Scholarly Collision

Hi everyone!

I am very packed in with schoolwork this holiday, but I decided to delete the 'Misty Sea' as I have just taken my first collision.

Here is a guide on how to do it: ) (Which I am writing myself)

Now, you will probably see some spectacular photographs of still water droplets splashing in the water, or on its way into the water. These photographs are in fact not too hard to achieve as long as you have patience, and the right gear.

Intoduction

Firstly, there are three main types of high speed photography. There is Birds in Flight, Insects in flight, and Water Droplets. The first two subjects require specialist £1000 kits, whereas the water does not.
Here are the pieces of equipment you will need.

- A camera body
- A lens that allows close focusing - an ideal lens would be macro.
- A tripod or a firm surface to lay the camera on
- A flashgun OR you can try using the built in flash. However a flash gun will prove more effective
- A black dish about 1 or more inches deep and fairly big.
- A plastic bag which wild hold the water that will eventually drop
- A coloured background
- Off camera TTL Flash cord from Jessops

Pretty much most of those items can easily be bought in large shops.

Getting Started

So how do you lay it out? Well think of it like this: The camera must be positioned in front of where the drop will be dropped - about 1 inch above water level, and 5-8 inches away. Then, place your background at the BACK of the dish. So it goes camera - dish - bakground in a line. Now the flash. This has to be positioned to the right side of where the drop will drop using the off shoe camera cord, and facing towards the background. The flash will bounce of the background - giving a nice colour, depending on what colour the background is AND a lovely reflection.

So your set-up should be like this:

camera ------ dish --------- background
|
flash

Now, you need to place the plastic bag above the dish. You can tape it to a wall, a retort stand, a cupboard like me or anything really! Just make sure it is about 5 inches above the water dish.

Taking the photos

Next, you must make a small hole using a pin into the bottom of the bag. This should create a very steady flow of water. If you want to flow to be faster, then simply make the whole a bit bigger. Remember to fill the plastic bag with water first!

Now switch the camera to manual focus. Where the drops are falling, place a biro pen just on that spot. Then, with the camera simply focus on the biro. This will be where the drops will fall - this is your predefined point of focus.

Now double check that the flash is facing the coloured background.

The settings I use are:

Manual Mode on the camera set at 1/60s and f/22

Manual mode on the flash also, set at 1/64 or 1/32 power setting. These power settings will make the flash duration really short - meaning you are able to freeze the motion to a shutter speed of approximately 1/40000 of a second even though the camera is set to 1/60!

Make sure you work in the dark as well - this improves the colour and the flash works better too. Remember there is a constant flow. Then just hold down the shutter for about 7 shots - look at them - and then repeat the process - its not too hard!!

Colliding the Drops

I am sometimes asked 'How do you get the drops to collide'?

Well, the answer is, the hole in the plastic bag. If you make the hole in the bag the right size by experimenting, you will get a fast flow of drops. This will result in one drop coming up from its rebound, whilst another drop hits it! It is still very hit and miss, and very hard to achieve. Expect to get 400 wasted shots and 5 good ones.


Taking it further

You can experiment with different liquids and colours including Milk and Coffee! Once you know how to do it - you can use anything you wish!

Also, if you don't have any luck with collisions and you are that desperate - then you can buy a kit of sensors, programmable delay modules, solenoid valves and IR beams. In my opinion, you don't need the expensive kit - this method should works fine, and if it works well for me it should work for you!

I hope you like it
I have submitted it to the Techniques section but I doubt it would get far! A more in depth guide is on my website www.jonahsurkesphotography.com

I called this one a Scholarly Collision because you know those hats that University Graduates wear? Well I thought the top looked a bit like one. I am sure you will disagree though

Thanks,

Jonah

Camera:	Nikon D70 Check out Nikon Nation!
Lens:	Tamron 90mm Check out Totally Tamron!
Recording media:	JPEG (digital)

Title:	Scholarly Collision
Username:	jonah794
Uploaded:	27 Oct 2009 - 3:40 PM
Tags:	Flash / lighting, Specialist / abstract
VS Mode Rating	101 (100% won) These stats show the percentage of wins and the rating score that your photo has achieved. You can go to the VS Mode by clicking on this icon. Signup to e2 Signup to e2 to see which photo this has won or lost against in the vs mode
Votes:	10
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