Water Droplet Photography Tips

Photographer Roger Hammond has started shooting a collection of water drop images and we spoke to him to find out more about his set-up and how exactly he sets up his shots.

The Set Up

First, you need a plastic bag filled with water that you can make a very small hole in so water can drip out of it. Roger suspends the bag, from a tripod with an extension arm, about 18inches over a small food container which is placed in a large tray to prevent water escaping.

For the background, a folded piece of white card is used, however care is needed when the background's placed as the 'image' that's formed in the spherical drop is very wide angled and will include more than you expect.

Roger places his Pentax K-7 on a tripod and an AF 240 FT flash on its stand, aimed at the card background. The flash is set at low/manual and the ambient light should be low (not in direct, bright sunlight). 

Technique

This process isn't an exact science, sometimes Roger only gets 10 usable shots from 200 he may have taken, but it is worth the persistence and patience!

Roger watches the drops form and then drop into the container below. He's found that firing the shutter, with a remote control, just as the drop falls increases the chances of him capturing a good shot. Do take care not to get your lens splashed and wipe any moisture off that may appear on your gear.

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