Water Drops Reboot v2

[Discus-n00b]

Back in 2011 I posted this thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?88820-Water-Drops!!&highlight=water+drops showing off some of my water drop shots I took. It's one of those holy grail type of photos for my photography hobby. When I got home from work today the intention was to pick up some nice fall colored leaves around the yard and have a fall photoshoot, including floating some leaves in water. Photos turned out horrible, didn't like them at all not a single one so I stopped and setup a makeshift water drop rig to play, might as well while I have bowls of water out! I was blown away by the results I find them even better than the originals. I used milk this time, world of difference.

I wish I had taken a photo of the setup but it was a clear glass casserole dish, the long type, two flashes one above one to the side and I actually used a small aquarium dosing pump and a needle valve on the end of some airline tubing to drip the milk. Here are my results, still have hundreds unedited. My only complaint is my angle in some of them making question the crop with the black. I just wanted some headroom for the drop. Some I had to cut the back of the dish out in the background (angle). Oh well they look alright.

These are going to be large photos on purpose. Some I'll be posting an image and a crop of that image.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/712/23135940819_1d8fa6c681_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/749/23208159520_650673e25a_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/667/22876767723_56094a2397_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/696/23395407592_cf5713dd33_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/590/23503923395_eb4d35a089_o.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5673/23421437871_0aafae0047_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/751/23421438031_e7d3d5888a_o.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5812/22875607014_29a9583911_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/658/23421438631_0bc8de1285_b.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5780/23208160860_0b371f2676_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/733/22875607584_2a57cb4355_o.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5827/22875608214_3f6c87f72e_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/696/23503925545_bfb0a2757d_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/645/22876770163_33b4550308_o.jpg

And finally
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5638/22876770423_cf16d8d06e_o.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/699/23395410272_812fc68c8c_b.jpg

[rickztahone]

I've tried this a few times and have failed miserably. A friend of mine told me the more strobes I use at lower power, the better, but i have never been able to get anything close to what you have. The milk part is very creative on your part because of the viscocity of the milk vs. food colored water. I really like these, and in some, I wish you had expanded the whole color throughout the whole frame. For instance:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5812/22875607014_29a9583911_o.jpg

This is my favorite one, and i see you have a closer one right above it, but I liked the zoomed out feel of this one, but if it was a sea of red rather than the 2 colors, it may look better. I say may because you just never know if it actually will look better.

[Discus-n00b]

Thanks, I haven't tried it but I feel like the perspective would throw it off or the drop would get lost. Right now it gives you a hardline to kind of mimic the container but not be quite as distracting, IMO. I'll try it when I get a chance and see what it looks like!

[Discus-n00b]

Missed one it seems!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/668/22876766893_7604f905c0_o.jpg

[John_Nicholson]

Nice.

-john

[Discus-n00b]

Thanks John!

[Second Hand Pat]

Nice Matt, I need to play with something like this to help with refinement but will need another remote flash with a way to mount them.
Pat

[Discus-n00b]

Thanks! Photos 7 and 8 from the bottom of the OP, the darker purple right under the shot Ricardo reposted, were taken using only a flash above. Batteries ran out midway through and those were taken before being replaced. So you can do it with just one. Could also add some room lights and such, sometimes it can add different colors to it depending on where and what color the light in the room is. I have a set of cheap flash umbrellas and I just stick the flash on top of those stands (for this just one, the other I just set on the counter pointing towards the dish). I should utilize the actual umbrellas more than I do.

You can drip stuff out of a ziploc bag with a hole poked in it too for anyone interested. And changing the frequency of the drops changes the result of the photo. A couple close drops can give you impacts with each other that create the nice mushroom effect and stuff, slow drops create larger and longer columns coming back out of the liquid, fast drops give the multiple drops in the photos, possible collisions and a better chance of catching a splash or "crown".

The focus is the hardest part of these shots. I had to crank the F stop some to allow myself still to be close but get the whole thing in focus. I'd start my drip and then use an object under the drip to get your focus. I just stuck the antenna of my camera remote in to get the focus lol.

[rickztahone]

Matt, do you happen to have a modifier with a grid?

[Discus-n00b]

Light modifier? I do not. All I have are the Gary Fong Lightspheres and 2 umbrellas. I can see where it would be useful for something like this though. A softer spot with a grid might be nice. Or even a macro ring light, wonder how something like that would work.

[rickztahone]

Light modifier? I do not. All I have are the Gary Fong Lightspheres and 2 umbrellas. I can see where it would be useful for something like this though. A softer spot with a grid might be nice. Or even a macro ring light, wonder how something like that would work.

Yeah, I was interested in it as well. The umbrella and sphere do the opposite and spill light, while the honeycomb or ring light is more focused. I'm trying to imagine what that would actually do which is why I asked if you had it on hand, lol.

So you used milk and food color?

[Discus-n00b]

Well I started with water, I didn't want to waste all of the milk LOL but once you get enough drips in the container it all looks the same. Then dropped different food coloring around where the drops were hitting.

[SMB2]

Just saw this. Really cool stuff Matt.
Beyond my pay grade, as they say.

[brewmaster15]

Matt,

Nice work!! You definitely nailed some great shots on this series. Really nice! Love the artistic quality of the colors and spot on with the focus. I'd say you have some keepers there!

Al

[Discus-n00b]

Thanks guys! I have some ideas for next time I do it. Hopefully will capture some mid air collisions and lamp shades.

[RDFISHGUY]

These would make great pieces of art for your living room! Nice work.