View of Nature in Japan

Another Space in the Water

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✦ Notes

  • UD: Photo flipped Upside Down (indicated by a small "UD" mark in the bottom right corner of the slideshow)

  • You can pause the carousel's automatic transition and switch to manual control by clicking on the image.

Four Light Layers 

The water reflection presents a vertically inverted image. Optically, it captures an upward perspective identical to a camera positioned beneath the surface, at a depth equivalent to the observer's actual height above the water. As a result, it provides a lower angle than a direct view, and this effect is more pronounced for nearby objects and higher observation points.

The water’s surface functions as a polarizing filter whose efficiency depends on the angle of observation. Around a specific angle, the suppression of scattered white light increases the saturation and contrast of the reflected image while reducing overall brightness. A C-PL filter can be used to obscure the below-surface area of the water, making the surface reflection relatively sharper and more visible.

Strictly speaking, a photograph taken at the waterside can consist of four different light layers: the above-surface area including cast shadows, the reflections of above-surface objects including the Sun, floating objects such as leaves, and the below-surface area. If a reflection image is vertically flipped, a distinct space appears to open within the water, suggesting a philosophical sublation of reality and unreality. 

For further reading on the optical aspects and the philosophical concepts behind the water reflections, please explore "Miscellaneous".