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Water drops

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Jaysun

Jaysun

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I attempted my first water drop photos and could use some advice. I read a lot online about the standard way of doing it (dark room, hand-held flash, motion or sound sensitive flash and even assistance from computer-controlled hardware). I decided to do it the easy way with just my finger on the button and the other hand holding the dropper. My problem was that, even with heavy, focused lighting, I was getting dark photos (As you can see, I'm getting heavy noise from a high ISO). I'm sure this is why this isn't the recommended way of taking these photos but it's my only option. I don't have a flash or any of the other fancy gadgets, and I probably won't for some time. Are there any DIY tips you might have for a beginner?

With this one, I dropped red dye into milk



















 
Jason, the clear trend emerging here is for you to fight the tide. :-)

If you absolutely won't be buying an off-camera flash, then at least try using the pop-up flash. Its light will be ugly until you mess around with modifying its path. A small hand mirror can work well to bounce off a while wall or very low ceiling. A piece of paper can work well to shoot through for diffused light. Both will probably require a third hand, until you buy a stinking tripod . For an adventurous type like you, this should be the first thing you go out & buy tomorrow.

--
http://www.benseese.com
 
the ISO was set far too high. It was completely my fault. After my first couple dozen shots, I set the ISO extremely high, just to see if I could get more light out of the shoot. I completely forgot to turn it back down and it remained there for the rest

of the shoot. I take full responsibility for that mistake. I'm still learning. I've only had the cam for a few weeks.
ITop_CatI said:
Nice Shots however, to methey look a bit grainy, What ISO were they shot at?

Nice work however
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7948885@N04/
Click to expand...
 
I'm using a stinking tripod :)

I didn't try the pop-up flash because it was just one more variable to work with. Even with the tripod, this was a bit of a task. Maybe I can get my girlfriend to assist me in my next attempt. Are you recommending thy I focus the onboard flash by having someone hold a mirror up to reflect it onto the water drop? Willing to try that.
Ben Seese said:
Jason, the clear trend emerging here is for you to fight the tide. :-)

If you absolutely won't be buying an off-camera flash, then at least try using the pop-up flash. Its light will be ugly until you mess around with modifying its path. A small hand mirror can work well to bounce off a while wall or very low ceiling. A piece of paper can work well to shoot through for diffused light. Both will probably require a third hand, until you buy a stinking tripod . For an adventurous type like you, this should be the first thing you go out & buy tomorrow.

--
http://www.benseese.com
Click to expand...
 
Jaysun said:
I'm using a stinking tripod :)
Click to expand...
Sorry, I thought you'd mentioned in a past post that you hadn't gotten one yet. My mistake.
Jaysun said:
I didn't try the pop-up flash because it was just one more variable to work with. Even with the tripod, this was a bit of a task. Maybe I can get my girlfriend to assist me in my next attempt. Are you recommending thy I focus the onboard flash by having someone hold a mirror up to reflect it onto the water drop? Willing to try that.
Click to expand...
No mirror should be necessary to simply hit the droplet with the built-in flash. Last time I checked, it was pointed the same direction as the lens. You may get a small shadow on the bottom of the image, but you're going to be cropping the image anyway, so this is probably a non-issue here. The mirror I'm suggesting would be held at a 45-degree angle to reflect the light onto a nearby wall or ceiling, so that the light bounces and comes at the droplet from the side or above, and from a nice large surface area.

The off-lens-axis direction determines the location of shadows, which give a 'shaping' or 'modeling' effect (seen in your examples). Straight-on flash lacks this effect, because everything is is lit from the front, giving almost no visible shadows.

The large surface area helps with softness of said shadows. When the light source is a point-point (like the direct unmodified flash itself), you get crisp-edged shadows, which are almost always ugly.

If no white wall or ceiling is handy, shooting through a white piece of paper or napkin will give you the larger light source, but without the help of side- or top-lighting.

And for eliminating variables - here's a cheat sheet to get you started:

Manual mode: 1/200 sec, f/11, ISO 400. Pop up the flash, and use its +/- Flash Exposure Compensation to get a brighter or darker shot. Tweak f-stop and ISO if you're getting grossly underexposed shots.

--
http://www.benseese.com
 
thanks a lot. Although reflecting the flash, as you describe, may be a little advanced for me right now, I appreciate the assistance with the settings. And I've been looking for a good reason to use exposure compensation. I just learned it existed yesterday.
Ben Seese said:
Jaysun said:
I'm using a stinking tripod :)
Click to expand...
Sorry, I thought you'd mentioned in a past post that you hadn't gotten one yet. My mistake.
Ben Seese said:
I didn't try the pop-up flash because it was just one more variable to work with. Even with the tripod, this was a bit of a task. Maybe I can get my girlfriend to assist me in my next attempt. Are you recommending thy I focus the onboard flash by having someone hold a mirror up to reflect it onto the water drop? Willing to try that.
Click to expand...
No mirror should be necessary to simply hit the droplet with the built-in flash. Last time I checked, it was pointed the same direction as the lens. You may get a small shadow on the bottom of the image, but you're going to be cropping the image anyway, so this is probably a non-issue here. The mirror I'm suggesting would be held at a 45-degree angle to reflect the light onto a nearby wall or ceiling, so that the light bounces and comes at the droplet from the side or above, and from a nice large surface area.

The off-lens-axis direction determines the location of shadows, which give a 'shaping' or 'modeling' effect (seen in your examples). Straight-on flash lacks this effect, because everything is is lit from the front, giving almost no visible shadows.

The large surface area helps with softness of said shadows. When the light source is a point-point (like the direct unmodified flash itself), you get crisp-edged shadows, which are almost always ugly.

If no white wall or ceiling is handy, shooting through a white piece of paper or napkin will give you the larger light source, but without the help of side- or top-lighting.

And for eliminating variables - here's a cheat sheet to get you started:

Manual mode: 1/200 sec, f/11, ISO 400. Pop up the flash, and use its +/- Flash Exposure Compensation to get a brighter or darker shot. Tweak f-stop and ISO if you're getting grossly underexposed shots.

--
http://www.benseese.com
Click to expand...
 
It may be advanced, but what have you got to loose????

Its not like the good old days of processing negatives..... As a fellow noobie I Can confidently say that Trial and Error will be your best friend.... As it is mine... lol
Jaysun said:
thanks a lot. Although reflecting the flash, as you describe, may be a little advanced for me right now, I appreciate the assistance with the settings. And I've been looking for a good reason to use exposure compensation. I just learned it existed yesterday.
Ben Seese said:
Jaysun said:
I'm using a stinking tripod :)
Click to expand...
Sorry, I thought you'd mentioned in a past post that you hadn't gotten one yet. My mistake.
Jaysun said:
I didn't try the pop-up flash because it was just one more variable to work with. Even with the tripod, this was a bit of a task. Maybe I can get my girlfriend to assist me in my next attempt. Are you recommending thy I focus the onboard flash by having someone hold a mirror up to reflect it onto the water drop? Willing to try that.
Click to expand...
No mirror should be necessary to simply hit the droplet with the built-in flash. Last time I checked, it was pointed the same direction as the lens. You may get a small shadow on the bottom of the image, but you're going to be cropping the image anyway, so this is probably a non-issue here. The mirror I'm suggesting would be held at a 45-degree angle to reflect the light onto a nearby wall or ceiling, so that the light bounces and comes at the droplet from the side or above, and from a nice large surface area.

The off-lens-axis direction determines the location of shadows, which give a 'shaping' or 'modeling' effect (seen in your examples). Straight-on flash lacks this effect, because everything is is lit from the front, giving almost no visible shadows.

The large surface area helps with softness of said shadows. When the light source is a point-point (like the direct unmodified flash itself), you get crisp-edged shadows, which are almost always ugly.

If no white wall or ceiling is handy, shooting through a white piece of paper or napkin will give you the larger light source, but without the help of side- or top-lighting.

And for eliminating variables - here's a cheat sheet to get you started:

Manual mode: 1/200 sec, f/11, ISO 400. Pop up the flash, and use its +/- Flash Exposure Compensation to get a brighter or darker shot. Tweak f-stop and ISO if you're getting grossly underexposed shots.

--
http://www.benseese.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7948885@N04/
 
Your idea of trying makes me feel that you could go more... but again after reading all the posts, I feel that you're limited by the knowledge of lighting and all.

I have the same problem =D

I don't know if milk is easier to work with... but I will try the mirror and pop-up flash part. The last time I saw a photographer... he was skimming so hard for a diffuser that he made his own with paper, glue and cellotapes. How cute.

Good luck!
--

I'm a raw DSLR user, meaning to say, I'm totally new to it. I'm here to learn more from the experts, check out advices online and hopefully take better shots! Which is probably the reason why I joined my friend's photography club for fun, called C3 in Puchong.
 
I did this many years ago. placed camera on "b" in completely dark room and open the shutter. Using off camera flash I "shot" the flash when I squezed the dropper while the shutter was open. Close shutter. Repeat as needed.
 
Go to youtube.com. There are many helpful videos on there about photography and several about water drops. Some are with a flash, but some of them use simple work lights that you can pick up at Lowe's or Home Depot for about $10.00.
 
good first try. but you said already you need base iso :)

I'm gonna try it as well at some point in time. I found this next video on youtube explaining very well how to take photos of water dropping into water. hope it helps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwExpFDUC9Y&fmt=18

if you don't have an external flash or can't trigger it off-camera you could try a lamp or some other light source like using a mirror somehow like someone else suggested.

good luck. my 2 cents worth :)
--
greetz, Mark.
 
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