Simple Tips on Shooting Water Droplets

Most of us get upset and disappointed when we’re all set for shooting outdoors and then it starts to drizzle. But what most of us don’t know is that when the drizzling or the rain stops, it leaves a magnificent view and interesting things to capture. An example would be the water droplets left on the leaves of the plants, the vines, flowers, or cobwebs. I have seen lots of professionals and enthusiasts taking shots of water droplets. In this article, simple tips on shooting water droplets will be discussed.

Photographers can take various kinds of droplet photos. One type can be the natural water droplets outside your home like the one mentioned earlier (droplets on plants and cobwebs) and water droplets hitting the floor, water or any other surface. Another kind can be water droplets from a made-up scene, where you set up a pool of water and pipette to make droplets that will hit the pool of water. The simple tips on shooting water droplets that you will find in this article will cover both the natural settings and made-up scenes. Both can give extraordinary results depending on how the photo was taken and how it was composed.

So what is the right equipment and items to prepare for shooting water droplets? Aside from your camera of course the studio flash can be very helpful, especially if you are going to do High speed photography. If you’re shooting alone and you don’t have someone to help you, you can use a tripod and a cable release. Macro lenses are not really necessary but they will surely give you the best results. If you are having a hard time using water as your droplets you can use glycerin instead. Most food and beverage photographers use glycerin as droplets for their photos. Those who plan on having a made-up scene should prepare a basin or a bucket for the water and a pipette for the droplets. You can also use milk or food coloring for added effect.

Photo by: Anna Altez

Photo by: Anna Altez

In these photos I used glycerin instead of water.

Shooting in a natural setting can be fun and challenging at the same time, you’ll never know what you’ll see and what you’ll capture. One tip on shooting water droplets in a natural setting is to keep your eyes open and your imagination working. One of the most common water droplet photos I see are the ones on the leaves and cobwebs. Here’s a shot I took outside our house:

Photo by: Anna Altez

Here’s another example of water droplets shot in a natural setting.

Photo by: ellias_daniel

Now let’s proceed to made-up scenes. If you’ve read my article on High Speed Photography the set-up will pretty much be the same. The basin or pool of water will be positioned on the table or floor and the pipette where the water droplets will come out should be above the basin. Most water droplet photos are shot using the burst mode. But as I mentioned in the High Speed Photography article, flash stops motion. For the best results make sure you have the right lights, subject and camera positioning and of course the perfect timing. Camera settings should be the same as the ones in the High Speed Photography Article. Whether shooting in a natural setting or a made-up scene, I prefer to use manual focusing.

Photo by: ashminder.ubhi

Another important tip on shooting water droplets is to carefully observe the behavior of the droplets as they hit the pool of water, try changing the distance between the pipette and the basin and see how it changes.

The second most important tip on shooting water droplets or in shooting any subject is to have fun. If you don’t get the right composition and timing don’t be too upset. Use your creativity and imagination in experimenting with the water droplets and your composition. It’s a lot easier to experiment with a made-up scene since you are in control of it.

Lastly, the most important tip on shooting water droplets is to try your best not to get wet. Unless your camera is wearing a waterproof casing, make sure that you keep your camera at a safe distance from the water droplets and splashes.