Liquid Elmers glue was diluted with twice its volume of water with a drop of blue dye and loaded into a MJKZZ water drop unit. The controller was set for two successive drops into a small container filled to about 1" depth with water. In a dark room a Nikon Z7 camera with 105 mm Nikkor macro lens at f/22 was set for a shutter speed of 1.33 seconds during which time the water drop controller was activated to release two successive glue mixture drops and fire two Vela 1 high speed LED flash units after a delay of about 800 milliseconds determined by trial & error. The flash duration was set at 1/250,000 second to completely 'freeze' this very fast event. When the first drop hits the water it rebounds back as a column. When the second drop collides with the top of the column, it splashes out. In this instance the splash separated from the column as a beautiful ring. Each attempt at water drop photography yields a different result from endless possibilities in this world of microsecond phenomena governed by timing, surface tension, momentum, and viscosity.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 9 comments posted
Lauren Heerschap
Nicely done! You timed this so well to capture the ring and the drop pedestal. This is an interesting art that requires a dark room, equipment and more patience than I could possibly have to capture. Thank you for sharing how you did it. Kudos to your success! Posted: 07/07/2021 18:11:34
Peter Newman
Karl, Very well done. I am fascinated by water drops. It takes lots of practice to get the the image you are looking for. Thank you for sharing your image. Posted: 07/09/2021 21:27:51
This is an astonishing image. It has a hypnotic effect that keeps my imagination going in all manner of directions.
It is a technical and spiritual masterpiece!!
Posted: 07/19/2021 22:42:37
Judith Lesnaw
Wonderful!! I see life emerging from the primordial ooze. And I see the spirit of Edgerton. I see time. Frozen. I agree with Freddie, A MASTERPIECE! Posted: 07/20/2021 00:19:05
Karl Leck
Harold Edgerton, aka 'Papa Flash', is one of my photography heroes. I have two of his bullet prints. When I learned that a fellow in England was emulating the no longer available high speed flashes that Edgerton invented by using industrial LED, I ordered two. So far I've done water drops and exploding balloons. Bullets would require a lot more setup. But I've thought about it. I try to see the scene as the flash pops, but the exposure is too brief. The image is only viewable in replay which makes for some anticipation and a lot of frustration. Karl Posted: 07/20/2021 11:40:38
Judith Lesnaw
AND much delight. I feel the spirit of Sally Mann's "Angel of Uncertainty" in viewing your image. Posted: 07/20/2021 12:01:02
Way too complicated for a beginner like me to comment. I enjoyed the gooey gooey, though, and frankly, my first impression was that it was something real shot at a big aquarium. Posted: 07/21/2021 02:56:59
Bev Caine
(Groups 24 & 48 & 58)
What a lot of work but well worth it. Fabulous result. Too bad that when I got to about your third sentence I figured out that I'd never figure out how to create something quite as lovely as this. Posted: 07/29/2021 15:51:54
