DIY Water Light Ripple

Water light ripple pictures are created with household items and patience.

You may have seen impressive photos of a drop of water hitting the surface and the ripples of water coming from it, each touched with just the right amount of light. While these set-ups take time, they are achievable even by amateur photographers. The trick is having the right camera, knowing how to use it and perfect timing. After some practice, you will have your own water light ripple picture that you can add to your portfolio.

Things You'll Need

• Professional-quality digital camera
• Macro lens
• 3 tripods
• Metal pan
• Water
• 2 low power external flashes
• Glass cutting board
• Something heavy to prop the cutting board on
• Turkey baster or eyedropper

Instructions

1. Screw the macro lens onto your camera.

2. Attach your camera to a tripod.

3. Place the metal pan on a counter or table and fill it with water.

4. Set up your camera and tripod in front of the pan.

5. Attach your external flashes to tripods and position one behind the pan and one to the right of it.

6. Prop up the cutting board behind the pan, in front of the external flash.

7. Set your camera's flash exposure compensation to one of its lowest settings to freeze the motion of the drop when the photo is taken. This process is different depending on what type of camera you use and how much natural light you have in the room. Refer to your camera's user manual for detailed instructions.

8. Adjust your camera to 100 ISO, f10.0 to f14.0 and exposure of 1/250 settings.

9. Focus the camera to where the drop will be in the pan.

10. Time the external flashes to go off when the camera's shutter goes off.

11. Set your camera to burst mode or action mode so it will take multiple images. This will improve your chances of getting a picture of the drop of water just at the right time. Set the timer on your camera.

12. Fill the water dropper with water and hold it 30 to 60 centemeters above the surface of the water.

13. Drop water drops into the pan when your camera starts taking photos by gently squeezing the bulb of the eyedropper or turkey baster.

Tips & Warnings

• You can try this technique with any type of liquid such as juice, milk or soda.

• Drop the water in the area where your camera is focused.

References

• DIY Photography: The Comprehensive Water Drop Photography Guide
• Photos By Key: Water Droplet Photography

Resources

• Digital Photography School: An Introduction to External Flashes