If you want to try something a bit different, how about creating some high-speed flash photography of colorful paints? Here's how Karl Taylor created this enticing shot.
When I bought my first camera, far too long ago, I also subscribed to a magazine. Not an e-magazine, an actual glossy paper magazine for amateur photographers that was delivered to my house once per month. It was largely pointless and a waste of money, save for a section that set little challenges for photographers to try that were accompanied by a tutorial on how to do it.
The first challenge I tried was to take a piece of fruit — a strawberry, a cherry, etc. — and drop it into a bowl of milk or cream. The aim of the exercise was to have the photographer practice high-speed flash photography, timing your shutter, and manually focusing on the right spot. It was tricky for a beginner but I got a shot (and I think they published it the next month) and while it wasn't great, I did learn a lot. The techniques I learned I then gradually built on over the coming years and it eventually found its way into my commercial work over a decade later.
In this video, Karl Taylor takes the same concept, but pushes it far further, using large colorful paint cans and multiple splashes at the same time. It's not a unique concept, but I'm tempted to try it as it could make for some great prints.
