Water reflections can transform a basic landscape photo into something captivating, but they don't always look their best straight out of the camera. With a little fine-tuning in Lightroom, you can make those reflections more vibrant and balanced. It's a quick and easy technique that can instantly elevate the look of your landscape photography.
Coming to you from Christian Möhrle with The Phlog Photography, this informative video walks you through how to enhance reflections in Lightroom using a few basic adjustments and some well-placed masking. One of the first steps Möhrle highlights is adjusting the white balance. In many landscape shots, especially those taken in low light or overcast conditions, you may notice a heavy color cast. Möhrle demonstrates how increasing the temperature slightly can neutralize the blue tones in the image, creating a more balanced and natural color scheme.
Next, Möhrle explains how to tweak exposure settings to bring out the details in the shadows and highlights. By carefully raising the exposure and whites, he spreads the histogram for a more dynamic range, adding contrast and improving the overall mood of the image. However, to maintain balance and avoid blowing out highlights, particularly in the sky, Möhrle pulls back on the highlight slider, making sure cloud details remain visible. This subtle balancing act keeps the image sharp and visually compelling without losing its softer elements.
The real magic happens when Möhrle gets into the masking panel to focus on the water’s reflection. Using a linear gradient mask, he isolates the reflection and enhances it by increasing clarity and texture. This gives the water surface a crisp, defined look without affecting the rest of the image. It’s a simple but highly effective way to make the reflection stand out while still fitting harmoniously within the scene. Möhrle emphasizes the importance of not overdoing these adjustments, keeping the look strong yet natural.
To ensure the reflection doesn’t become unnaturally bright compared to the rest of the image, Möhrle advises adjusting the contrast and shadows specifically for the water. This darkens the reflection slightly, making it look more in line with how reflections appear in real life. He also adds another gradient mask to make the bottom part of the water darker, giving the entire composition a more balanced appearance. These small refinements create a polished look that feels both professional and realistic. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Möhrle.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan With Elia Locardi!"
