What is Water Drop Photography?

Water Drop Photography is one of the most popular subgenres of high-speed photography that both advanced and starting photographers can enjoy. It is also one of the most challenging types because of the unpredictability of its subject, water. Nevertheless, capturing water drops continues to be an appealing feat for professional product photographers that use this method to creatively market their projects, and beginner photographers have been fascinated with water as a medium.

Photographing water drops can be intimidating but the results are always worth it. Its arbitrary nature introduces a huge potential when it comes to expanding the limits of one’s imagination. Some photographers experiment and use colored water to enjoy variety and creativity for their shots. Additionally, instead of just aiming for a single droplet that creates ripples when hitting the surface of the water, others aim for double or multiple drops that result in entirely different shapes, sizes, and sculptural water artforms. Imagine the possibilities!

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What You Need for Water Drop Photography? Recommended Equipments

When you’re taking on your first water drop photography shoot, you have to gather the right water drop equipments for an easier and hassle-free session. Since you will be working in a controlled studio, you’re going to need a camera that is capable of operating under Manual mode. This is important so you can easily adjust your camera’s ISO, aperture, exposure, and shutter speed, depending on your light source and setup.

A complete camera bag that carries your water drop photography equipments should also include a stand-alone water drop splash kit. This independent and highly intuitive water drop gadget allows you to fully customize your shots from timing, frequency, interval, and the number of times your camera releases its shutter.

Other tools and gadgets that should complete your whole setup are a stable tripod, a macro lens for a good composition and higher magnified images, and one or two external flash units. A remote camera trigger that is capable of detecting high-speed events through a laser sensor will make a huge difference when determining the timing of your flash unit’s burst. It’s best to look for a smart camera trigger that can be wirelessly connected to your camera and your external flashes.

How to Take Perfect Water Drop Photos? Recommended Settings

Most water drop photography images are shot in a controlled environment, such as a camera studio. Just like any high-speed event, water droplets are shot in a dark studio or a room with low lighting. This is to allow the camera to focus on a specific light source: your flash units. The best water drop photography settings will depend on the setup that you have.

Here are the most common water drop settings used by professional photographers.

1. ISO. It should be set to 100. Make a test shot. If you need more light, set it to 200. Make sure you eliminate noise.
2. Aperture. Use a range of f10.0 to f14.0 depending on the amount of light available.
3. Exposure. It should be adjusted depending on the intensity of your flashguns.
4. Shutter Speed. Since this is a high-speed event, your shutter speed will highly depend on the timing of your flash’s burst timing.

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Tips for Water Drop Photography? How to Make it Easier?

Water drop photography can be intimidating for beginner photographers but with the right equipment and camera settings, you can easily dominate this high-speed photography wonder. Let these water drop photography tips help you make it easier to get started.

Make sure your camera bag is complete.

Gather your equipment: a camera with a manual mode, a tripod, a macro lens, one or two external flash units, a remote camera trigger that reacts to laser sensors, and ideally, a stand-alone water drop photography.

Plan your shoot and image composition in advance.

Read different water drop photography tricks from professional websites. Prepare a dark studio for your water drop setup. Position your camera and adjust your frame to focus on the waterdrop event. Use different types of background colors and varying shapes and textures of water containers as your drop zones for more diverse image effects.

Think outside the box and let your creativity do the work!

Don’t just settle for clear water as your medium. Try adding color to your liquid, add ambient lighting, and introduce other visuals to your shot through your background. Use different water drop combinations, droplet frequency, timing, and distance from your water drop nozzle to the water surface drop zone. Lastly, have fun!

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What is MIOPS Splash and Why Should We Use it?

MIOPS Splash is a stand-alone water drop kit that has changed the way photographers approach water drop photography. Part of its advanced feature is its ability to be wirelessly connected, via Bluetooth, to your smartphone using a dedicated MIOPS mobile application. You can also connect your water drop gadget to other MIOPS devices, such as your remote camera trigger and external flash units.

This water drop device not only allows users to perfectly time their shots but also provides easy customization to how your subject will perform. Options of controlling the frequency, timing, number of water drops, as well as the distance between every drop and from the surface, are also available to use in different combinations. It is also engineered to produce a sharp and clean droplet through its aluminum-machined nozzle. An easy-to-clean valve system can hold the right amount of water to get you through hours of photoshoot since the device is USB-powered. MIOPS Splash is the ultimate tool for amazing water drop photography.