Shooting Shots

[wxwax]

Most of us have seen high speed photography of a water drop, or something similar. But not many of us have considered doing the same ourselves.

But one man has. Using an air rifle, he's put together a home brew high speed kit. He shoots cards, balloons, glasses. I'd love to post a pic, but he has a very clear copyright statement at the front of his site, and I'll respect his rights.

But you can go and check it out here. (http://users.skynet.be/fotoopa/highspeed_frame_set.htm) This link is the front page. The menu to left takes you the various series of images, many with non-English text (is it Dutch?)

[gus]

Interesting stuff....like to see it with a .17 reminton

[fish]

that is pretty cool. i'd like to see it with a stick of tnt.

[gus]

that is pretty cool. i'd like to see it with a stick of tnt.
cool....gimme an hour or so.






Hope the blankets in cell 6 aren't covered in urine again.

[Stunt Clown]

A couple of recent ones


http://stuntclown.smugmug.com/photos/2565737-O.jpg


http://stuntclown.smugmug.com/photos/2551523-M.jpg



and one from a couple of weeks ago..

http://stuntclown.smugmug.com/photos/2414939-M.jpg

[wxwax]

Pete, those are great shots. I especially like the aesthetics of #3. I saw your images on Fred Miranda, was wondering if it was you, or someone with the same handle. Nice work! :thumb

[gus]

They are great all right pete...how did you go about the lighting ?

[Stunt Clown]

Thanks guys. Like there could be another "Stunt Clown" :D

The lighting is everything for these shots. I use a setup that was outlined at www.hiviz.com. I ordered and built a photgate and delay kit from that website. Basicly, using an eyedropper, drop some milk (or water as was shot #3) though the photogate breaking its beam. This runs to a delay timer that will delay the flash until the drop hits the target (say a 6 inch fall). Then the flash (a Vivitar 283) goes off at its fastest setting (approx. 1/30,000 sec). This all occurs in a dark room with the shutter open for 2 seconds.

For the first two milk shots I started incorporating one or more additional flashes triggered optically. I reason for the addtional flashes is that I am running f22 or smaller trying to get any increase in depth of field available since the milkdrop is about the size of dime and the dof of my 180 macro lens is less than half of that distance.

If you decide to try these types of shots, patience is the key. The three shots above is the culmination of 3 weeks of experimentation and several hundred pics. If I was using film I would have gone broke and given up. Immediate feedback is needed to change the delay time , the focus location, the force of squeeze on the dropper... you name it. But the results are kewl!

I was inspired by some of the classic shots of the the bullet through the apple and the bullet splitting a playing card by Dr. Edgerton a late MIT professor. ( He is also the inventor of the strobe light.)