7/26/07

An image (or render) is a small window view of a much larger world. The image should suggest at least a little of what cannot be seen. No matter how great any graphics software becomes, it will not produce images as large as the world. How then does one make a little image as big as your imagination?

Highly reflective surfaces give the illusion of more space, which is how they are used architecturally, in the furnishing of a room, or in art. No matter how they are used reflections are NOT realistic, but give the illusion of another world just beyond this one (Through The Looking Glass).

Not many things in nature are as reflective as a mirror, but when you find that perfect lake, at just the right time of day, it is magic. A mirage is very natural, but also very mysterious, transforming an ordinary scene on a hot day into a moment of surprise. In the constructed world where most of us live, reflection is not always unnaturally manmade. The wet street on a dark rainy night that catches the imperfect reflection of city lights is poetry.

In architecture, an abundance of reflection is used to suggest opulence. Most grand buildings or homes will have a lot of reflective surfaces. In more ordinary homes (such as mine) the occasional shiny object catches the eye and suggests an environment that is a little less ordinary. To the unsophisticated eye the metallic frame of a black velvet Elvis portrait is a gilded treasure in an otherwise drab room.

The shiny object or the mirror surface is always a surprise to the eye. The surprise should not be a distraction to disguise a poorly composed picture, but a part of the story that an image captures. If one is a minimalist in style, reflection to make an image more interesting is probably a poor choice.

With Raytracing, Poser allows the graphics artist the opportunity to explore the use of convincing reflections, but this should not become an end unto itself. Objective comments and observations from peers should help guide this community of artists to develop a sophisticated use of reflections. Good to superior photographs can just happen, but great renders must be composed. Again, reflections are magical not realistic.

LMK

Probably edited for spelling, grammer, punctuation, or typos.