Thia

I have been trying to photograph food coloring while it disperses in a large clear vase of water. It's proving to be quite difficult! Any suggestions would be great. So far, I've tried to put the food coloring close to the edge of the vase to reduce the magnification of the water and get more of the moving food coloring in focus. I've also focused on an object placed in the vase before adding the food coloring. Overall, I'm not happy with the results - too much of the image is not in focus. The movement and magnification from the water and glass vase seem to be a combination of factors I need help with. Thoughts?

GordonB. Loc: St. Petersburg, Fl.

I just read an article about this procedure. It was done in a semi-small fish tank so the glass was flat.
The guy doing this type work wouldn't share what he
used to make the color; it was not food coloring. I
wish he would have been more open and his results were
beautiful.

Gordon

saside Loc: live in pueblo co

Try using manual focus. Set the camra on a tripod, focus before you drop the coloring into the water. A object hanging in the water should help to set the focus. Also use the aperture / F stops. BTW try flipping the picture 180 degrees you might like that effect also. and what Gordon said

RobertMaxey

Is this what you seek?:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/redbubble/journal/6441240-how-to-photograph-ink-drops-in-water-and-a-mini-challenge

GTinSoCal Loc: Palmdale, CA

Hey Thia!
Great subject to shoot while it is cold outside! :D

You didn't say if you were using flash or hot-lights.
If you can increase your light, you can use a smaller aperture, thus increasing your depth of field. Or you can increase your ISO.
Focus on the point you plan on your food coloring to drop (manual or auto using a stand-in), just make sure to turn the auto-focus off again, otherwise it will hunt, DAMHIK. :oops:

A flat surface will be MUCH easier to shoot through than anything with ANY curvature to it.

A great suggestion was made to flip or turn the image 180 degrees to increase the dynamics of the shot. You can also turn the image 90 degrees either way and it will look way different.

Heck, once you start playing with them, why not try inverting it as well?!

GT

AvailableLight Loc: NYC skyline out my window...

Nice idea you had... How about doing it in a small old fishtank?... Like a breeding tank... Nice flat glass... Just block the cam and front of the glass with black paper to eliminate reflections... You could also change the backdrop easy...

Happy Holidays!

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

Hmmm... You might try putting a couple of sheets of shrink wrap in the water separated by a small amount, and drop your food coloring in between. The shrink wrap should disappear in the water, and would confine the food coloring to a narrow space. A couple of sheets of clean glass would have the same effect, and might be easier to control.

Thia

Fabulous feedback! Thanks for all the replies!