How I took it: Water Project Series

Photographer: Al Jurina

Recently I pursued a quick personal project from an idea I got off of the internet. The goal was to challenge myself to make some fine art and abstract macro images using simple items I had lying around. I wouldn't exactly say that the plan went perfectly, but I still like the shots for a rookie attempt.


The above shots were done with a Canon 24-105 lens shot at f/13 and 1/160sec @ISO 100. The macro ability came from a 10x macro close-up filter. Light was added with an off-camera flash fired with a remote trigger.

 To set this shot up, I placed either a clear plastic water bottle, or a sheet of overhead transparency paper suspended about 10 inches off of a table (I used stacks of books). I then allowed drips of water to fall on the transparency paper(In the case of the water bottle, it already had water in it.).  I then proceded to put colorful objects underneath of the paper or bottle. The flash was then set up at about 2 feet away, and fired remotely.

Some of the difficulties were in using the tripod. I found the tripod kind of restricting, due to angle issues. I also found that the water did not always bead the way I had anticipated. The whole setup and capture process took about 45 minutes. I created this collage of 10 images using Google's Picasa, which is a free photo management and editing application (highly recommended for beginners who don't own a photo management program).

Again, the photos were fun to make, and, if nothing else, provided me with some learning experiences to add to my next personal project in this area.

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