Pepper Drop

[Buckster]

About 25 years ago, I picked up a book on lighting techniques made by Kodak. Lots of terrific photos, explanations, and the lighting diagrams that went with them. The one on the cover was of a red pepper splashing into water with a blue background, and I always thought it was just a killer shot and something I'l like to try to shoot myself some day.

A few weeks ago, I picked up an aquarium to shoot photos of a tree frog that hopped into the house I'm renting and, after turning it loose, I thought about what else I could do with the aquarium. That's when that cover shot of the pepper came to mind.

I already had everything I needed but the pepper. How hard could it be? Off to the local market I went.

I started with the background. Held up a white background and saw that window light behind it would mess with me, so added a black one behind it and all was good.

Next I set up a 200 w/s studio head with a blue gel and barn doors to control spill. At 1/200 shutter, I dialed it in at f/13 to get the vibrant blue background I was looking for.

Next I dangled the pepper off a fishing line into the aquarium that still had no water in it, and arranged two 580EXII flashes into reflector umbrellas, and came up with -2 on both for even lighting, then applied a 2:1 ratio to get some depth.

Light from the umbrellas was spilling onto the background, so I set up flags next to the tank to kill it and get back my rich blue background.

I could see the entire room behind the camera reflected in the face of the tank, so I hung black felt as flocking behind the camera on a makeshift background stand (two tripods with a broomstick gaffer's taped to the top). Light was still coming in and lighting the camera and tripod from another window to camera right, so I blocked that off with more of the black felt. One last reflection was of the tripod head itself reflecting light from the flash. A bit of gaffer's tape hung in front of it killed it nicely.

Next I filled the tank and tried a drop. I remote triggered while dropping the pepper. My timing was off, and I wished I'd brought the IR trigger I left at home on the shelf (I'm on the road in Alabama presently).

More importantly though, it was immediately evident that I'd need to work out a splash guard to keep my gear dry, not have to deal with water drops and drips down the back and front of the tank, and not have to clean up a big mess.

I pulled out another light stand and set up an illuminator arm sticking out straight over the tank, about a foot or more higher than the tank. From that, I arranged a framework made of 4 frame rods from a softbox and a wire coat hanger, using gaffer's tape to hold it all in place. Attached to that, I used tall kitchen garbage bags, gaffer's taped to the inside of the tank top and up the framework. Splashguard in place!

After hours of setting it all up, test shooting my way through the process, I thought to myself again, "How hard could it be?"

Finally, I was ready to capture the moment. At least a hundred shots later, I had three that I deemed "keepers".

[Ads]

[Bitter Jeweler]

#1 is my favorite. I also like the last because you flipped it.

Turn #2 90degrees clockwise and it looks like icy fingers reaching out, grabbing the pepper. Thanks for explaining the setup. I was surprised the gelled flash made the black background so richly blue. I took note of that and filed it away.

[Buckster]

#1 is my favorite. I also like the last because you flipped it.

Turn #2 90degrees clockwise and it looks like icy fingers reaching out, grabbing the pepper. Thanks for explaining the setup. I was surprised the gelled flash made the black background so richly blue. I took note of that and filed it away.

Thanks kindly! I hadn't noticed the icy fingers. That's pretty cool!

Actually, that's a white background with a black background behind it, placed just to cut the light from a window behind that. I could have explained that better.

In any case, f-stop-dialing in a gelled background works really well. I picked it up from an old Dean Collins video where he explained how you can make your colors so rich and vibrant and intense that the lab will call you up and ask you to please come pick up your film because it's scaring the other film! LOL!

[mwcfarms]

These are lovely Buckster. TFS. Going to have to try the gel trick. As soon as I find my hotshoe adapter lol.

[invisible]

Sweet stuff indeed. I also like #1 the best of the set, but all three are really cool.

[Seekwence]

Love it! Obvious question: what angle were you setting off the remote flashes to get no glare from the tank. I have a tank I am about to throw out (fish died and I really dont feel like going to the trouble of starting up again). But now this might be kind of a fun project to play around with...

[GeorgieGirl]

Wow! They sure are something!!!

[Buckster]

Thanks folks! Glad you like them! I had fun with it.

Love it! Obvious question: what angle were you setting off the remote flashes to get no glare from the tank. I have a tank I am about to throw out (fish died and I really dont feel like going to the trouble of starting up again). But now this might be kind of a fun project to play around with...

In a nutshell:

[12sndsgood]

those are really cool. i think im liking number 2 just wondering (going of bitters remark) if you flipped it upside down it almost look like the water was suspending the pepper in the air.


very cool indeed. this is some stuff id like to get into trying. soon as i have a free couple hours to myself. so maybe when i retire in 2040.

[Seekwence]

In a nutshell:

Haha, thanks for the visual!

[GeorgieGirl]

So how did you 'time' the drop and shoot? Just estimated it hit or miss? I don't see the fishing line so that worked out excellent too!

[Buckster]

So how did you 'time' the drop and shoot? Just estimated it hit or miss? I don't see the fishing line so that worked out excellent too!

Yes, I estimated it;

Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
etc., etc., etc...

The fishing line was only attached to dangle it in the empty tank while I set up the lighting. It wasn't attached during the actual shooting.

[Frequency]

Excellent shot; liked all the three

Regards

[jwbryson1]

So how did you 'time' the drop and shoot? Just estimated it hit or miss? I don't see the fishing line so that worked out excellent too!

Yes, I estimated it;

Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
Drop - shoot - review - adjust timing.
etc., etc., etc...

The fishing line was only attached to dangle it in the empty tank while I set up the lighting. It wasn't attached during the actual shooting.

Bryan Peterson does a very similar shot with a strawberry into a glass of sparkling water. In his setup, he's got a cable release for the camera and he is dropping the strawberry into the glass himself. Did you have somebody dropping the pepper for you?

[Mark_McCall]

This is just freakin' cool!
Looks like you went to alot of trouble to set it up, but WOW...what results.