Magnificent Mountain Reflections

Banff National Park, Canada

Within this past week alone, we've taken you to some strange and surreal places. From vertigo-inducing platforms to where the camera splits the sky and the sea, we've invited you to come along for a thrilling ride.

Today, we head away from the city and the tropical waters to a more majestic place. Here you'll find breathtaking views of mountains reflected onto large bodies of water - just waiting to be seen (and photographed).

As a bonus, we got in touch with Alvin Brown, a Vancouver-based photographer to share with us some tips on how you can capture photos like this. (Brown named Ansel Adams one of his inspirations calling him, "the man who did so much to define the genre (landscape photography) and give it legitimacy as an art form.")

Read Brown's tips, below, after enjoying a collection of truly magnificent shots.

Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Canada

Jeff Clow

Gosauschmied, Upper Austria

Herbert Riedler

Mount Moran, Grand Teton, Wyoming, USA

Jeff Clow

Grand Teton, Wyoming, USA

Wil Bloodworth

Red Mountain Pass, near Silverton, Colorado

Orville Courtney

Canton of Valais, Switzerland

Toni

Nanga Parbat, Pakistan

Jon Martin

Mt. Hood, Oregon

Don Pyle

Mt. Rainier, Seattle, Washington


Dene' Miles

Mt Shuksan, Whatcom County, Washington

Kirk Peot

Mt. Rainier, Seattle, Washington

Jay D

Bjarnarhafnarfjall, Iceland

Skarphéðinn Þráinsson

Trillium Lake, Oregon

David Gn

Pyramid Mountain, Kirkjufell at Snæfellsnes, Iceland

Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson

Glacier, Washington US

Aaron Reed

Mount Everest, Tibet

Jansen Wong

Chugatch National Forest, Alaska

photobenedict

Wind River Range, Wyoming

Raymond Gehman

Mont Blanc on the Aiguilles Rouges, over Chamonix, France

Roberto Bertero

Mount Chephren, Banff National Park, Canada

Jeff Clow

Loch Achtriochtan, Glencoe, Scotland

Billy Currie

Lago Argentino, Santa Cruz, Argentina

Trey Ratcliff

Now, from Alvin Brown:

Tip 1: Since landscape photography depends on natural light, you have to adjust your schedule to be at the location when the light is good. Most good landscape photos are shot either near sunrise or sunset, because the low angle light gives more a more interesting appearance to the landscape, especially when mountains are involved.

Tip 2: The sky often adds a lot to the image, but it's usually much brighter than the landscape that is the main subject, so it won't show up very well in a photo. You can deal with this either through processing (for example, combining several exposures to create an HDR image) or through using a graduated neutral density filter (a filter that is dark at the top and clear at the bottom, attached to the front of your lens). This is the secret that the pros use to give their photos "the look" that stands out from the crowd.

Tip 3: Try to include an interesting foreground in the shot. This gives the photo a greater sense of depth or three-dimensions. Reflections are a great way to get some interest in the foreground, because they are not only beautiful, but the reflection lightens the foreground and gives a more balanced image. Using a wide angle lens is best for capturing foregrounds and backgrounds together.

Thanks so much, Alvin, for sharing your wisdom with us!

First photo credit: Alvin Brown