Water Droplets

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Ben M

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Ben
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Hi guys, I have been looking on a photography forum about how to take pics of water droplets. I have given it a go, and here are my results:

WaterDroplets.jpg


IMG_4929-Copy.jpg


I am quite pleased with them, and I am going to start experimenting with different colours etc. to see what I can achieve. Obviously these aren't brilliant, as they are my first attempt, but what do you think? How could I improve them?

They were taken with my canon EOS 1000D with a tamron 90mm 1:1 macro lens.

cheers(y)
 
Not a bad start there Ben....the second one especially.

I take water droplets at about f/11 to give enough depth of field through the droplet. I shoot in a darkened room (enough light to see what I'm doing but that's all) and adjust the flash power to get the exposure correct....the flash will set the exposure time so that slow shutter speeds aren't an issue. The overall colour can be set in PP but having some everyday objects relected in the drop can add to the interest.
The size of the droplet and the height it's dropped from are the two obvious variables to play with.

Keep at it and you'll get some interesting but unrepeatable shapes like this mermaid sitting on a rock....well, it looks like one to me :)
http://www.boblatham-photography.net/photo7896586.html

Look forward to seeing more

Bob
 
Last edited:
Nice start :)

Deffo agree with Bob there - smallish apertures (8-13 or so), use flashes only to light it, ignore the shutters speed. Though the "darkened" room thing seems appropriate I personally find if you just use 1/200 exposure or so then the light in the room really has pretty much no effect.

Also, the major advice I can give is to light from behind, it really brings them to life. Either reflect the light or put the flashes on some translucent card/plastic behind the droplets :) Also if you wait until the water is completely settled you can get those perfect little spouts :)
 
AshMashMash said:
Nice start :)

..... Though the "darkened" room thing seems appropriate I personally find if you just use 1/200 exposure or so then the light in the room really has pretty much no effect.
Click to expand...
In normal light, I was picking up the occasional dim reflection of a window or furniture in a nicely formed spherical droplet.

Bob
 
Canon Bob said:
In normal light, I was picking up the occasional dim reflection of a window or furniture in a nicely formed spherical droplet.

Bob
Click to expand...

Fair do's! I certainly used to use a darkened room, but then stopped and haven't noticed any drop in detail in any of my droplet pictures :) I think in my room even with the lights on, at 1/200 and F/11, ISO 100 I don't get anything but black without a flash.
 
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