Spires and Crowns

Getting these photos was a fun project. I'd seen similar photos and wanted to try my hand at it but I knew enough to realize that to freeze the effects required a flash and split second timing. Elaborate systems and setups were often used but I didn’t have those systems. I did, however, have a digital camera and external flash.

All these images were made with a simple setup using milk and food coloring. A viscous liquid makes better effects so liquids like milk or oil create entirely different effects than water. Instead of an electronic timer, a large eye dropper was placed about three feet above the milk tray. With lots of practice and constant feedback from the digital camera screen, I eventually got proficient at capturing the effects.

The food coloring was usually added drop-by-drop during the process but sometimes the food coloring was added to the milk tray. Sometimes I could place a few drops of food coloring in the exact target area. After a while, the milk became a muddy color.

The timing mechanism was just a feeling: squeeze the bulb, wait, fire! By changing the timing, a crown is captured instead of a spire. Lots of tiny drops are being flung from the crown.

It was surprisingly simple to get these photos with a digital camera. Of course, I did spend several hours doing this and took about 400 photos --but it made for a pleasant Saturday afternoon.