How to Do Water Droplet Photography
Water flows, splashes and surges. To the naked eye, the movement of water is continuous and fluid, but the action-freezing capability of photography allows us to capture the elusive motion of water. The crests and ridges in water droplet photographs are deeply detailed, more resembling intricate glass sculptures than the splashes of water that they are. Water droplet photography can be done using several common household items.
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Things You'll Need
- Dish
- Tripod
- Eye dropper or pipette
- Remote shutter release (optional)
- Food coloring or dye (optional)
- Backdrop (optional)
Instructions
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1
Pick a dish to use as the water droplet stage. Dishes of different shapes and colors will affect the hue, reflections and patterns in the final image – experiment with several dishes to find the look you like.
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2
Fill the dish with water and set it on a stable surface.
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Set your camera on the tripod, point the camera at the water dish and tighten any securing tabs or screws to lock the camera in place.
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Set the camera to manual mode.
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Press the camera’s shutter button down halfway to auto-focus on the spot where the water droplets will fall. After the camera has focused, switch to manual focus mode.
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Set the camera’s shutter speed to 1/200th of a second or faster.
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Set the camera’s aperture to f/2.8 or smaller. Smaller apertures will increase the depth of field, but will require more light for a correctly exposed image.
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Connect the remote shutter release to your camera, if you are using one. If you don’t have a remote shutter release, put your finger on the shutter button.
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Squeeze a drop of water into the dish. Squeezing from a higher spot will result in a bigger splash.
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Press the shutter release or shutter button as the droplet impacts the surface of the water.
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Tips & Warnings
Add food coloring or dye to the water dish or to the eyedropper for a different visual effect.
If you are using a clear water dish, you can place different backdrops underneath to add different visual effects.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
