Author | Thread |
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06/04/2010 11:16:40 AM |
You really need an off camera flash to get a decent water drop. A few tips, for what they are worth. 1. You light the background and capture the reflection on the water, you don't light the actual drop. 2. You need a seriously fast shutter speed to freeze the motion, the easiest way for me to do that is to use a normal shutter speed (1/100-1/250) in a dark or mostly dark room and use the flash powered down to stop the motion. 3. Get a nice little setup going, doesn't have to be much but get it to where the drop is hitting the same spot every time then prefocus there (I hold a pen where the drop is hitting to auto focus on it then switch to manual focus) that will help get a sharp image. 4. Take loads of shots with different timing and with different speeds (not the camera settings but the timing of the drop and the rate at which the drop falls. I hope this helps, there are many people that do this better then I but just trying to help you out. This shot of mine was taken with no special equipment and just a rigged setup to get the drops falling the same. The only lighting I used was a speedlite off camera fired wirelessly(sp?) |
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Photographer found comment helpful. |
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06/02/2010 11:44:56 AM |
I have never tried to shot a water drop - terrified of them (grin) You are really making the most of your equipment. I was also going to mention that before I got my tripod and monopod I used a sandbag. You can put them on top of just about anything and they really do work in absorbing the motion of the camera. I still have one in my equipment. |
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Photographer found comment helpful. |
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06/02/2010 10:17:10 AM |
I have never tried this, but have a friend who has mastered the art. It's a lot more difficult than it seems! We each learn our own way, but when I got my first Rebel, I learned one feature at a time to keep from becoming overwhelmed. The best part is you get to have fun while you are figuring it out! |
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Photographer found comment helpful. |
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06/02/2010 09:42:05 AM |
Good first try with the new camera! You'll figure out all the settings in time. (Well, maybe, I still haven't and I've had mine for a while now, LOL!) |
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Photographer found comment helpful. |
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06/02/2010 12:52:48 AM |
Originally posted by MelonMusketeer: I have never tried a water drop shot like this, but I do understand that it is a lot more difficult than the images would lead you to believe. You haven't posted anything about your set up for this shot, but I see that you were shooting at f4.5 and 1/60.
To freeze the action better, you may want to try using a smaller aperture, and stronger flash. The smaller aperture will keep ambient light from creating an image, and the flash will freeze the action because the flash duration is only a few milliseconds long. The smaller aperture will give you more depth of field as well.
I commend you on having the patience to do this shot. |
You are correct about the settings. Honestly this was just to test out the new camera and wasnt expecting to get much LOL but Im learning. I havent figured out how to change the settings yet. I also need to get an external flash. Thanks for the comments! I appreciate it! |
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06/02/2010 12:35:15 AM |
I have never tried a water drop shot like this, but I do understand that it is a lot more difficult than the images would lead you to believe. You haven't posted anything about your set up for this shot, but I see that you were shooting at f4.5 and 1/60.
To freeze the action better, you may want to try using a smaller aperture, and stronger flash. The smaller aperture will keep ambient light from creating an image, and the flash will freeze the action because the flash duration is only a few milliseconds long. The smaller aperture will give you more depth of field as well.
I commend you on having the patience to do this shot. |
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Photographer found comment helpful. |
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