Learning How to Photograph a Water Splash

Water splashes create some very cool pictures, but capturing them can be a lot harder than it looks. You have to ensure that your ISO is correct, that you’re set to the right shutter speed and that you are focused on the correct thing. And, that’s just part of the entire picture.

So, to help you capture amazing water splash pictures, here are some tips on how to photograph water splash.

Setting up the Scene & SHOOT..SHOOT..SHOOT...

For today's shot i used a Mandarin orange. The set-up is toooo simple. I just kept the half-cut Mandarin under the Kitchen sink tap. When i was done with all the setting (For camera n Safety precautions) i opened the tap and Voilà!!!! (oh i also placed a black cake tin behind the mandarin so the water splash can be seen properly).

As i was feeling too "LAZY" and my additional lights (continuous lights) cheated on me, i had to take this picture with my flash (YN565EX). but for this kind of hi-speed freezing motion shots its best to play with the shutter-speed (which with flash is not possible/or may be possible..i have to check more on FLASHES :-/)..but the bottom line was i simply HAD to take splash shoot today (hmmm i do have some snapping madness like this..some composition n ideas pops-up in my mind n I HAD TO DO IT:-/ )..Dont worry i will definitely show you some more PROPER techniques later ;-)

Avoid Getting the Camera Wet

Whatever you do, test the area to ensure that you are far enough away so that the camera doesn’t’ get wet from any high splashes. You may try tightly pulling a piece of clear plastic across the lens of the camera. Or, use a filter that can take a little bit of wear and tear.

Important things to keep in mind

• Set your camera to a pretty high ISO setting. You can’t use flash since it will just reflect either off the bowl or the water. If a high ISO still doesn’t provide enough light, try adding additional lighting. Lamps or photography lights will work. Or, invest in a strobe that will add a lot of light for a number of seconds allowing you to take a bunch of pictures before the strobe flicks off.

• You may even have to move around your lighting until it’s in the right position. And, try experimenting with your aperture. While you generally want to allow as much light in as possible in low-light situations, you may actually want to make a smaller aperture for water splashes since they will be reflecting a lot of the ambient lighting.

Finally, you need to take a lot of shots. Set your camera to the continuous shooting mode, and be prepared for a number of bad shots. You need a lot of practice to get this right. As you learn, however, you’ll eventually land a number of wonderful water splash pictures.


Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM