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Canon Image Challenge | all galleries >> Challenges From The Past >> 2014 Challenges >> CIC 122: Stop The Action >> CIC 122 Exhibition > 1st
Simply A Drop Of Water
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12-FEB-2011 Gerald H.

1st
Simply A Drop Of Water

Canon EOS 60D ,Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
1/250s f/16.0 at 100.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Canon Image Challenge14-Jul-2014 13:32
And Gerald was a micro second away from a drop collision which is fascinating. Paul
Canon Image Challenge09-Jul-2014 04:02
thanks for the wonderful explanation. I'm going to have to experiment.

MAB
Canon Image Challenge08-Jul-2014 19:41
What a great explanation for a great shot.
It gives me an idea.

Jim
Canon Image Challenge08-Jul-2014 19:32
Thank you Michelle and Trav.

Michelle, taking pictures of water drops is not so difficult but you need a bit of luck to catch exactly the right moment (if you do not want to use highly specialised equipment which I do not have so I had to keep my setup as simple as possible).

The method is much easier than the length of the description may suggest:

The camera was mounted on a tripod in a rather dark room. I have used a flash, set to low power, 1/16 or so, in order to keep its duration short enough for a short exposure time, around 1/10000 s. The water was dropping into a yellow bowl.

It is all about timing. Initially, I tried to release the drops manually, using an eye-dropper, but as there are often several tries needed until there is one decent result I looked for some kind of semi-automatic drop release.

I bought a simple IV infusion set, rather cheap, for 1 or 2 EUR or so, at a pharmacy. I attached the tube to a plastic tank full of water, hung up 1 meter above the bowl. The flow of the water drops was regulated by a roller clamp which is a part of the infusion set. I experimented with 1 to 12 drops or so per second.

Once you find out the appropriate rhythm to operate the shutter, it is possible to achieve more and more keepers among your shots and, with the proper drop frequency, even some drop-on-drop photos. A cable release is advisable. Of course, if using a magnetic valve and an electronic controller, there would be almost unlimited possibilities; for me, the technical effort would be too high.

For more information, you may look for some instructional videos online.

If you like to try it by yourself, have fun!

Gerald
Canon Image Challenge07-Jul-2014 23:33
I love this shot. Can you share the technique involved? Thanks, MAB
Canon Image Challenge06-Jul-2014 23:00
Of course this is great too....Traveller