118/365 Many Reflections
Europe, I thought. Belgium. Brussels. I remember that Rue just down from the Grande Place somewhere. I remember the corner triangle, the old buildings, even the Smart cars. There were Smart cars in Belgium long before there were Smart cars in the USA. Yes, I remember. Such a lovely, old city. Except…
118/365 No. 1
…it’s not Brussels. It’s downtown Indianapolis. And those aren’t Smart cars. They’re normal cars. But…???
I’ll tell you my favorite downtown photography secret. Shhhh. *Indianapolis Power and Light* (IPL). Seriously. If you go downtown, go to IPL on Monument Circle and look in their windows and at their mirrors. You will be amazed at the variety of photographic opportunities you’ll find there.
118/365 No. 2
Look! It’s Loomis-Fargo & Co., armored transport for all your security needs. I’d trust my money to it. It’s so cute! And, as we all know, cute is important when you need armored transport.
118/365 No. 3
Besides for the fun-house mirrors, IPL also has these beautiful colored mirrors inside the building viewable through picture-glass windows. They make for great abstract images as you can see with the above photo. Yesterday’s post was of a photo taken through the window looking into a round, green mirror.
118/365 No. 4
I left Monument Circle and, being chilled because, after all, it was February, I went to Starbucks on Ohio Street. I ordered a grande, no whip, white peppermint mocha and sat at the long table facing the street. As I warmed up and sipped my coffee, I noticed the reflections in the windows of the building across the street.
118/365 No. 5
After a while, I turned inward to think about, oh, I don’t know, whatever was on my mind at the time. That’s when I noticed the reflection of my hand in the window. A single ring graced my finger. I took it off and placed it on the countertop.
I’m fascinated by mirrors and reflections. A lot of my photography incorporates them. It’s because I see life through reflections. I don’t see it clearly. Sometimes, though, I wish I did.
Oh, I love Brussels!
These photos are great. What a great catch, Dezra! 
February 28, 2012 at 8:43 am
Thank you, Katie. My friend lived in Brussels and knew just the right way to introduce me to the Grande Place. The streets are so tight that we walked to it. We emerged from close quarters to the expansive Place. The beautiful old buildings trimmed in gold astounded me. It was truly magnificent. And although downtown Indianapolis isn’t anything near that experience, for a second I could almost imagine it with the first two photos.
February 28, 2012 at 10:32 am
I like the distortion of the first two images, Dezra.
February 28, 2012 at 9:16 am
I must have stood there for a good 15-30 minutes trying to capture interesting cars and people. Oddly enough, the people shots were not all that interesting. It was the cars and especially the trucks that made me laugh. Thanks, Mike.
February 28, 2012 at 10:25 am
One thing that fascinates me about reflections is that they give us a chance not only to see the world around us from different perspectives, but also to, in a way, see ourselves as others see us. Very nice treatment of an interesting subject, Dezra! I especially like the second one, with you in it (but I think I’d have cropped the vertical brown band at the left).
February 28, 2012 at 9:52 am
I’m still working on that whole crop thing. I debate about whether to crop to make the image better or to crop to fit a standard photo dimension. I know it should be the first, but old habits die hard.
February 28, 2012 at 10:34 am
Thanks for another thoughtful start to the day, Dezra. You tie your images together beautifully and weave a great little story through them. I could almost taste your coffee.
February 28, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Your comments are most appreciative since they touch on my goals. Thank you, very much.
February 29, 2012 at 9:00 am
We can see and feel how much fun you had with this photo shoot. Great idea! Great execution! Great results! Love that armored truck!
March 1, 2012 at 7:02 am
Sometimes photographers can be so funny to watch, I think. I stood outside IPL shooting into the mirror for a long time. If people don’t see what the photographer sees, then the photographer just looks odd.
And, yes, the armored truck is my fave!
March 1, 2012 at 9:41 am
Very nice photos, Dezra. I can imagine the effort it took in getting them just right. The angles, the focus — but not too much. And of course not paying any mind to the passerbys wondering what on Earth you are doing snapping pictures of a reflective surface. Turned out fantastically well, if I do say so myself.
March 3, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Thank you, Cara. I have been back many times trying for more fun. The more you go, the less conspicuous you feel.
I appreciate your comment.
March 4, 2012 at 9:35 am