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You’ll also need a tripod so that the framing
and focusing doesn’t change between
pictures. Set the lens or the camera to
manual focus, and use the magnified image
displayed on the Live View screen or in the
electronic viewfinder to set the focus
precisely before you start. Routinely check
the images you’re taking to make sure that
your drops and splashes aren’t falling out
of the area you’ve pre-focused on, and be
prepared to refocus accordingly.
For lighting, you’ll need to use flash.
By setting a relatively short shutter speed
on the camera and shooting in a darkened
room, only the light from the flash willilluminate the subject. Use a manual flash
exposure and set the flash to a low power
setting, such as 1/64 or 1/128 power, which
will effectively give you the fastest possible
flash exposure. Not only does the low power
setting freeze the water, it means the flash
can recycle quickly. This allows you to shoot
bursts of shots in quick succession. The
art of close-up water-drop and splash
photography is predicting when to fire
the shutter, but being able to peel off
a sequence of frames improves your
chances of catching the best moments.
You’ll need one or two flashguns for this
type of photography. Using a pairBeing able to peel off
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To achieve quick-fire shooting, you’ll need to reduce the power of your flash output
SPONSORED BYTo get the rapid flash rate you
need for this type of photography,
you’ll need to use a remote flashgun. It’s
even better if you have two, as you can
position one on each side of your set-up
for a balanced result. You can achieve
a similar result using one flashgun,
though, by placing a sheet of crumpled
kitchen foil on the opposite side
to act as a reflector.
Set the flashgun to Manual (M), as
this will give you consistent control over
the flash power. A low power rating
means that the flash will fire and recycle
more quickly. Not only does this give
you crisp splashes and drops, it allows
you to fire rapid bursts of shots.
You’ll need to work in a dark room,
as this will ensure that the water is only
illuminated by the flashgun. The light
from the flash is fired and extinguished
so quickly that the shutter speed
doesn’t have any effect on the
exposure, as long as you’re shooting
at the flash sync speed or slower.Add a colour wash to your water-drop
shots with lighting gels – or colourful
sweet wrappers – on the flash head.Flash exposure Set your
flashgun(s) to Manual and dial
in 1/64 or 1/128 power. With
your camera also set to
Manual, set the ISO to 200,
choose a small aperture such
as f/16, and use your camera’s
‘flash sync speed’ as the
shutter speed value. (You’ll
find this detail in your
camera’s manual – it’s often
1/200 sec). If the image is
too bright, choose a smaller
aperture. If the image is too
dark, either increase the ISO
(to 400, say), or use a wider
aperture (such as f/8).