Human Reflections in a Mirror

In this contest you were asked to submit photos of a person looking at themselves in a mirror, along with their reflection in the mirror. So many good photos were entered that showed only a reflection and not the person. This image is a perfect example of exactly what the contest was looking for. It not only shows the person and their reflection, but it is brilliantly shot. The lighting is perfect, showing every detail of the man's face. The reflection is slightly skewed providing the impression that it truly is a reflection. The dark background, coupled with excellent color tones and hues, are successfully used to bring attention to the man's face and reflection. Overall, this is an excellent photo and well-deserving of a Top Ten finish. Very nicely done!

It was the double image in the reflection that originally drew my attention to this photo. You'll notice the reflection images are slightly offset from each other which often happens in aged mirrored glass as opposed to modern mirrored glass. It's interesting that there appears to be a bit of manipulation of the reflection in that the angle of the model's face makes it seem improbable that the reflection is a true reflection, but that adds to the intrigue and complexity of the photo. I love a photo that plays with my senses and makes me think twice as to whether it's natural or contrived. This photo makes you look deeply and that's what makes it so successful. Very nicely done!

This photo, along with its title "What kind of day will I have?" does an excellent job of portraying the struggle within each of us. Is it the happy face I put on or the sad face? This photo was excellently manipulated to tell this story. I like how the person herself has only a blank face thereby setting up the day she will have by the attitude she selects to wear. This photo did an excellent job of meeting the challenge of this contest and is well-deserving of a Top Ten finish. Nicely done!

This photo effectively combines and portrays the struggle between Abstract and Reality. Abstract as she struggles with how she views herself. Reality in how she is unable to see the beauty that is so apparent to all of us. The natural skin tones. The abstract over-exposure. The need to escape, yet not being able to flee her environment. She struggles just as reality and abstract struggle with each other. Amazingly, the model is the Photographer. That's well beyond the natural scope of abilities, thereby confirming this Photographer is extremely talented. Not only did she shoot the photo, she created the vision and conveyed the message. I see this image as brilliant and very well-deserving of First Place. Congratulations and nicely done!

This photo just missed making the Top Ten, yet I still felt the need to provide a review. It's the model's smile that gives this photograph life and caught my attention. The Photographer did an excellent job of both capturing and highlighting it. The main subject was well-focused and skin tones were excellent. It was a bit daring to use a somewhat unusual and bright background color, but it came off well. My personal preference would have been to have the reflection a bit more focused, but regardless, it was very nicely done!

This photo is simple, yet very effective. The reflection doesn't distract, but rather adds confirmation. The sepia technique brings character. Excellent use of lighting aided in highlighting the subject and bringing proper focus to her face. While this image is probably equally impressive in color, I greatly enjoyed the B&W sepia use. This photo was well-deserving of a Top Ten finish. Nicely done!

The Photographer expertly used a sepia technique to give this image character. The use of soft focus on the edges of the frame help bring our attention to the subject and her reflection. I enjoyed how crisp and well-focused were both the subject and her reflection. Overall this is an excellent photo and well-deserving of a Top Ten finish. Nicely done!

In this photo, we get not one, but three equally impressive reflections; each showing a different angle and a different perspective. Expertly lit, the lighting helps tell the story of this beautiful woman and the history she has endured. This photo captured me and is truly deserving of a Top Ten finish. Congratulations on an excellent photo and please thank your model for me and let her know how much I truly appreciated her sharing her story. Nicely done!

It was the content and composition that captured my attention to this photo. One angel helping another by allowing her to see her true beauty. Photos are always best when they tell a story, and an entire story can be imagined by looking at this image. Excellent execution and highly deserving of a Top Ten placement. Nicely done!

How fun!!! You can't help but smile when looking at this photo. The Photographer excellently applied the instructions and made the reflection "creatively contrived". The shadow on the wall to the right of the subject is a bit distracting, but perhaps helps to trick the viewer into thinking it is a natural (not contrived) photo. Regardless, the concept is excellent and well-deserving of a Top Ten Finish. Nicely done!

This is another great example of exactly what this contest was looking for: a person along with their reflection. The Photographer used the excellent technique of seeing only the back of the person, but displaying the full face in the mirror. Each image is crisp, clear and well focused. Again a black background was used to highlight the primary focus of the image (the person and their reflection.) The excellent use of lighting brings highlights to the models hair and face. Overall, this is an exceptional photo and very much deserving of a Top Ten finish. Nicely done!