Photograph Items Trapped In Ice

At this time of year, ice will most likely be all around. Why not create your own ice and shoot objects trapped in ice? Here are some top tips for having a go at this. 

Create your icy image - This is a fun creative technique that you can have a go at even if there's no ice outside. Simply choose a freezable container - a takeaway one will do if you don't have any spare tupperware, fill it with water, add your object to freeze and lay it in the freezer for a good 40 minutes. 

You could freeze anything you like, popular objects include leaves and feathers, but you could give the image a festive twist by freezing a plastic toy or even several cheap plastic baubles or tree decorations for a floating effect. 

Consider using different shaped containers, for example a plastic bowl, for dome shaped ice. 

Shoot outside if you can -  For the simple reason the ice will melt slower outside, and it'll avoid you making a mess as the ice drips everywhere! Natural light is also another good reason for choosing to shoot outside. Place the ice block so light can shine through it and highlight the object. 

Macro lens - A macro lens will be best for this subject as you'll want to get in close to the frozen object. A lens like the Tamron SP 90mm will be ideal.  A small aperture of about f/22 should help you to capture crisp images with sharpness all the way through the ice. It's an idea to spot meter from the object so the camera won't get confused and over or under expose the image because of the whiteness of the ice.

Plain background - It depends exactly what look you're going for, but you'll be able to highlight your frozen subject better by having a white background, such as a large sheet of white card or plastic. This will enable the colours of the leaves or baubles to 'pop' from the ice. If you don't have any white background material, consider shooting against a brick wall or fencing, something that's pretty plain.

Keep shooting - As the ice melts, part of the frozen object might start to stick out, making for some interesting shots. Partially frozen baubles emerging from the ice can look particularly artistic.