Light is all important to photography (to state the bleeding obvious), but the right moments may not combine for long. Two situations immediately come to mind:

Throw in a reflection and the camera just has to be brought out, assuming one is easily within reach. The moment can be fleeting.

And that is what I love about digital, it allows one to experiment knowing there would not be a large processing bill at the end of it all. Looking at the reflection in a building on the promenade, I was struck by its old postcard feel. I didn’t hesitate to turn around and rather than look the obvious way out to sea, I turned my back on the bay and took an image of the image reflected in the building, a silhouette type effect was required.

The natural colouring provides a sepia effect, the umbrella striking and the background railings all help to provide an image of a wet seaside promenade from many years ago. The reality is the image was taken in 2019 in San Sebastian, a fabulous city in the Spanish Basque region.

The original image is shown below, providing clues as to the reflection. In the foreground on the right is the wooden structure used to protect the young tree with this then being reflected in the window, just to the right of the centre. So yes that is also me in the reflection, taking the image with the back to the bay, trying to hit the shutter when I thought the umbrella was in the optimal place.

Probably wouldn’t have tried it on a film camera and yet I really like the result, I got pretty much what I sought. Judicious cropping allows me to tighten the image as I consider works best.

For those trying to get a better perspective on the scene and the light, the image below may help to assist.

For those with some knowledge of the city, the hotel on the right where you can make out the red letters on high is the Hotel Londres, overlooking La Concha beach. This view is generally looking in an Easterly direction.

Let me know your thoughts and if you have not been to San Sebastian, I fully recommend it; possibly my favourite city in Spain.