Freezing Water with Speed

Freezing water splash with ambient light. GH4, ISO200, 45mm f2 1/2000s.

My first Autumn 2014 Advanced Photography workshop was very successful. Topics was freezing water with speed, using flash or strong and constant light allowing high shutter speed.

Photos Franc Peret (Panasonic GH4)

I Wanted to share the set up, mood and some results from that first Franc’s Advanced Photography Workshop session I had done for this 2014 Spring Term.

To be able to record as many details as possible, a fast rate shooting camera is a plus, such as the Lumix GH4 able to sustain 12 frame per second

Like most of the different things students are discovering in this 10 weeks course, the set up of the action is as important as the camera setting. Photographer needs to be an orchestra conductor and not only a shooter hidden behind his/her camera.

Students are working as a group of 2 giving each others advises and alternatively handling the water choreography in front of their classmate camera.

The picture belongs to the person who set up the concept, the one who is creating the movement and the photographer who is framing and pushing the button.
As usual my students will get even more interesting pictures than mine, as I am too busy to take care of everything.

Liam and Alexandra concentrated on their mutual moment of creation

The set up of the action is as important of the camera setting in that type of photography work.

We had a great team of students: Alexandra, Dirk, Harald, Liam, Sarah, Eugenio, Regino and Jana. Ray was not there, but he will be back for the second workshop.
Stay tuned, as I am going to post all the things we are doing in class.

Dirk and Harald are working in natural light. It is possible to freeze movement without increasing the ISO in mid day with the sunshine coming into the room to light up the tank.

The second way of freezing water is to use a flash in a darker environment. The short duration of the speed light compensate a slower shutter speed (1/250s in average)

Harald and Dirk at work

Liam working on his composition, ready to freeze a splash.