Arches of light

John Raftery shows how you can maximise architectural reflections

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The illusion that reflection photography creates has always captivated me. When shooting architectural photography, I always look for scenes that can potentially create reflections. When I visualise the scene in front of me, I’m combining structure with symmetry and using this repetition of shapes and textures to help create this illusion. I love to travel, and on one such expedition, I visited the charming coastal village of Villefranche-sur-Mer in the French Riviera. This picture-perfect town with its pastel-coloured, narrow, winding alleyways is a photographer's dream. As I meandered through its hidden streets one morning, I came across this scene.