Puddlegrams are one of my favourite kind of shots – they provide a whole new perspective to photography, with stunning symmetrical compositions and are a great way to jazz up your Instagram feed!

I often get asked how to take the perfect puddlegram – look no further as I share with you my top tips on how to take a unique reflective shot, just from your phone! The next time it rains when you’re walking down the street and you see a puddle, use what you’ve learnt here and experiment with those puddles – remember, practice makes perfect!

1) Find a cool puddle

When you’re on the hunt for the perfect puddle, try and find one where the water looks clean without interferences like twigs or pieces of dirt. Then, check the surrounding environment around the puddle and decide what you’re aiming to capture in the water reflection – is it a building, a vehicle, or people? Position yourself at the angle you’ll be able to capture the subject best.

I was super happy to have stumbled across this puddle in Los Angeles (where rainfall is pretty rare!). The puddle was located in close proximity to the front of Griffith Observatory, so this was going to be the subject of my shot. I knelt down and positioned myself at the point where I could maximise the view of Griffith in the reflection.

In the next shot, my subject was Victoria Tower, so I positioned myself so that the building was directly in front of me.

2) Position your camera lens as close to the water as possible

This is the most important step in taking your shot – to get your phone’s camera lens as close to the puddle as possible. The closer the camera is to the water, the greater the reflection and mirror effect will be. This is much easier to do with your phone camera than with a DSLR. Don’t drop your phone though and ensure you have a case and screen protector. For added protection, a wrist strap is really handy to have.

You will also have to be quite close to the puddle, so try and kneel down to ground level – there have been quite a few instances in the past where I’ve got muddy or my clothes have got wet as a result – but hey, gotta do it for the gram!

3) Take the shot

Once you’re in position, find a strong central focal point, keep the camera as steady as possible and click away! I always take a few shots, so I have a range to choose from and to ensure that at least one is sharp and captures the subject in the puddle – it’s better to have more than less, as you can always delete any you don’t need later.

Experiment from different angles as the same puddle can yield a range of cool perspectives.

4) Enhance your photos

Use photo editing apps such as Snapseed or Lightroom to edit your shots. Crop and straighten to create the perfect symmetry. Enhance by adjusting the brightness, contrast, shadows and saturation.

And there you go! You have your perfect puddle shot ready to upload to the gram!

To see more examples of my puddlegrams, head to my Instagram @roamwithrakhee 🙂