My get-pushed partner had so much fun with her challenge last week, she passed it on to me this week. She gave me the challenge of shooting raindrop refraction. Difficulties encountered: 1. initially no rain in the forecast, but it did rain, and then was so windy, I couldn't use a raindrop, so used a water drop instead. Although I did put sugar in my water as suggested, I never got a "big ole" drop. Next time I'm going to try Karo syrup. 2. Figuring out where the object is that is reflected. (Never did figure that one out and really couldn't tell from my online research.) 3. Batteries on camera ran out I played with this so long! 4. Light was not bright enough to use a stopped down aperture like was suggested. I had to up the ISO so high, the photos were too grainy. (tossed them out!) Finally decided a higher aperature worked better for me. The photo is still grainy. This was a real challenge. I'm glad that I got a photo that "will do" but it's something I'd like to try again in the future. Perhaps a windless sunny day when I have a lot of flowers around.
BTW, the flowers in the background were not pansies. I had some pansies I was trying to use, but they really didn't look like the flower (which I felt really looked like a pansy) that's in the drop.
It sounds like you had a lot of hurdles to jump over. While the reflection in the water drop seems more abstract to me, I still get "flower" from it. Most of the water drop refraction shots I see are a little more defined but I don't think they always have to be "perfect" either. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by #2- but all in all- I do think you learned a lot from your experiment that will give you a good starting point for any future attempts at this. I think you did well! (My good friend at camera club that does shots like this uses glycerin in her water- it's drippy enough but thicker so the drops hold longer. I'm not sure what ratio she uses but her work is amazing!)
Well done Kathy! I have always wanted to do these shots and once I got started, find it hard to stop now. Warning - they are addictive! 10/10 for perseverance!!
@vignouse Thank you Richard. I will try this again. @digitalrn Thank you Rick @30pics4jackiesdiamond Thank you Jackie. I do feel I really worked for this one, too. @olivetreeann Thank you for all the tips. #2 I couldn't figure out where to put the pansies so that they would be reflected in the drop. No matter where I moved them, I couldn't see them well. Glycerine is probably better than the Karo syrup. After I told my husband about it, he said, "oh I have some of that up in the shop." If only I had known. @tosee I appreciate your support Tom @jamibann Thank you so much Issi. @ziggy77 Thank you Jo. Not quite where I wanted to be, but I will try this again sometime. @craftymeg I appreciate your comments Margaret. It was a tough one. @fbailey Thank you Felicity. Any tips for me? @pyrrhula Thank you Ferry. I am glad I could make you smile, too.
@365anne Thank you Anne for your kind comments, fav and for the challenge. Hope we do it again sometime.
I've watched loads of tutorials on YouTube about this. I try to shoot in the conservatory but only when it's really sunny. I always use cut flowers or twigs, so much easier to position on a table. I haven't got a clamp for suspending the object to be refracted so I use a little flexible reading spotlight with cord removed because it has a movable head on a semi flexible neck so you can adjust it fairly easily. I use a clothes peg to attach the stem of the flower to be refracted. I also have a pack of coloured cards so that I can change the backgrounds too. Once you have the set up organised it's a question of putting the refracted object in the right position. Always suspend upside down as that way it will appear right way up in the drop. I will post a picture later today of my set up for you. One problem I do have is that because the refracted object has to be really close to the raindrop, sometimes I get a picture of the clothes peg in there too. It's a case of trial and error and lots of fiddling but very satisfying when it works. PS Try it with a dandelion stem, think they must have a slightly sticky substance because my drops have not worked so well with anything else. Have fun!!
You comment on the pollard trees made me smile.
@digitalrn Thank you Rick
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Thank you Jackie. I do feel I really worked for this one, too.
@olivetreeann Thank you for all the tips. #2 I couldn't figure out where to put the pansies so that they would be reflected in the drop. No matter where I moved them, I couldn't see them well. Glycerine is probably better than the Karo syrup. After I told my husband about it, he said, "oh I have some of that up in the shop." If only I had known.
@tosee I appreciate your support Tom
@jamibann Thank you so much Issi.
@ziggy77 Thank you Jo. Not quite where I wanted to be, but I will try this again sometime.
@craftymeg I appreciate your comments Margaret. It was a tough one. @fbailey Thank you Felicity. Any tips for me?
@pyrrhula Thank you Ferry. I am glad I could make you smile, too.
@365anne Thank you Anne for your kind comments, fav and for the challenge. Hope we do it again sometime.
@thewatersphotos @brillomick Thank you Gary and Mickey.