Oil and water is a classic abstract shot and once you start to shoot them, you can’t help but become completely hooked on experimenting with this technique. It's an iconic abstract image and it's one that every photographer should have a go at at some stage.
This project is suitable for photographers of all levels, and you don't need any specialist gear to get a great shot. Capturing this image is an ideal at home project that you can do whatever the weather.
Step 1:
Find a clear container (a glass baking tray or see-through Tupperware box is perfect) and fill it to about half way full with water. Make sure there isn't writing on the bottom, though, as this will show up in your shot.
Then, add in some oil. You can use a syringe or just pour it in. You can use a variety of different types of oils - for my images I used a simple, every-day vegetable oil that I already had in the back of my cupboard.
Step 2:
Place your container on a support so that it's raised above the ground, but leaving a gap in the middle for your background to go underneath it. Try and leave as big of a gap as possible so that you can make the most of your background.
Place your raised tray by a door or a window in order to get as much light onto your shot as possible. If you’re like me and live in the permanently overcast Central Manchester, you may want to add in an extra light source, such as a lamp at the side, in order to make your oil really visible.
Step 3:
Put a background on the floor or surface underneath your container. You can use anything you like as a background, but fabric or paper are good options to start with.
Step 4:
Set up your camera above the tray. Using a macro lens or extension tube are the preferred options for lenses, however if you don’t have either of these just use the lens that will allow you to get the closest to the subject.
Putting your camera on a tripod will save you having to refocus your shot each time, but if you don't have a tripod, you can shoot handheld.
To get the 'classic' oil in water shot, set your camera to a nice, wide aperture in order to blur out the background and contrast it with the crystal-clear oil droplets. Before you take your shot, make sure you're focused on the oil droplets, using live view and zooming in can help you to focus more accurately.
Step 5:
Shoot! Switch up your backgrounds and experiment with different types of oil, or even add food colouring to get different shots. You can even play with adjusting your aperture to capture different in-camera effects.
. digitalrev.com
2017-9-21 03:00