In The Air

I wonder whether you could tell from this first image what the subject of the photo is, those filaments emanating from that mysterious centrepiece, perhaps thread on a spool...?

It is only when you step back and see the object from a distance that it is really obvious what it is, a dandelion seed. Not the whole seed head but a single seed, all fluffed up and floating in the air.

 I took several pictures trying different settings, to try to get the lighting right and also to get a sharp image. It was actually quite difficult and I would say dangerous even trying to get these shots. Dangerous you might ask? and How did you manage to capture this seed in mid air?

Well although it appears to be floating it was actually suspended by a single strand of gossamer and hanging above the stairs in my home. If you look carefully in the final image you can just barely make out the thread of spider's silk but it is not visible in the other images at all. 

To get these shots I used my 100mm macro lens and using a very fast shutter speed and my ring flash I was able to compensate for the fact that I was holding my camera one handed as I used my other hand to support myself against the beam above the stairs while leaning out and standing on one leg. Did I look stupid as I did this? probably. Would I have got any sympathy from my family if I had fallen and hurt myself in the process? Probably not. Was it worth the effort? I should let you be the judge of that but in my humble opinion I would say "yes, definitely".

Whorls and Swirls

Here are three more images from my smoking experiment.

As I said yesterday there is an element of chance when photographing things like water and smoke because you cannot easily control or predict what will happen. You just have to try and set the conditions as best you can and hope that with a bit of experimentation and a lot of patience you can get some decent images.

Yesterday's ribbons of smoke were fairly simple but after a little more practice I achieved these more intricate and really beautiful whorls and swirls.

Red Bubble

Two more water droplet shots 

For the majority of the session I was using plain old water dropped from a syringe and with a few adjustments it creates a nice metallic effect.

Towards the end I switched things up and used a mystery substance to add some colour. I wasn't sure how it would work out because I thought it might just get diluted instantly but happily it didn't as you can see.  I have a few more of these for tomorrow. If you want to know what the mystery substance was I will tell you tomorrow.

The Other Side Of The Falls

Today I have picked two shots of Kakabeka Falls from the opposite bank of the river. It really is a spectacular location and I think the de-saturated contrast treatment  adds a nice tone to these images.

I have seen images of the falls recently where there is ice forming on the fringes as winter temperatures plummet.