There`s a double beauty whenever a swan
Swims on a lake with her double thereon
Thomas Hood
There is something about a reflection that draws us as photographers. Is it the illusion of seeing double? Or the fact that we can capture double the beauty?
Terri has challenged us to find ‘Double the delights’ for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge. She’s looking for any photos of ‘twos’ and my first thought was couples. But as I quite recently shared pairs of people for a One Word Sunday challenge on this theme, this time I’m focusing purely on reflections as a literal interpretation of ‘seeing double’. Most are of birds, boats and buildings, with a bridge and statue thrown in.
And as Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes this week is a free choice I’m linking to that too. After all, what better theme could there be for a dose of double-dipping?!
Heron fishing, Boston Manor Park, west London
Mandarin duck, Bushey Park, west London
Egyptian geese, Richmond-on-Thames, west London
Flamingo feeding in the Salar de Atacama, Chile
Crocodile, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Narrowboat on the River Brent, Brentford, west London
In Hoi An, Vietnam
On Fewa Lake, Pokhara, Nepal
At a roadside stop in North Korea
Yacht on Kielder Water, Northumberland
The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam
Angkor Wat just after sunrise, Cambodia
Boathouse near Trollfjord, Norway
Statue of Kim Jong Il at a station on the Pyongyang Metro, North Korea
37 Comments
wetanddustyroads
I can swear I saw everything double now 😉. Great photos Sarah – the birds are pretty and the photo of Angkor Wat is just stunning in its entirety.
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, I didn’t mean to make you start seeing double 🤣 I got the Angkor Wat shot after most of the crowds there to watch the sunrise had moved away, probably to get breakfast. We left that till later so had the site almost to ourselves for a while!
margaret21
As expected, these are all great images, and each with great memories I’m sure. But the most immediately striking to me is that yacht in Kielder Water. The simple geometry of the image in the watery landscape is lovely.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 😊 That Kielder Water shot is one of a batch I took at a spot called Matthews Linn. We were passing quite early one morning and there was still mist over the lake which made for some very atmospheric images!
margaret21
So glad you stopped.
Sarah Wilkie
Me too!
Rose
You captured double the beauty wonderfully! My favorite is Angkor Wat just after sunrise, Cambodia.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose 😊 Seeing Angkor Wat gradually appear as the sky lightened that morning was a magical experience!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
There is something about reflections that is enchanting, and your photos “reflect” that, Sarah. (That pun was intended, because it suits.) All gorgeous, but my absolute favorite is the man row boating in North Korea.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kellye, I enjoyed the pun 😀 And isn’t it interesting how we all have different favourites?!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
So true, but our differences are what make us unique, I guess.
Kirstin Troyer
I LOVE this take on the themes! So neat.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Kirstin, really glad you like it 😊
the eternal traveller
Love the flamingo!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – I got loads of similar shots there, the water was so still and perfect for reflections 🦩
Marsha
Thanks for joining this week, Sarah. I always love to read what you have to say about your photos. I’m not sure I would have wanted to be that close to a croc. You did a great job with birds. I love the long legs. That gives new meaning to bird legs. Even your quote was doubled over, and I love the last line just because of the sound of it. “Swims on a lake with her double thereon” Very cool. Have a doubly great week. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Marsha 😊 Really I should join in more often as I enjoy including quotes in my posts, but the theme doesn’t always fit, so the free choice this week was perfect for me! The croc was fine, we were in a boat and I used a fairly long lens 🙂
Marsha
Good to know, Sarah. I’d love to have you join, and I know what you mean about topics. I set them at the beginning of the year. When they come along, I’m going, “Whaaaa?” Then I get into it. I gave us all a break every month, though. The last post of the month is always free choice.
Sarah Wilkie
I’ll look out for those then for sure, and keep an eye on the other themes too 🙂
Marsha
Thanks, Sarah! You are amazing. 🙂
Susanne Swanson
I love your interpretation of doubles! I especially love all the beautiful birds!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Susanne 😊 It was fun searching out all my reflection photos for this. At first I just had a few in among other ‘twos’ but as they started to accumulate I decided to focus solely on them!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Yes there’s definitely a draw for photographers in reflections isn’t there. They are the ones which often get singled out for comments when included in a post. A couple of places I recognise here too, of course!
Sarah Wilkie
You’re right, I’ve noticed reflection photos are often the ones picked out for comment 🙂 And of course you would recognise quite a few of these places I suspect!
Paul
Very cool. Hard to say which is my favorite. I’ll go with the flamingo and the croc.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Paul – two of my own favourites as it happens!
Anne Sandler
Great reflections Sarah! Loved the variety.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you as always Anne – I’m happy you enjoyed them!
ourcrossings
Great post and so many beautiful photos. I find that reflections have the power to transform an otherwise ordinary scene into something truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Aiva – I think you’re right about the power of reflections to transform a scene 🙂
Sue
I love a good reflection, and you have a quite a collection here! Love the heron, mandarin and flamingo. Not so keen on the alligator but the boats ar good
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue 😊 I’m glad you liked my birds and boats – a shame I can’t interest you in the croc too!!
Sue
Teehee! I saw some in Costa Rica, that was enough for me
Terri Webster Schrandt
Hi Sarah! Wonderful double delights and reflections! Love the swan quote!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Terri – as soon as I came across that quote I knew I had to use it, and include a swan photo of course 😀
Yvonne Dumsday
You have such an amazing eye for these details Sarah. Thankyou for sharing those amazing shots. I have always thought I was the most unobservant person I knew but – thanks to you – I am sure I shall certainly notice reflections in the future.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Yvonne, I always appreciate your feedback and interest in my posts 😀