The Canon Magazine 59
OILY ABSTRACTS
PROJECT 4
VIDEO ALSO ONLINE
http://bit.ly/pp_154_401 MAKE AND PRINT A BACKDROP
You can use a coloured sheet of card for your vibrant
background, or use the Background.jpg from the
resources folder on your PhotoPlus Canon Skills
disc. Just load it up and print it out at A4 or A3.
03 FRAME UP WITH A MACRO LENS
Attach a macro lens to your Canon and place it on
a tripod aiming straight down at the oil and water
mixture. Use Manual focus and rotate the focusing
ring to the 1:1 reproduction ratio mark (see boxout).
05 DIAL IN THE RIGHT SETTINGS
Set your camera to Aperture Priority (Av) mode
then go into the Quick menu and dial in the widest
aperture, such as f/4. We used an ISO of 800 and
activated the 2 sec self-timer to avoid camera-shake.
02 FILL A CONTAINER WITH WATER
Set up a table next to a bright window at home and
put your background on it. Now you need to fill a large
glass container about half-way with water, like a glass
beaker or cooking dish and place this on the paper.04 ADD THE OIL TO THE WATER
Before adding the oil, put a drop of washing up liquid
and stir to help the oil become better-defined circles.
Wait a few minutes for the bubbles to subside and
then carefully add a few drops of oil to the solution.06 FOCUS AND TAKE THE SHOT
Use the Live View mode and press the zoom button
twice to see the bubbles clearly. Now move the centre
column of your tripod up or down until the bubbles are
pin-sharp and fire the shutter to take the picture.STEP BY STEP OIL IN WATER ABSTRACTS
How to focus up-close and create fascinating abstract artwork
GET THE
FULL MACROEFFECT
True macro lenses
have the ability to go
to a reproduction ratio
of 1:1 which you’ll see
on the focus distance
window. This means your
subject will be captured
at life-size. In other
words the same size as
if that subject was laid
across your camera’s
sensor - impressive! It’s
best to focus manually
and use a tripod to avoid
camera-shake as any
minute movements will
be exaggerated at such
extreme magnifications
and ruin your shot.