Creative Mirror Photography Ideas and Tips!

Ever wondered how to get those amazing creative mirror shots? Here are top tips and creative mirror photography ideas from myself and some other amazing ladies I know through Instagram. Read on for inspiration, tips on taking mirror photos with a DSLR as well as with a phone. See how you can shoot from below, with different size mirrors, indoors and outdoors! Whether you use a tripod or have someone to take your photos, these tips will make your life much easier I promise. Collect some fun props and get shooting!

If you don’t have a mirror yet, then here are some fun indoor photography ideas you can get inspiration from in the meantime!

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• I use a Canon 77D for all my photos
• My favourite lens is the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8

Creative Mirror Photography Ideas

Do a practice shoot!

It is not as easy as it looks to shoot with a mirror! Boyan and I went out to do a practice shoot so we could learn on the go. Don’t expect to get the perfect shot first time. Also if you don’t have high expectations then you may end up being pleasantly surprised! Play around with your mirror and see which angles you like best.  Try and decide whether you want just your reflection in the mirror or also your body as well as your reflection. Remember that mirrors can be quite heavy, so if you are planning on taking your mirror outside of the house make sure to take into account the size of the mirror you will use.

We used a smaller mirror for these shoots so that we could take it around and experiment with different places to shoot. This place is like a huge natural sand pit in the middle of a forest near where we are living.

Look for inspiration on Pinterest

There is so much inspiration out there! I find Instagram has a lot of amazing photos but it is much harder to find the good ones. On Pinterest, type in ‘Creative Mirror Photography Ideas’ and you will have so many ideas your won’t know where to start! I have been struggling since not being able to leave the house as much so it has been so much fun to try out mirror photography. This is something I have never considered before, so even if you haven’t done it before then just go for it!

Put the mirror in front of your face

For a totally different perspective, place your mirror in front of your face! Unfortunately there wasn’t blue sky when we went to take these, which could also have made for a great reflection. It was fun to do something a bit different and creates a bit of an eerie feel I think. I always love working with props as it makes photography easier if you aren’t as good at posing like me! A mirror is the perfect prop as it takes your mind off feeling awkward or not knowing where to put your hands. Also if you don’t have a mirror and shops are open near you, I bought a much bigger mirror for €4 recently. More mirror photos to come!

Jasmine Alley shares her creative mirror photography ideas and tips!

Put your mirror on the ground

By putting your mirror on the ground, you get a neat contrast of earth and sky. In general, I think that juxtaposing different backgrounds adds a unique element to photos. Here I chose a field of flowers for a pretty background, but you could try this anywhere! (Some other ground ideas: sand, a sidewalk coloured with chalk, on the edge of a pool, etc.)

Choose which time of day you want to do your Photoshoot

Also, anytime you’re photographing the sky it’s worth thinking about the time of day for your photoshoot. While I took this around 10am and got a big blue sky, you could think about doing a mirror shot at sunrise or sunset to add some beautiful colours into your sky background. 

Shoot with a low aperture (f/stop)

To draw attention to what is in the mirror, try using a lens that has a low aperture. That way, you create that blurry background effect and really draw attention to the object of the photo! I especially wanted a blurry background because the grass I put my mirror on would make for a really busy photo, when I prefer cleaner, simpler images. I took this photo with a Sigma 24mm/1.4 lens. 

(TIP: If you’re using a DSLR and don’t know how to shoot manually, all you have to do is set it to ‘A’ (aperture mode), then bring down the aperture. From there, your camera should adjust the other settings automatically.)

Raphie from Overpacked Suitcase shares her tips on getting creative indoors with your mirror!

‘Lean up your mirror against something that your photographer can use to stand on’

1. Find a cute space in your house with good natural lighting if you are shooting during the day. Alternatively, if you are shooting with artificial light, find a space in your house where the lighting is evenly distributed to avoid any unwanted shadows. It is all about angles! Make sure to scope out the whole room before deciding it will not work. Sometimes, the best space will mean moving furniture around.

2. Once you have found your spot, create the scene with any props you are going to use.

3. Recreating this shot? Lean up your mirror against something that your photographer can use to stand on, like a chair or couch. In my case, I used my bed. By enabling your photographer to stand right behind the mirror, it gives them better angles and more flexibility to move the camera into the perfect spot to get a proportionate reflection. If you are using a tripod, perhaps a chair would be more suited. Once you have found the middle of the frame, start shooting with the camera level to the ground, from there, start tilting the camera towards and away from the mirror to find the desired angle. Most importantly, have fun and get creative by playing around with the lighting, shadows and any props.

4. Last but not least, make sure to give your mirror a good clean before you start!

Angie from The Lovely Escapist shares her tips on taking your mirror selfie to the next level!

Bring your mirror outdoors

Mirror selfies are so common that they’re no longer interesting. I mean, there’s only so many ways you can pose in front of your bedroom mirror. So instead of taking the same boring photos over and over again, let’s get creative!

One of the best ways to spice up your selfie game is by bringing your mirror outdoors. Since you are no longer confined to the space of your home, there are a million different ways to take this type of selfie! My favourite thing to do is place the mirror on the ground facing upwards. You can always prop it up a few inches to find the right angle, but the ultimate goal is to have the mirror reflect both you and the sky. By doing so, you’re creating an unusual perspective. While viewers know the photo is taken facing the ground, there is an illusion of space created by the mirrors reflecting the vast sky. 

Tip: I recommend trying this out with a small mirror since it’s much easier to carry than a large one. “

Océane from @theblondieworld shares her tips on using a phone to create beautiful mirror shots!

Choose your angle!

Mirrors inspire me a lot when I’m creating content, I love the reflection and the opportunities it creates! You don’t necessarily need a DSLR to take a great picture. Here for example, I used my phone and I just made a great set-up so the picture will be creative! Pinterest is my favourite place to find inspiration for photography and there you can find a lot of different photos with mirrors!

The angle is quite important because you have a lot of options with mirrors. Here I wanted the picture to be “lifestyle” so it’s ok for me that my phone is visible in it. Sometimes I want something more “creative” so I make sure that the angle is good so the phone/or camera is not visible.

To sum up : HAVE FUN with mirrors!

Aggie aka Pink Lem shares her 5 top tips for mirror photography!

Top 5 tips for the Mirror Challenge

The mirror challenge has been all around social media for a while already and I need to say – I am loving it! Mirror gives us plenty of options to play around with and challenges our creativity! As many mirrors as many ideas! 

Here are my 5 top tips for perfect mirror shot:

1. LOCATION 

First you have to decide where you want to take the picture and what will be visible in the mirror reflection. Blue Sky? Plain white wall? Trees and flowers? 

2. PERSPECTIVE 

Choose the perspective. Will you lay it on the floor, hang or maybe hold? It all depends what effect you want to achieve.

3. POSITION OF THE TRIPOD / PHOTOGRAPHER

This is crucial! Put a tripod (or your photographer) in a position that they won’t appear in the mirror reflection and frames you exactly the way you want. For example when we were shooting, my photographer was on the left side on the mirror and I was on the right side. I could have barely see myself in it! That way we managed to perfectly catch me in the middle of the frame. 🙂

4. FOCUS

What will be in focus? Your reflection, you, both? On my photo my reflection is in the focus as this is where we wanted to drag the attention. I think it’s nice to still show part of you (the actual you), as it makes the picture more interesting and at the same you make sure everyone realises that that’s the mirror shot – not just a portrait.

5. ACCESSORIES

Think about accessories! You can decorate your mirror the way you like just to make it a little bit more extra! I attached some flowers all around to bring some spring and boho vibes! 🙂 

Have fun shooting! xxx”

Aline @alineadjemian shares her mirror photoshoot tips! 

Make it a mirror photo people will remember!

What makes an unforgettable picture?

Mirrors can be a great accessory to help you create a memorable picture. Usually, when we think about mirror photography, our minds go to the “ootd mirror shots” pictures taken from mirrors on the wall, but that’s not what people will remember… I like to think outside the box and create something different. I try to find different angles to bring new perspective to an image.

‘Get really close to the mirror by touching parts of your body to it’

Try and take your mirror outside, in a park or even to the beach for example. Put the mirror on the floor and lean on top of it, or even get really close to the mirror by touching parts of your body ie. your face. Placing the mirror a certain way can bring a whole new dimension to a picture and give it its originality.

Work with an editing tool to accentuate the colours

Use the mirror as a tool to showcase and emphasise the key subject of your picture. The focus should be on what’s in the mirror. Creating an epic shot also comes with some details. Make sure to have good and natural lighting and work with an editing tool to accentuate the colours you want to make stand out.

Do remember, be original, be creative and have fun!

Tina @ofleatherandlace shares her tips! You can also find templates and in-depth editing tutorials on her Patreon!

Connect your camera to your phone so you can preview when you are shooting!

Shooting with a mirror can definitely be challenging especially if it is a self portrait. I shoot with the Sony A7r III and I always connect it to my phone so I can see what I am shooting and where to place myself for the best results. The angle at which you place your camera will hugely affect the outcome of the reflection. For me I’ve found that when shooting a mirror on the floor, placing the camera at a 45-70 degree angle to the mirror works best.

Try cropping and flipping your photo for a different perspective

Another thing I make sure to do is set up the mirror next to a clean wall or backdrop – that way the reflection will not be too distracting. If I want myself and my mirror reflection to both be in focus, I set my f stop higher (F4 or above) but if I’m going for a more abstract dreamier vibe then F1.4-1.8 really works wonders! What I’ve also found is that cropping a mirror shot can hugely affect the outcome! You can produce a completely new looking image simply by cropping and flipping it 180 degrees! 

I hope you enjoyed this post on creative mirror photography ideas! I want to see what you create! Send me your photos on Instagram to see! Remember, you don’t need an expensive DSLR, or a photographer, you can use a tripod too! Use different angles and sizes of mirrors. Take advantage of props, lighting and ENJOY! 

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