Mount the camera on a tripod right at the water level. Fortunately, due to the high shutter speeds, it's unlikely you will need to worry about any light spills onto the curtain showing up in the shots. It's important to use a dark background, like a black sheet or curtain. Set up the clamp lamps pointing down into the water. Step 1įor this approach you will need a simple glass aquarium filled about a third of the way with water. It's the easier of the two and should be used to build confidence in the shots, before attempting the second technique. This is the first of two techniques to capture water splashes. Now here's how it looks with the shutter speed dialed up to 1/3200.įor your own project, you will need to experiment with the lighting and shutter speeds to get the right balance for you. Just for comparison, here's a shot of my hands holding some water under those lights with a "regular" shutter speed of about 1/100. This much light is needed to compensate for the shutter speeds. In my setup I'm using three 23 Watt CFL bulbs and one 50 Watt flood light bulb. I use them for just about everything now! I also recommend Natural Daylight colored light bulbs with as high a wattage as you can find. They are very simple and clamp onto almost anything. I found these lamps at my local hardware store for about $10 apiece. My solution? Clamp lights! And lots of them! This compounds the light problem, as not every flash is capable of firing off continuous exposures. The better option is to use a continuous release and capture several frames to ensure you get one that is useable. Catching the water splash directly in frame is nearly impossible when working with a single exposure. The other aspect of this speed issue is timing. If you have one of those, use it! But I'm guessing those pieces of equipment aren't all that common for graphic designers, especially since the price can range from hundreds of dollars to thousands! Off-camera strobes are ideal in this situation, especially ones that can fire off several times per second. Now there are professional solutions to this problem. The drops are sharp and clear, but the overall image is way too dark. In this image, the shutter speed is set at a blazing 1/2000 of a second. The faster the shutter, the less light gets through. The problem then with increasing the shutter speed is that light becomes a major issue. The movement and shape of the water is beautiful, but the shutter speed isn't quick enough to freeze the motion and provide sharp results. The image below was captured at a shutter speed of 1/800 of a second. I found that anything slower than a speed of 1/1000 of a second resulted in motion blur. To capture it appropriately, the camera needs a very quick shutter speed. The splash only lasts for a moment, and it will not be still. The absolute first thing to discuss is the mechanics of capturing the water splash with a DSLR. This Quick Tip is here to show you that with a bit of effort, you too can create your own beautiful water splashes to use! 1. If you want to use them in your own designs, you probably consider purchasing stock images as your only option. The image of a splash also conveys movement and mood. This struggle takes place in the span of a fraction of a second, and it often happens too quickly for us to be able to capture and appreciate the simple majesty of the effect.īecause water splashes are so familiar, yet elusive, they make for excellent compositional elements. The result is a natural struggle of the fluid as an external force flings it around and gravity insists it return to a resting state. The randomness of liquid physics ensures that every splash is unique. Water splashes are a beautiful phenomenon.
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