4 Macro Water Photography Tricks

Macro Photography  •  Photography Tips

Are you looking for a new challenge or new direction with your macro photography? Shooting macro with water is a fun way to get some great shots; you just need a little inspiration. This video from COOPH gives you just that with four ways to use water to maximize your creativity:

1. Water Tank

• Fill a clear tank with water.
• Get in close with a tripod.
• Make water drops with a straw or use a sponge.
• Put a colored card at the back of the tank for a dynamic backdrop.
• Capture the droplets hitting the water.
• Use colored plastic to modify your light.
• Shoot the water droplets just after impact.

2. Water Distortions

• Focus on and shoot through a water droplet on a leaf or a twig.
• Use a high shutter speed for dark and dramatic results.
• Drip water on a plastic sheet and place it in front of the subject. Frame them within the water drops for a warped effect.
• Pour water down the plastic and shoot to get a distorted foreground.

3. Water Bubbles

• Blow bubbles with a straw in a clear tank of water and shoot through the tank.
• Use different colored gels to add interest.

4. Mix With Oil

• Pour some oil into the tank of water to get great patterns on the surface.
• Shoot through the tank below the surface of the water to capture the oil drops.

There’s four clever ideas to put into practice on your next macro shoot, and you’ll actually be glad that oil and water don’t mix!