Droplets Sculpture

[redmonsoon]

Hi, this is my droplets attempt and just to share if it helps..

1. Seal balancing a ball


- I dont have a wide tray so used one of those red washing bucket..haha

- Not good that I only have a 17-50mm lens, so I have to place my camera very close to the droplet. Yes, my UV filter got wet with some splashes.

2. Black Pearl


- Used those small plastic bag for drinks as dripper.
*Tip1- Hung under a tripod on its center column hook. In this way, I can actually vary the height of the bag. My camera is on another cheap tripod.

3. Swallow


*Tip2- U press the shutter at various timings to get the different looking droplets. So to judge when to shoot is the key. If u google, apparently there is some sort of electronic device that some people uses to auto-shoot when the drop cuts across a beam or something...phew..

But I find that you can apparently get rather consistent shots by fixing your eyes at a certain height along the path of the droplet. My shoot environment is not really dark so I can adjust my eyes so that when I see the glint, I fire. Will draw a pic if anyone dont understand & wants to know what I mean.

4. Cone


Anyway. Well, could be better and I was not successful in getting the 2nd drop mid-air splatter type shot. Will try again, different angle/height, introduce color background, maybe try milk & colored water,etc. Hope be better next time.

Thks for reading.

[pixelpixie]

Hi i think its a very good attempt! i kinda like #1 more of the lot. My first attempt was disastrous yeah do introduce more colours and post them after u tried that.

And i think your tips were very useful. Was thinking about where/what i can use to hang the water bag. Now i know! Thanks for sharing.

[redmonsoon]

Thks Pixelpixie,
Glad it helps, and just to add that my bucket is on a chair under the tripod.

Oh, 1 more tip, because the bottom of the bucket has these ugly rings that are all reflected and can be seen in the pic, I actually dropped a black plate into the bucket..lol

I know what u mean, see Kakashi did it so nicely also want to try..lol So troublesome man..haha
Mine was quite disastrous as well! At first photos not sharp, water spill onto floor, press shutter too slow or fast, afraid flash will get too hot...

But it was fun..lol

[pixelpixie]

Ah, i see thanks for the tip (re the black plate)! Is that why your water turned out darkish in colour? Did u use any reflector to bounce the flash? (understand that that would give the water their colours too)

I did not fix the dropper the last attempt and focusing was crazy hard.

[redmonsoon]

Originally Posted by pixelpixie Ah, i see thanks for the tip (re the black plate)! Is that why your water turned out darkish in colour? Did u use any reflector to bounce the flash? (understand that that would give the water their colours too) I did not fix the dropper the last attempt and focusing was crazy hard.

Another tip:The chair I mentioned is with back, so I inserted a b/w print(bit like newspaper) against it and the bucket. Reckon thats why.

For focusing u got use the pencil tip method? Place it in droplet path, focus on it, then switch to manual.

[catchlights]

just share a few more tips,

don't to be very high shutter speed, just your camera max sync speed will do,

yes, get a chopstick to help you set your focusing, once set, switch to manual focus.

don't look at the droplet till it hit the water than you trigger your shutter, it will be too slow, just find a point when the droplet passed and you trigger, from there you move the reference point for triggering shutter up or down a little to get perfect timing.

beside the backdrop under the water, you also have to consider the reflection of the water surface.

have fun.

[kohweeloon]

hi

the reflection is very "messy" and distracting. you can use a bigger reflector or tracing paper to even the reflection.

[pixelpixie]

redmonsoon: I did use a pen to pre-focus where the droplet should be but the problem was that my droplet positions were inconsistent cos i didnt mount the dropper, just use manual 'aga-ration' to aim haha

catchlights: thanks for your inputs! gonna try out again very soon bearing all the tips in mind this time round...

[redmonsoon]

Originally Posted by catchlights just share a few more tips, don't to be very high shutter speed, just your camera max sync speed will do, beside the backdrop under the water, you also have to consider the reflection of the water surface.

Hi Catchlight,
Very sure its because I dont know how to set my flash; for some reason my shots were blur when I used lower speed, shd I turn on FP? I'm using D90 commander & SB600.

Thks all for comments.
Thks weeloon, but I actually liked the many ripples and reflections. Will perhaps try a serene type pic in future.Thks for the tip as well.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by redmonsoon Hi Catchlight, Very sure its because I dont know how to set my flash; for some reason my shots were blur when I used lower speed, shd I turn on FP? I'm using D90 commander & SB600. Thks all for comments. Thks weeloon, but I actually liked the many ripples and reflections. Will perhaps try a serene type pic in future.Thks

did you place your flash far far away?
did your shot it manual mode with 1/64 power kind of things?

taken from Nikon site

Quote: Flash Duration 1/900th sec. at M 1/1 (full) output 1/1600 sec. at M 1/2 output 1/3400 sec. at M 1/4 output 1/6600 sec. at M 1/8 output 1/11100 sec. at M 1/16 output 1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output 1/25000 sec. at M 1/64 output

[catchlights]

the water droplets are freezed by the flash,
lesser flash power, shorter the flash duration

so as long your ambient is not too strong, and the flash duration is very short, it will not record motion blur.

nothing to do much with camera shutter speed.

[redmonsoon]

>did you place your flash far far away?
did your shot it manual mode with 1/64 power kind of things?

It was very near. On back lcd it display the channel I set, and the flash zoom factor.
Quite sure this is where I gone wrong?, but I dnt know how to go back to the manual flash page. Read manual confused..

[redmonsoon]

Originally Posted by catchlights the water droplets are freezed by the flash, lesser flash power, shorter the flash duration so as long your ambient is not too strong, and the flash duration is very short, it will not record motion blur. nothing to do much with camera shutter speed.

Oh, u mean the brighter the ambient, the flash fired will be weaker, which may cause the blur? If so, I did turn on some room lights.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by redmonsoon Oh, u mean the brighter the ambient, the flash fired will be weaker, which may cause the blur? If so, I did turn on some room lights.

no, I mean bright ambient light will cause motion blur, not make the flash power weak.

anyway, if when your flash misfire during one of shot, and what you get is total black image, you should be safe from ambient too bright.

[catchlights]

if you are using CLS, your D90 built in flash as commander, the TTL/A/M mode of your SB600 flash should be set on your camera manu instead.

[redmonsoon]

Originally Posted by catchlights if you are using CLS, your D90 built in flash as commander, the TTL/A/M mode of your SB600 flash should be set on your camera manu instead.

Thks for your patience.
Yes,I set it to TTL on camera. Should I have used M instead to have more control?

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by redmonsoon Thks for your patience. Yes,I set it to TTL on camera. Should I have used M instead to have more control?

TTL is fine, manual mode is fine too, but on TTL, you will never know how much is the flash output.

[2evans]

Nice attempt. My first try wasn't anywhere as good as these... getting consistent drops is important.

[redmonsoon]

Originally Posted by catchlights TTL is fine, manual mode is fine too, but on TTL, you will never know how much is the flash output.

Thks catchlight I'll study more.
Thks 2evans.

[Ringwraiths]

Hmm have done similar work but didnt post it up, nice work u have there