This mind-blowing mirror hack will transform your photos

A wild photography hack has been shared on Twitter, which could transform the way you take photos of objects. The ingenious technique, which involves a laptop, a mirror and a camera, blasts open any limitations the real world puts on your use of backgrounds, and the effect is totally magical. 

Simply put an image you'd like to use as a background on fullscreen on the laptop (check copyright, of course – more on that later), set the object on top of a small mirror on the keypad and partially close the screen, tilting it towards the object. Then take a picture of the object (perhaps with one of the best camera phones), and the reflection will create a brilliant effect. See the video below for how to do it.

Since Jen Bartel shared the hack on Twitter with some gorgeous examples of the technique, she has received a bunch of super-creative responses, demonstrating exactly what's possible.

Not only could it be used for product photography, but to create an atmospheric scene, too – as shown below with this haunted mansion photo.

There are certain setups, which will give a better result, as some users found out, so be willing to experiment to find the best outcomes.

Importantly, as one conscientious Twitter user pointed out, it's vital you check out any copyright and photo licensing limitations before you use an image. But there are some pretty awesome copyright free photos out there, such as NASA's photo library.

We love to see creative uses of technology to create new effects, and this could be put to great use for many purposes. You could take it one step further and enhance the image in post-production (maybe by using some of the best photo editing apps or photo editing software) to really amp up the result. For more tips, see our guide to smartphone photography.

Created something special using this technique? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.

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