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I've cracked water drops! Foil is the key

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BIO

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After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
 
Great and thanks for the tip, I'll give it a go...
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
 
Another trick ive seen done for stuff like this, which negates the problem of shutter speeds, is to set the whole picture up in a room where you can turn off all lights. You need some sort of flash you can fire manually and it needs to be BRIGHT and be able to do very quick flashes. Then turn off all the lights, open the shutter, then fire the flash when you want to get your picture, then close the shutter while its still dark. I know this is how you get those pictures of bullets going through apples and stuff.
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
-Finch
 
Well as U can see the built in is plenty bright enough (using the foil to bounce back extra) for f22, besides U would be pretty sad sitting in a dark room listening for a drip :) (by which time U have missed it anyway!)
Finch said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
-Finch
Click to expand...
 
Very cool. Thanks for the tip.
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
http://www.fotolog.net/kunja
 
Finch said:
Another trick ive seen done for stuff like this, which negates the
problem of shutter speeds, is to set the whole picture up in a room
where you can turn off all lights. You need some sort of flash you
can fire manually and it needs to be BRIGHT and be able to do very
quick flashes. Then turn off all the lights, open the shutter, then
fire the flash when you want to get your picture, then close the
shutter while its still dark. I know this is how you get those
pictures of bullets going through apples and stuff.
Click to expand...
Those photos, pioneered by Harold "Doc" Edgerton of MIT were taken using strobes that were triggered somehow, either by cutting a light beam or by sound. You need some way to know when to snap the shot! I'm impressed at this water droplet photo, since it implies great reflexes in pressing the shutter button.

David
 
Well yea it would be rather hard to catch the drip in a dark room, but thats how they do those bullet pictures. Although with those its a sound triggered flash set to fire a certain amount of time after the sound, you just fine tune it to where it fires at the right time to catch the bullet. Pretty cool tecnique. A guy I took a photoshop class from told us about doing that, plus an issue of national geographic (the one with a fake T Rex skull crunching a bone on the cover) explained how they got the picture which was about the same as the bullet pictures.
BIO said:
Finch said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
-Finch
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
-Finch
 
..from? An eyedropper?

did you have someone else holding it while you were shooting and where you using a cable realase (probably) tell me about the rest of your setup..
Tim
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/psychosynapse
 
just tested myself with normal window light and some small yellow desktop light. handheld dipping a pen into the water and lift it up to drop a drop ;))
tea pot, water and a pen is all u need ;)


Psycho-synapse said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/psychosynapse
Click to expand...
 
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
This is my attempt to take a single drop several times in a single frame.

I used a Canon 300D, Sigma 70-300 APO Super Macro II and Canon 550EX.

Settings:

300mm Macro Mode
P Mode
ISO 800
550EX at MULTI mode 5Hz

Drop is falling from a Sink Fountain.

Almost Dark.

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7207

I hope the link works.
 
First of all I used the sink with a tap that overhangs the basin and set it dripping at about once a second. I then pushed the tap through a sheet of alu baking foil as I wanted as much light in the area as it shortens the flash pulse and allows higher apertures.

I used a white bowl balanced on top of another one upsidedown to allow me get the camera close (on tripod but U could use a rest on the sink edge) Focusing was manual and I did this by hold the tip of a knife at the spot where the drops were striking and then focused on the tip.

I used M manual mode on the camera with shutter set to 1/200 (highest speed allowed using popup flash) and stepped the aperture down f22 for good depth of field. Remember that the flash is the light source creating the exposure and can only be adjusted using the 10DRemote program. However if U step down too much or are too far away then U suffer light loss as the flash pulse can only last so long. Experiment with the aperture setting.

Now to get the shots its a whole load of trial and error (but thats why digital rocks!) I tried using the IR remote but found too much lag so I used the shutter button as usual. The trick that worked for me was the fact that the tap was dripping at a good rhythm and I tapped it out on the button, also found that if I watched the tap and pressed as I saw the drop start to fall it got a good shot. Play around as there are a load of phases to the drop hitting and all look great.
If I missed something let me know.
Good luck,
Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn


Psycho-synapse said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/psychosynapse
Click to expand...
 
lec_eos said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
This is my attempt to take a single drop several times in a single
frame.

I used a Canon 300D, Sigma 70-300 APO Super Macro II and Canon 550EX.

Settings:

300mm Macro Mode
P Mode
ISO 800
550EX at MULTI mode 5Hz

Drop is falling from a Sink Fountain.

Almost Dark.

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7207

I hope the link works.
Click to expand...
Here's my attempt. I like the foil idea.
I took 25 shots and got two good ones.



--
Mark
http://www.pbase.com/markl3755/
 
Wow what reoslution, I can see your face in the water droplet, nice one.

Regards
John
lec_eos said:
BIO said:
After last nights attempts with the 70-300 sigma I reverted to the
kit lens and used a white bowl with the tap coming through a sheet
of baking foil to act as a reflector thereby allowing me to step
down to F22 with enough light (used manual mode at 1/200 as highest
sync speed to avoid ambiant light blur)

This is my fav but I got some other really great ones.
Give it a go as it can be done indoors at any time!



Biorn
Ireland
http://www.pbase.com/biorn
Click to expand...
This is my attempt to take a single drop several times in a single
frame.

I used a Canon 300D, Sigma 70-300 APO Super Macro II and Canon 550EX.

Settings:

300mm Macro Mode
P Mode
ISO 800
550EX at MULTI mode 5Hz

Drop is falling from a Sink Fountain.

Almost Dark.

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7207

I hope the link works.
Click to expand...
 
If you are shooting something that makes a loud noise, like a balloon pooping or glasws breaking, you can go to toys r us or kaybee toys and find a cheap strobe light that can be set to be sound activated.

Depending on what you are shooting and the brightness of the scene you may need mroe light. Youc an use reflectors, or another trick is to use the sound activated strobe to trigger a slave flash. Then to get the right timming, move the strobe closer or farther away from the sound sorce. Adn if you use teh strobe to trigger the flash, you may want to point the strobe away from the scene and protect for bounce...

Hope taht gives some good ideas. I have great shots of water drops, balloons popping, and dropping other things in water. Like i bought a clear waste paper basket, and filled it with water, then dropped a shot glass into it. The shot glass was filled with red water. Also tried some shots with the glass empty.

Have fun.
DRG said:
Finch said:
Another trick ive seen done for stuff like this, which negates the
problem of shutter speeds, is to set the whole picture up in a room
where you can turn off all lights. You need some sort of flash you
can fire manually and it needs to be BRIGHT and be able to do very
quick flashes. Then turn off all the lights, open the shutter, then
fire the flash when you want to get your picture, then close the
shutter while its still dark. I know this is how you get those
pictures of bullets going through apples and stuff.
Click to expand...
Those photos, pioneered by Harold "Doc" Edgerton of MIT were taken
using strobes that were triggered somehow, either by cutting a
light beam or by sound. You need some way to know when to snap the
shot! I'm impressed at this water droplet photo, since it implies
great reflexes in pressing the shutter button.

David
Click to expand...
 
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