Water dripping down the side of a beer bottle, splashing around a shampoo bottle, or sparkling on a flower petal are staples of product photography, but creating water effects in a controlled environment doesn't have to be difficult or expensive.
In this video, Daniel DeArco returns from a self-imposed hiatus to break down how to build your own rain machine for product photography. The results are fantastic and his rig gives the DIY photographer ultimate control of how to utilize the water. While following DeArco's basic instructions, viewers can scale up or down for their own needs, add more tubes, more drip holes, etc., to achieve any effects they desire. DeArco's rig easily fits in a small studio, which makes it more convenient for most photographers.
Once the rig is built, it allows photographers (or cinematographers) to quickly and easily create dramatic water effects that will brighten up product photos or videos.
He also sneaks in a few good tips for lighting and a handy use for flour that will improve the look of your images.
Unless you have a 3D printer or a precision water jet cutter in your garage, I'd recommend skipping the part where DeArco builds his own centrifugal pump and just buy your own, but other than that, the setup is pretty straightforward.
Would you build your own rain machine to create water effects in your images? Drop a comment below and let us know.
