A Moment's Reflection

Artist's Statement:

Reflections are the primary physical means through which we perceive the world around us. You and I are able to see only as a result of the diffuse reflections produced by whatever person, place or object we observe. Light energy, from any source, is partly absorbed and reflected by whatever it strikes. Photography is an art form dependent upon the manipulation and capture of reflected and refracted light through the use of lenses, filters, prisms, and either analog or digital sensors.

"A Moment's Reflection" is my ongoing study of specular, or mirror-like, reflections. My intention is to draw new connections between familiar forms by introducing specular reflections to environments where none would typically exist. The mirrors serve as a focal point within a given scene and also function as a window to provide an entirely unique perspective on the same location.

"What are you trying to capture in the mirror?" is a question I was recently asked for an article being written about this series. I think my response is worth sharing in order to further elucidate my intention.

This project with reflections is an ongoing one, and as such, I feel as though what I am trying to capture in the mirror varies with every angle, every location, and every photograph. Sometimes I feel as though the reflections are revealing the hidden symmetry in complex landscapes, and at other times there are connections being drawn between opposites. In every instance, however, I am managing to shoot in two directions at once. Always, to look (or photograph) in one direction, is to ignore another. With these specular reflections I am able to merge two separate perspectives, and so the resulting images are subject to endless variation.

- Cody William Smith, 2014

A Moment's Reflection has been recently been featured by the following blogs:

My Modern Metropolis
Need Supply Co.
Daily Mail UK
Exposure Guide
Cube Breaker