For this month's image, I decided to try shooting soap bubbles. I put a mixture of dish soap, water and glycerin in a shallow bowl. Using a short, plastic tube, I blew gently to create the bubbles. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally got the bubbles in a pleasing arrangement. I used a strobe in a large, rectangular soft box that was placed just a few inches above the bowl. In Photoshop, I cloned out the extraneous small bubbles and changed the original red color of the rim of the bowl to a magenta color in order to match the color in the bubbles. I used an Olympus OMD EM1 Mk II camera with a 30mm macro lens on a tripod. I found that using a micro-four-thirds sensor camera with a short focal length lens works well for macro shots like this because it provides more depth of field than a full-frame sensor camera with a longer focal length lens.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 10 comments posted
Nice bubbles image, very creative! I have been thinking of doing something like this only using oil on the water to get the various colors. I like your artistic colors and arrangement. Posted: 04/01/2021 10:10:16
David Terao
Thanks, Don. Oil and water "bubbles" are fun, too. I always put a light source under the solution so that I can use a smaller aperture and get more depth of field. Have fun! Posted: 04/01/2021 18:19:33
Cindy Lynch
Your creative photography continues to impress me month after month. This one is perfectly executed with marvelous colors and clarity. Adding the purple to the rim was an excellent choice. The dark background and lighting on the bowl are just the right touches. Love it! Posted: 04/03/2021 16:25:58
David Terao
Thank you, Cindy. I wish I could say I planned out everything carefully, but the truth is that some things were purely serendipitous. I needed a shallow container with a black lining to hold the soap mixture, so I used the top of a Japanese lacquer soup bowl. My wife commented that the red rim clashed with the magenta in the bubbles, so I fixed it in Photoshop. I later saw the subtle outline of the bottom of the bowl and enhanced it to bring it out. Posted: 04/03/2021 17:21:41
Ray Henrikson
Fascinating color patterns here. I assume all the colorful patterns are a function in the slight and irregular variation in thickness in the wall of the bubbles. Posted: 04/03/2021 18:44:56
David Terao
I didn't know what caused the colorful patterns in the bubbles, so I just googled it. Apparently, the rainbow colors are caused from interference of light reflecting off the front and back surfaces of the thin soap film. Posted: 04/03/2021 20:08:20
Phyllis Peterson
Your attention to detail is so good. Everything about this photo is well thought out, creative and unusual. I would like to create something like this. The patterns of color in the bubbles enhance the entire photo. Great job! Posted: 04/18/2021 23:10:13
David Terao
Thank you, Phyllis. It took a lot of trial and error...and pure luck,too. Posted: 04/19/2021 05:40:57
Charlie Yang
Dave, so pretty a bubble imagine, and again, a pleasant surprise to see your image,
Your patient to deal with bubbles is beyond me! Looking forward to your next one. Posted: 04/29/2021 16:37:18
Bai Chuang Shyu
I enjoy the geometric shapes and the rainbowlike colors. The bubble formation probably created randomly but it is organized in a very pretty arrangement.
