High Speed Water Droplets

My Own Images

Final Evaluation

For my high-speed water droplet experiment I think it was a very enjoyable shoot, it took a lot more time to prepare the shoot than it did taking the photographs it self, the real skill would be the time before each droplet falling and capturing as the droplet his the water base. I think that this could have been a more successful shoot if I was able to bring in all the equipment I wanted for example If I was to spend more time on this shoot I would be more creative with the coloured background reflection rather than using what had already been used by other students but although it was the same background reflection as other images you make the image look different each time. All of my images are central and have and even amount of frame around the droplet also each splash/ droplet has a different form it is a lot harder to try and capture the exact same droplet as the previous time.

The only main issue I had when taking these photographs I found it a lot harder to focus on the droplet area, I did try and place a pen where the water was falling and used auto focus, then changing it to manual as I was taking my photo’s so it wouldn’t keep attempting to auto focus each time I photographed. Other than the focus and lack of creativity I think that this was a successful shoot I am pleased with the outcome. Also as my favourite image would be the first photograph I had posted other peers I had asked thought the same because of the vibrant colours and positioning of the droplet being central and eye catching.

Set up

This is the set up in the studio we had for our water droplet experiment, explaining what each of our equipment was used for; Freezer bag to have liquid in for the droplets them selves which is hanging on the two stands and pole which is placed above the tray of water. Tripod is to keep the camera facing down on the tray to capture the splash and ripple effect clearer. Tape is used to stick any coloured background, which you would like to use to give off a coloured reflection in the water. Pin to pierce a small whole in the sandwich bag full of water or food colouring.

Flash will be off camera and using a hot sheer attachment place the flash where you would like to capture the most of the droplet if needed prop up on a box or some sort of box to lift it up higher. You will also need a trigger for the camera as it makes it easier to shoot can capture without having to touch or more the capture out of position at any point due to you having to auto focus the droplet at first and then clicking it manual before you begin the shoot.

The settings on your camera:

ISO - 100

F-Stop - 16

Shutter- 1/250

White balance - Flash

Flashgun - ETTL:

Fire a pre flash and it with automatically measure the light and work out the power for your next flash, the faster shot needs less power 128th is usually the lowest if you don't have ETTL.

Research

http://edgerton-digital-collections.org

These are a few examples of Dr. Harold Edgerton’s work on his high-speed flash project. This isn't the exact style of photograph I am aiming for but looking through his work has given me some inspiration in new ideas. The idea of adding other objects to water drops to give it that dramatic effect to the photograph can explode the minds imagination.

Syl Arena, Speedliter's Handbook

Plan of shoot.

Equipment needed:
1.Studio
2.Table
3.Camera (Cannon 600D)
4.Flash Gun High Speed
5.Milk
6.Food Colouring
7.Watering Can
8.Towels/Flannels
9.Tripod
10.Celetape
11.Empty Trays
12.Pins
13.2 Stands & A Pole

For this shoot I will be attempting my own high-speed water drop using the equipment I have labeled above. It is important to understand that it is not the camera shutter speed that is freezing the droplet movement; it is the flash duration that does the work. in a completely dark room the shutter could be left open for minutes and a frozen image will still be taken if you are using flash.If the flashguns are set to use full power the duration of the flash is around 1 millisecond (1/1000 second) this long flash duration will cause motion blur and degrade the final image, this is one reason why in-built flashes are a poor choice. Set to 1/128 of full power the 580Ex flashgun produces a flash that is only 1/30,000 of a second duration, that’s 30 times shorter than the gun on full power.