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Splash of Purple
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Splash of Purple



behind the lens badge
cameraCanon EOS 6D

settings Aperture f/22 ISO 2000 Shutter 7/10 Focal Length 180/1 

upload_dateApr, 2016

Views

3707

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Awards

Featured
Contest Finalist in 500 Water Drops Photo Contest
People's Choice in Your best drop of water! Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Colored Water Drops Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in A World Of Purple Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Playing With Exposure Photo Contest
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Peer Award
karinmcfarlane JenniferWhitePhotography tejaspawar jamiesompel NorEastExp linmadi OnTheRoad +121
Superb Composition
tredyh CrisPatrick coxcraig ewphoto benfuller indrodhonush marimovskaya +55
Outstanding Creativity
ClaritaBethCanlasMiller SherranAndersen skartographie brianbigelow darylchamlee chazlove kenkast2 +49
Absolute Masterpiece
kellyfunk steveangelakis marshlata conniehumphreys_3889 CallmeMarta richardpetersen Alshera +45
Top Choice
suzannetegroen Gayle_Solis ChrisLillie JOPIZ deannegrinter ankitsen07 MiguelMartins +39
Magnificent Capture
ATHiker GeraldSmithArtPhoto embas Afterburner FlatMat Montethephotographer jackpettit +15
Superior Skill
donaldgbrown Alexandre_Gamito BtBates henrikpedersen33 jolandiebotha rachelhelenhudson Orcus99 +15
All Star
DaggiM JAStandring meiyazhagank Wanderlust77 StefaniaEymundson Boricua56 Beaumar +5
Genius
Harold179 Jaxology
Virtuoso
JacquesH60

Top Ranks

Splash Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Splash Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Flash Games Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Flash Games Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Anything Reflections Photo ContestTop 20 rank
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Anything Reflections Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Water Photo Contest 2017Top 10 rank
Water Photo Contest 2017Top 10 rank week 1
Falling Water Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Falling Water Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Falling Water Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
A World Of Motion Photo ContestTop 10 rank
A World Of Motion Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 3
In the Center Photo ContestTop 10 rank
A World Of Motion Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
In the Center Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
In the Center Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank week 2
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 20 rank week 1
Time And Light Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Time And Light Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 2
Time And Light Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
500 Water Drops Photo ContestTop 10 rank
500 Water Drops Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Moving Subjects Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Moving Subjects Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 3
The Decisive Moment Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Magic Of Moving Water Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Magic Of Moving Water Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
The Decisive Moment Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Moving Subjects Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
A World Of Purple Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Moving Subjects Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
A World Of Purple Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
High Tech Photo ContestTop 10 rank
High Tech Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
High Tech Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Visual Poetry Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 3Top 30 rank
Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 3Top 30 rank week 2
Visual Poetry Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 3Top 10 rank week 1
Visual Poetry Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Playing With Exposure Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Playing With Exposure Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Monthly Pro Vol 21 Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Monthly Pro Vol 21 Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
Show Movement Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Show Movement Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1

Categories

7 Comments |
Stefygo23
 
Stefygo23 May 19, 2016
I can't stop admiring this photo. It's absolutely perfect.
Stefygo23
 
Stefygo23 May 19, 2016
I hope, someday, to be able to take a wonderful shot like this one.
nagrom
 
nagrom May 19, 2016
Wahou!! :O
paulericopal
 
paulericopal June 22, 2016
what a beauty!!!!

Hard to achieve
headstandphotography
 
headstandphotography June 22, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
headstandphotography
 
headstandphotography June 22, 2016
I love it!
eelcovanroden PRO+
 
eelcovanroden September 16, 2016
Congratulations on your great People's Choice Challenge Win!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#splash #water drop #water #collision #purple
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Behind The Lens

Location

This was indoors with a Arduino based controller that uses timed signals to trigger the water drops, camera, and flash independently. The water was rasied with a homemade wooden frame and splashed into a bowl beneath. With correct timing, two water drops can intersect and create a midair splash. It takes a little experimentation to get just right, but once the correct timing is configured I set up the controller to shoot a few hundred drops, which I inspect later for any good ones.

Time

This was from a session late afternoon or early evening, I had to cover the windows to get a dark environment.

Lighting

This used several flashes with colored gels over them. The trick with this kind of capture is to get such a small slice of time you control the exposure with the flash, not the shutter. At the lowest setting (e.g. 1/128th) on flashes, the light might only fire for 1/20,000th of a second. Much faster than you can do with a shutter! So my controller will open the shutter, open the water valve twice, fire the flash, and then close the shutter, in that order. Because of the long actual shutter speed the studio environment needs to be dark. Good results can be made with shutter only, but will be much more susceptable to motion blur.

Equipment

This was taken with my Canon 6D and Tamron 180mm/f3.5 macro lens, on a tripod. The water drop setup was a homemade circuit and wooden frame and water reservoir.

Inspiration

I am developing a camera controller that can, among other things, control timed water drops. This shot was the result of my very first iteration, using a breadboard and a lot of messy wires.

Editing

This shot took fairly minimal post work. I cropped, tweaked the colors slightly, darkened the corners, sharpened a bit, and used a 'heal' tool to clean up some splatter in order to isolate the main two-drop collision.

In my camera bag

While shots like this take a lot more setup and equipment than I would ever carry in my bag, the Canon 6D, Tamron 180mm/f3.5 macro lens, and tripod that I used are part of my standard carry. I also always have my Pentacon 135mm/f2.8 vintage lens, a set of extension tubes, and a Raynox macro filter.

Feedback

These kinds of shots take careful setup and a lot of patience. Use (or make!) a drop controller that allows you to find the right settings, and then take a long series of unmanned shots. The results are endlessly different and the more photos you take the more you have to go through afterward looking for the diamond in the rough - but it can be worth it in the end. It's also a lot of fun finding shapes in the water!

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