Drip Drip Drop!

I tried so hard to capture a shot as one of the droplets on the end of these fern fronds let go and completed its journey to the ground but getting the timing right was impossible, at least in the time I had available. I would have been helped by having a flash but that was safely at home.

Nevertheless I am very happy with these shots. I find it fascinating how the surface tension of the raindrops means they hold their shape for so long as they slowly make their way along the leaves and dangle clinging to the tip as if by a thread. I also like the way they shine.

Say What You See

Two more shots today to show off some of the beautiful shapes and patterns created simply by squeezing droplets of milk from a syringe .

You never know what you will get each time, whether it is a flying droplet, a sharp peak or a random ripple.

I chose these images today for the smooth textured shapes. The second shot looks rather like an inverted ceiling rose, I was amazed at the symmetry from something so random.

I love the first image too and apart from a random ripple I wonder what you can see. A bit like when you see shapes in clouds I think that when you look at images like this you can see different things. For example perhaps you can see a spoon, perhaps an eye or maybe a swaddled baby.

Gloop!

So much good weather lately and so many missed opportunities to get out with my camera I haven't felt too motivated to post anything for a few days. 

I thought today however that having finished work I would get creative and mess about with a few more of my water droplet images. I hope you like the results. 

When a drop of water falls and hits the surface it happens so quickly and there is so much that the eye cannot see in that moment. I love the way that freezing the moment and making a few adjustments with highlights and shadows you can capture the texture of the water and in the second shot I love the bubbles or individual droplets that are forming within the spout extending from the top of the main element almost like extruding glass.

Creative with Cordial

So although I have several more cool images from this lockdown photo shoot these are the last ones I will share, for now at least.

After quite some time practising with positioning, lighting and shutter speeds I was really pleased to get some nice sharp droplets as in my posts from the last few days I went on to add a drop of colour to see what different effects I could achieve. 

I said yesterday that I used a mystery substance but there is nothing really mysterious about it, it is Vimto a sweet cordial. I had no idea whether it would work but I am really very happy with the results.

I went on to experiment with food colouring but it didn't work very well, it was perhaps too concentrated and dispersed quickly in the water so I think something thick and sticky like Vimto keeps its integrity longer.

In future I might try with different coloured syrups or even different coloured reservoirs  using juices or even milk so watch out. This lockdown period could bring out even more creativity.

Lockdown Fun

Although I still have lots of pictures I could sort through and share from past shoots I thought that today I would try something I have never tried before and I am really pleased with the results.

For these shots I used my 100mm macro lens and my ring flash and I set up a mini studio on my dining table with two small spotlights to add extra highlights. I hadn't really used the flash properly before so my first challenge was working out how to synchronise the flash so I could use a fast shutter speed (1/1250ms to 1/2000ms). Once I got that sorted I used a medicine syringe to drop water into a bowl filled to the brim. It was a case of trial and error to get the droplets in the right spot and to fire the shutter at the right time.

I was able to create a lot of interesting effects; I will share a few more over the next few days but for today enjoy these. I think they are really cool!

Waterfall

These abstract images are of a waterfall in the Dell at Bodnant gardens in north Wales.

I love to watch water falls and fountains, looking for patterns in the movement of water and in these shots I love the different colour as the light catches the falling stream.

I have rotated the first image through approximately 45 degrees which i think creates an interesting effect however I prefer the second image for the colours and the pattern of the falling water which makes me think of twisted strands of coloured glass.

Face In The Mirror

If you have followed any of my blog, particularly in recent weeks you will know that I have a thing for reflections. I have been concentrating a lot on abstract images from reflected light on water but looking through a few folders and I spotted this image.

Initially this was a colour image because of the striking colours of this beautiful crowned crane, it was also shot with the bird looking down. 

However for this particular image I was less interested in the colours as it was the idea of the bird glimpsing its reflection as it took a brink, lifting its head it paused briefly as if surprised to see another bird looking back. By rotating the image through ninety degrees it creates a new perspective as if looking into a mirror and the water droplets appear suspended in space. By converting it to black and white it also enhances the mirror effect.

Do You Get The Point

I think the first two images are of Musk Thistle (or something very similar). The spines are really hard and viciously sharp. I really like the fine hairs along the edge of each leaf and the way they trap the tiny droplets of dew.

In the third picture I had intended to show the droplets lined up along the blade of grass but if you look closely you can also see fine hairs along the edge which is what has trapped the water and prevented it from draining away.

A Splashing Time

I really liked the pictures I posted yesterday and so today I have continued that theme with four more splashing images from my walk in Snowdonia.  I think what helps make these good shots is the clarity of the water and the early morning sun, they combine well to make these lovely sparkling images... enjoy!

Today I have been out with my camera again so for tomorrow things will take a different direction, hope you stop by to see.

Fairy Lights

Half way round my walk along the High Bowkerstead Trail the weather really took a turn for the worse and I realised I was going to have to pack all my gear away. I took shelter under some pine trees and as I started to pack up I saw these tiny fungi, they are really delicate but there were loads of them growing through the carpet of pine needles and bark on the forest floor.

I then saw the droplets of water on the plant in pictures three and four.  The weight of the water pulled the plant downwards each tiny droplet looked like a jewel.  I illuminated them with a small torch I carry in my pack and as the drops caught the beam of light they sparkled rather like fairy lights at Christmas.  I tried to get a sharp image from various angles however I had to give up due to the heavy rain.  It has given me some ideas for a future project but for now the pictures above will hopefully do nicely.

After The Rain...

The other day I popped into my garden after the rain and took a few shots of the raindrops on some of the plants. The first three are on the leaves of crocosmia, I particularly like the first shot.

In the third picture it is possible to see a reflection of the house and sky.

The final picture is of a droplet on a rose petal.  The rose was really fragrant.  I like the unusual shape of the bubble, it is almost as if it has feet at one end like a little mite.

Refraction

Following on from yesterday's image I have chosen two pictures taken in Delamere Forest one snowy morning in January 2013.  Although it was really cold there was a slight thaw and there was water dripping from the trees.  These two images of a water droplet were taken handheld using my 100mm macro lens.  

I really like these photos. What caught my eye at first was the sunlight glinting through the droplet and then moving to a different angle the trees in the distance appeared.