Drop study how-to #1 (Shorty!!!)

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OK here is the VERY short version (since I need to go to bed!)

Unfortunately this will probably not be possible if you have a P+S digicam :er:

I should also point out that I approached this VERY crudely and with no real science other than that if I " get the drops to go where I want and open the shutter at the right time I should get what is in my head" HA!!! sounds easy right?

For my shots I used . . .
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Canon EOS 10D (*note that a Canon Rebel 2000 is used in substitute for the pics here)
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DG Macro
Canon Speedlight 550EX
MICRO-BOX Flash mounted softbox
Quantaray PZ-1 DSZ (flash triggered slave unit)
Canon RS-80N3 Remote Release Cable
Canon Off Shoe Flash Cord
2-3 Tripods (Velbon 550 Grounder for camera)
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Various household glass pans and plates
Food coloring
Water, vegetable oil, milk, and anything else liquid I feel like trying
Water droppers (various types)
Mirror plates
White and colored posterboard for backdrops
A TV stand table
A large kitchen table with tablecloth for the mess
Lots of trial and error!!!

Basically this stuff below . . .
gear4657.jpg

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To set the preliminary focus I use the tip of a food coloring bottle at the approximate site of the droplets. *A Plumb-Bob or heavy object tied to a string (suspended from the point where you will drop the liquid droplets from) would give more accurate results!

focus4681.jpg


This can/will also test your exposure and flash settings for these shots I used the slave flash at 1/64 flash triggered, main flash on Auto Fill (flash exposure locked before shutter release) and 1/40sec (not sure why, thats just what was on the camera, doesn't really matter because the flash stops the action) and f/10 at ISO 200.

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Here is where the frustration and MEGA exposure count really kicks in . . .

Set your FE Lock, grab a (food) color of choice, position it above the water dish or plate at your pre-determined (and MARKED!) point, make a drop and release the shutter at the correct moment.

Yes, I wish I could be MORE specific about the timing but you really need to experiment with it to figure out when to hit the shutter. For me and this set-up I have learned that when I see the drop fall (from that particular height- about 28") that I need to release when my eye thinks it is about half way to the glass. Different depths or lack of water in the plate affects the different types of splashes you will get depending on your timing!:confused: Also viscosity AND temperature play a large role as well.

Here is an example shot with two previous drops on the plate (in this case a mirror plate) of Green food coloring (other previous drops in background). . .

Image converted to Duo-Tone in PS, Cropped a bit, and slight USM added for web-resize . . .
ex4733.jpg


This is the setup I used for that particular shot . . .

setup24746.jpg


In this one I moved the head of the 550EX to light behind the target for a different effect. The Quantaray effectivley acted as the main light on this one.

PS- In that set-up shot you can see a piece of white label stuck to the table that was used to mark my drop point.

Sorry kids but thats all I have time for until tomorrow when I will try to cover the wild color effects I achieved in some of the other shots I have done.

Here is a secret though . . .

Take this image, invert it, and see what you get;)

drop4135.jpg
 
:hail: :hail: :hail: :hail: :hail: :hail:

All I have is a 350D, a hot shoe flash with a cord, a soft-bounce diffuser thingie to put on my flash (technical term, "thingie"), a tripod, and a couple desk lamps...but I'm still going to try SOMETHING!! :blushing:

Thanks for the tips! I am intimidated already! :confused: lol
 
ahh, I kind of suspected that image was inverted.
Thanks alot for this. I will have to get around to trying some of these myself.
 
Very cool :thumbup:
I'm sure that everyone appreciates you taking the time to do this. I know I do!
I don't have nearly the equipment listed, but at least I've got an idea of how it's done ;)
Thanks!
 
Thanks a million for taking the time to do that, great tutorial with some great tips for us noobs. I tried inverting the last picture like you said, i think the coolest part is if you change the hue you can get a whole bunch of different color combinations. Thank again for that!

-Joe
 
all ive got is a tripod and a vivitar 3500 flash, and a remote, but im gonna give it a shot tomorrow since im off all day :D
 
Ahahahahaa.....that was great...I just tried it for myself. My droplets are furry, grey, low-contrast, and out of focus. :grumpy: LOL!

When I have loads of time to kill, and am in the right mood, I'll totally attempt it again....I rushed it tonight just to try it out and that's why it stuuuunk :lmao: I did manage to freeze the droplets accurately in the frame, but they're out of focus because of my carelessness...so I'm excited to have another go at this another time!

Think the f/1.8 50mm would work? I'm thinking I want to buy myself that anyway.
 
Thanks everyone glad you liked it and possibly helped som. I have decided that I am going to try to simplify this as much as possible (less gear, more specific step by step) and do another write-up.

PS- Kind of ironic but next week I'll be trying a setup using my 50mm f/1.8 with extension tubes. However I will strap that lens on today and see how it works for you. I'll post some results when I get them ;)
 
No all the colours become opposite. Red becomes green yellow becomes purple etc.

This is really great I just tried it my self great stuff. Thanks alot.
 

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