A question for handmade34 - at your leisure

[Mira]

please tell me as if I were a 2 year old just how you got that wonderful water drop photograph.
I don't often find myself forced to vote against my own best interest....

I suspect all the photographers here with lots of macro equipment and experience now grin at me and shake their heads.

But please tell me how you did it.
I'm itching to know, ordinarily I leave the macro close up photos to others, I find them gorgeous and valuable, but my stuff is simply oriented differently.
But your water drop makes me very interested for the first time in exploring how to do it.

[handmade34]

1. a few shots I chose not to enter

My disclaimer... I really don't know what I am doing! I really need to read the manuel...

This was my set up... I used a blue (black and gold were no go's) T-shirt (my 'One Nation' Volunteer shirt) as a backdrop (draped behind the faucet) and my cheap headlamp for lighting(red) in a few of the shots. I used a really nice 100mm macro lens that a very nice person gave me. I set up my tri-pod as close as possible and turned the faucet just enough to get a very slow stream. I set on manual and as the drops fell, focused and then did continuous shooting for about 3 seconds. I am sure that 'real' photographers are shaking their head and laughing at me too! My saving grace is a really nice camera and lens and a really nice tri-pod. ...and once in awhile I have a pretty good eye for aesthetics... I had wanted to enter a nice picture of the Steam coming off the Colorado River but couldn't get out in time, so I figured I would settle for a macro of water.

:crazy:

[Mira]

2. I'm honored you took me seriously, and I thank you for the answer.

It's precisely what I wanted to know!
Thank you very much.

:)

These are very fascinating as well, the first one is my favorite.

[Celebration]

3. that sounds like fun!!

And very creative..

:thumbsup:

[Mira]

4. Come on over and we'll try it together n/t

[dbmk]

8. A few pointers that might come in handy

From my experience trying the same:
You are going to want a very fast shutter speed to freeze the drops, so that is going to cost you light.
In order to gain that light, you will then open up the lens.
Which will give you an ultra slim depth of field at that distance. We are talking a few milimeters if not less, potentially.

That can be quite frustrating at first, trying to get the perfekt drops and timing and then having everything messed up by only having half a drop in focus - if anything at all.

So have as much light as possible at hand - a flash helps a lot. That will give you a lot more room to work and experiment with.

I would go home and experiment today if a friend of mine had not borrowed my macro lens. :)
He shot this picture with it: http://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Entry.aspx?ID=376643

And as you can see there, the DoF is pretty slim at f2.8 at that distance.

[ljm2002]

5. How cool!

Thanks to Mira for asking and to you for explaining!

Sometimes you can get great results when there is no one around to tell you it can't be done. At least that's what I've found.

[handmade34]

6. I drive my partner crazy

he reads and studies and knows all the f-stops... I am such a slacker and just love to play... just listened to a talk by Paula Scher (graphic designer) discussing difference between serious and solemn... serious is when you are way over your head and gve it your all anyways and solemn is when you are qualified and have to get a job done... she chooses, and I would like to think me too, to always be serious

[Mz Pip]

7. thanks for the lesson!

and the pics to accompany it. I really like that what you did was simple enough for me to try.

Thanks! :hi: