Photographer Stefan Falke captures New York streets with a hand‑held mirror, turning ordinary scenes into unexpected compositions.
Series “Reflecting New York” shows how a handheld mirror reshapes familiar vistas.
A New Angle on City Scenes
By angling a reflective surface toward distant skyscrapers or nearby structures, the photographer folds separate vistas into a single frame. The approach forces viewers to pause and reinterpret familiar backdrops.
Placed at eye level, the mirror captures foreground texture and distant skyline together, prompting a deeper look.
“My goal is to visually loosen up the obvious, to create images that surprise me as much as I hope they will surprise and intrigue the viewer,” he explains.
His mirrors turn city corners into puzzles.
Award Spotlight
Falke’s work earned a finalist spot in the LensCulture Street Photography Awards 2025, highlighting the inventive use of everyday tools in contemporary street photography.
The finalist nod highlights growing interest in experimental street‑photography techniques.
Selected Frames
At Coney Island’s Luna Park, a wooden roller coaster and the Deno’s Wonderwheel appear side by side, their reflections creating a layered carnival tableau that captures the park’s festive atmosphere.
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Another shot juxtaposes the Roosevelt Island Tram with the Queensboro Bridge, the two transit icons sharing the same visual plane and offering a fresh sense of movement across the river.
It feels like looking through a pocket‑sized periscope, only the periscope is a mirror.
The World Trade Center’s Oculus hub reflects a mural by Todd Gray, adding a splash of color to the steel and glass architecture and emphasizing the building’s role as a public art venue.
A composition of the Brooklyn Bridge captures its cables and arches alongside street activity, offering a fresh perspective on the historic span and the pedestrians who cross it daily.
Near Manhattan’s Westside Highway, the Jean Nouvel building stands opposite a street‑lamp shadow that falls onto the nearby IAC tower designed by Gehry, illustrating how light and form interact in the city’s skyline.
On Mott Street in Chinatown, storefront signage and busy pedestrians are folded together, revealing a lively street rhythm that showcases the neighborhood’s cultural energy.
The Chrysler Building on 42nd Street appears mirrored against a backdrop of modern storefronts, blending Art Deco elegance with contemporary life and highlighting the contrast between eras.
Finally, the “Lipstick Building” on 3rd Avenue is captured with its distinctive pink hue reflecting adjacent office towers, emphasizing its unique silhouette and the way color can define a city block.
