Curated  by Melissa Fox

Wow thank you so much to everyone who've contributed on this contest. There were many stunning shots—too many to include in the final story. The deciding factor was if it had a thoughtful caption. Thanks to everyone who put some thought into their caption and really took this reflection assignment to heart. Some of the photos I had liked from the very beginning didn’t make it—many in fact. It’s tough to say goodbye to photos that feel like old friends. There were captions that read as poems and were beautiful in their own right. But when a photographer combined a great image with meaningful words, the result was one to reflect on.

Winner: Tom Lee

Nature's picture frame. I was out in my local Ashdown Forest on calm still morning, very early and I visited my favorite dragonfly pond. The reflection of the trees in the pond looked great but rather uninspiring on screen. So I flipped the image on it's head to show the trees "the right way up" and used the pond edge as a frame. The result is rather surreal and challenges the eye. If you look at it "the right way up" (if you can twist your head!) I don't think it has nearly the same impact. Mike's always telling us to think about composition and I hope this fulfills the brief!
Tom Lee, Crowborough, East Sussex

Editor’s note:  truly and an artistic image with a story we’re looking for, good job. I had to rotate the image for me to understand how you took this image, Great job on thinking outside the box. I love how you compose this image using the ground water to serve as your frame, and turning it upside down.

Roy Gray

Lily's in the rain:  This is an astonishing image, I can’t imagine how hard it was to take this image on this angle, I love how crisp the motion of the raindrops falling in the frame and the pastel color really worked well .  Truly a very refreshing image

Alex Negoita Green‎

Caption: This is the reflection of my memory about Campina, a little town in Romania. I visited this town for several years since I was young and I find it amazing that whenever I think about this place, I have in my memory this house reflected in the water. For me this is the view engraved in my soul, always with a warm colour, helped by this autumn sunset. This photo is also a reflection of my photographic journey, using my abilities and knowledge in order to capture this image, memory and intimate essence of this place.

Elaine Lanighan‎

Caption: 'Witness from above
                 You'll see a face
                 Beside your own
                 Reflecting all my love.'
Editor's note: As a painter and photographer  I love the abstract approach of this image, you have to look further to understand the meaning to hit you.

Carl Nield‎

Tower Bridge in London reflection

Editor's note: Love how the past and the future that depicts on this image, I love how all of the elements come together in this photo. The shafts of light break through the darkness as people walk on a busy downtown street. And yet they are also frozen in this frame.

Becka Dixon

Caption: “It is not ‘Have I got a chance?’
It is more often: ‘Have I seen my chance?”

― Idries Shah, Reflections
Editor's note: I love how artistic this image is, it’s like a painting that strikes my heart into million pieces and makes me feel that once upon a time I was a kid in a farm.

Hamza Qayyum‎

Cathedral in Zaragoza, Spain
Editor's note: I love how you capture this on the right golden dramatic light, if this image has more caption on it about how you feel and what the image made you feel or even why you too this shot could have been a winner image.

Philip Taylor‎

Image taken 04/11/2015 on my Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone in Gnosall, Staffordshire, UK.

Editor's note: Another proof that camera don’t take pictures, image was taken using a smart phone. Great job on the execution of this image I love the composition of both leading lines and reflection that played tag team to create this lovely image.

Randi Hodson‎ - City colors

Caption: We got up early one Saturday morning to shot some images after a rain storm. The back streets are usually a bit ugly with trash cans and the cast away items. It was a wonderful surprise to see a splash of color instead of the usual human litter. Well worth getting down on my knees for the shot.

Editor's note: Great job on simple going out there and look for the “ shot” I love the primary colors and how you creatively  used all the elements to create a great image even on a dull mundane day.

Nick Jeffery‎

Editor's note: I love how you post process this image that it’s almost surreal,  great  job on the composition having a negative space below that draws viewers’ attention to the house and the sky, Wish there’s more caption to about the inner effect of this image for  the  creator.

Aubrey Dawe

Caption: Reflecting upon the colors of life.
Editor's note: I love the primary colors that plays around this image, it’s really lovely when these colors counter balance each other.

Eric Trezza‎
Caption: A shot from this Friday night session. The model was feeling well in water and I wanted to show it in someway. Reflection adds intimacy and self plenitude.

Editor's note: I was stunned by the emotion this image express, two face that tells story of every man. Well done.

Mohamed Nuzrath

Caption: Which is real and which is not....
Editor's note: Very symbolic image. Something about the candle and watch combined together that makes me feel life is short and mysterious all at the same time, that we must not waste time for us to discover Life itself.

Points to improve: Composition – if you move yourself or the camera to put the elements somewhere more left of the frame to create more space on the right this image could have been more pleasing.

John Marks‎

Editor's note: This is a beautiful image no doubt about it, the contrast, the punch of the colors and all the elements that in this frame is truly a winner. The saved highlights and the details of the shadows are amazing , I wish there’s more caption to it on what does this image made you feel or What memory does it spark? What statement does it make? What were you thinking when you shot the frame? This could have been a winner image.

Husam Nurein‎

Editor's note: This is a very national geographic type of image, I love how crisp the image is, the contrast combined with great composition, I hope there’s more caption on it on why you took the shot, what did this image made you feel or what’s the story behind this image, this could have been a winner image.  Great job

Stuart Scott‎
Caption: Taken early January this year, we had miserable weather for the first 3 days of 2016, but on the afternoon of the 3rd Jan, I took my dog for a walk and the sunset evolved this way...I wanted the reflections of the sky in the puddle on the ground, but even my dog looked reflective somehow.

Editors note: I love how dramatic this image is, the golden hour, and the dog  that watches over as the sun goes down created a great story.
Points to improve: composition – if you move a little bit on the right and frame the dog or place him over to the lower right of the frame instead of the half way to the middle this could have been more flattering.

Alan Strong

Caption: walking on a reflection.

Editor's note: It’s hard not to feel something when you see this photo of a dog being free to roam around, a reflection that each of us should be - FREE