflections of people and other objects. As he walked down the streets in New York City, he saw inspiration looking back at him: endless possibilities. His use of shadows, highlights, and framing give me a new appreciation for capturing a quality reflection.

    Friedlander used different angles, lighting and distance to create a range of images, each with a different result. In some, he captured the object as well as its reflection, as though it was a perfect mirrored image. With others, he stood directly in front of a glass panel and used an object on the other side to frame his head. The creativity he had while creating these is beyond anything I could have imagined. As a kid, my brothers and i always thought it was fun to stop and make faces at our reflections, sometimes forgetting there could be people looking back at us. As Friedlander showed, you can capture more of the reflection or what is hiding behind the reflection based on the lighting on either side and the settings you use. When the reflection is brighter than what is on the other side of the reflective surface, more details will show and the reflection will appear stronger and more defined. When more light is coming in from behind the reflective surface, the less pronounced the reflection is. I never thought too much about it, I simply noticed some reflections were stronger than others. 

    Some of Friedlanders reflection photographs also served as self portraits. He used his shadow to change the way the light reflected. In on of these images, he shadow made a trophy on the other side of the glass visible, he used this to frame his head. Before seeing his work, I never would have thought to use my own body to manipulate a reflection. He adds a fun twist to each shot by adding himself as a shadow or image, incorporating objects that compliment or contrast each other, and the lighting make each image different than the rest and draw your eye to a different point. Some images pull your attention to the center while others drag you toward the outside. I hope to incorporate some of these styles into my work as I shoot over the next couple months.