Title • red ripples

It’s fast getting to the stage where if I don’t get out of the house, with a camera, in something approaching daylight, then my image-a-day plan may well founder. We were going to go out yesterday, but the weather was atrocious (and we had too many other things to do anyway), so yet again I ended up having to find something to take.

Following my bubbles in water shot from the other day I thought I’d have another go – but this time I attempted to capture dripping rather than running water. And having attempted this shot my admiration for studio photographers has increased dramatically. I must have taken around 200 shots in an hour, of which I saved around 50, of which about two or three are semi-reasonable. The major problem I had with this shot was of my own engineering; I lined a bowl with silver foil (and a few bits of red foil), but I really should have used something much less reflective – not least because I’ve had great difficultly in getting the overall level of the background sorted out. My attempts have either led to an overly grey/flat background, or one that’s ridiculously blown out.

The major problem with this sort of shot, as I see it, is that they stand or fall on their technical merit; i.e. if you don't get it spot on then it really doesn&rsquot amount to much. By way of comparison, one of Jon’s latest shots (over at ground glass) is truly wonderful. Technically it has some problems – aspects of the foreground are over-exposed, there’s quite a lot of colour noise in the background – but it’s a great shot nonetheless, because its subject is engaging, the shot is beautifully composed, and it immediately grabs your attention.

Dripping water, on the other hand, isn’t quite so inherently interesting ... I really must get out more ;-)