How to Nail Your Attempt at Water Drop Photography

I'm pretty sure many of us out there have at some point or another tried our hand at capturing water drops or freezing the exact moment of a liquid splash. I know that when I first tried something similar way back when, I failed miserably. Here we have an excellent video that breaks down start to finish the process and setup to ensure that your attempt and your results are a total success. 

The thing that I love about this video is the simplicity of it all. This is a project that a photographer of any skill level can setup, shoot, and have fun with. With a complete breakdown of the process, if this is something that you're wanting to try Adam Karnacz (who has a great YouTube channel with loads of photography content) has got your back. The tools you'll need here are pretty simple – a macro lens, one to two speedlights, water, food coloring, and a way to drop the liquid from above. You'll notice that Adam is using the SplashArt sync kit to make sizing and timing the liquid drops no big deal. 

The possibilities from a simple project like this one are endless. You can change the colors, vary the drop volume, size, or quantity, and once you're in post production your color control really opens up. You can create beautiful and unique shots that look quite stunning in print all from a basic in home setup. 

My attempt from a few years ago was a hilarious failure because I didn't understand how to freeze the moment. My setup was a glass of water, way too much blue food coloring, and a lamp (because I didn't understand flash). I couldn't get a shutter speed fast enough to capture the drops without blacking out all the light from the lamp. So I ended up with a memory card of blurry and poorly lit blue water in a glass, all while getting the food coloring all over the kitchen and all over myself. Sure would've been nice to have seen a video like this one beforehand!

Is this something that you've tried before? Is this something that you would want to give a try after watching the video? There is something unique about freezing such a brief moment in time. The exact fraction of a second when liquid collides with liquid; the droplets with an almost explosive splash create a unique shape with every frame. Seeing that frozen moment blown up on the screen or print is pretty damn cool.