Whether you're looking to give water themed
canvas prints or
desk calendars as gifts, photographs of water drops are unique and beautiful. If you want to try to photograph your own water drops to make canvas prints or regular photos, there's a pretty easy way to do it.
You'll need a camera with manual functions so that you can set your own shutter speed. Automatic mode may or may not give you the results you want, so you have a better chance of coming out with good pictures if you do it yourself.
In addition, you'll need a way to hold the camera firm, so you'll need to be able to set it on a firm surface, or you'll need a tripod.
A third item you'll need is some sort of water receptacle. Depending on how much water you are going to use, a dish or bucket will suffice. Fill this receptacle with water. (Of course, the receptacle should be big enough to hold the amount of water you think you're going to use.)
Another thing that's really essential for water drops' photography is a remote flash. A built-in flash will work adequately, too, but you may find better results with a remote flash.
You'll also need to be able to control the camera by remote control, since it is imperative that the camera be held still for the picture. A tripod or firm surface will help with this, but having remote control access to the camera in order to take the picture without touching the camera is also going to help ensure that the camera won't move during the picture taking. Moving the camera during the picture taking will certainly ruin the effect you want to get.
You'll also need some sort of receptacle that will make water "drops" during the course of taking the picture. A plastic bag will work nicely for this, since you're going to be putting a hole in it (more on that in just a minute). And, of course, you'll need something that will catch those water drops below the bag. Again, a dish or bucket will do fine.
Finally, a coloured background or one that reflects colour and will make the drops stand out even more is advisable. You'll be taking the picture against this background.
Now you're ready to take your picture. Be patient, because this may take a little practice before you get it to turn out exactly as you want it to.
Place the bucket or other receptacle of water on some type of surface that's firm, like a table in front of your background. Place the camera in front of the bucket, facing it and your background. The camera should be placed higher than the bucket. The flash should be to either side of where the water is going to drop. Try right or left, both, to determine which is going to be better for capturing just what you want your water droplets to look like.
You should place the plastic bag over the bucket, with a hole in it; the idea here is to get the drops of water to fall in exactly the same place every time so that you can focus once, find just the right position and refocus if necessary, and leave the camera where it is for every photo once you find the perfect shot. (Make sure the bag is secure, since you don't want it to fall and splash water on the camera.)
If necessary and if you've got the means to do so, you can place your camera on a tripod away from your water-based sources and then do a zoom focus, so that you sure your camera and other equipment will stay dry. Otherwise, simply be careful that the camera and other equipment will stay dry. Connect the remote control to the camera once you've got everything set just the way you want it to be.
Now, you need to establish the proper settings on your camera.
Try manual focus on your camera; point the camera in the direction where you are going to want the water drops fall, and place a pencil or other object you can focus on easily in that place; the idea is to focus on the object so that it's already going to be set when the water drops fall; they're going to be moving too quickly to focus on them.
For shutter settings, try 1/160 or faster, so that you can "freeze" the water drops in mid-fall. Try different values for the aperture, focusing on the proper depth of field and so on.
Put a hole in the plastic bag and put some water in it, hanging it up high enough that water will simply drip through in front of the camera lens. Shoot right when the drops fall, and practice. A few photos, and you should be taking very good "water drop" pictures for canvas prints or desk calendars!
You'll need a camera with manual functions so that you can set your own shutter speed. Automatic mode may or may not give you the results you want, so you have a better chance of coming out with good pictures if you do it yourself.
In addition, you'll need a way to hold the camera firm, so you'll need to be able to set it on a firm surface, or you'll need a tripod.
A third item you'll need is some sort of water receptacle. Depending on how much water you are going to use, a dish or bucket will suffice. Fill this receptacle with water. (Of course, the receptacle should be big enough to hold the amount of water you think you're going to use.)
Another thing that's really essential for water drops' photography is a remote flash. A built-in flash will work adequately, too, but you may find better results with a remote flash.
You'll also need to be able to control the camera by remote control, since it is imperative that the camera be held still for the picture. A tripod or firm surface will help with this, but having remote control access to the camera in order to take the picture without touching the camera is also going to help ensure that the camera won't move during the picture taking. Moving the camera during the picture taking will certainly ruin the effect you want to get.
You'll also need some sort of receptacle that will make water "drops" during the course of taking the picture. A plastic bag will work nicely for this, since you're going to be putting a hole in it (more on that in just a minute). And, of course, you'll need something that will catch those water drops below the bag. Again, a dish or bucket will do fine.
Finally, a coloured background or one that reflects colour and will make the drops stand out even more is advisable. You'll be taking the picture against this background.
Now you're ready to take your picture. Be patient, because this may take a little practice before you get it to turn out exactly as you want it to.
Place the bucket or other receptacle of water on some type of surface that's firm, like a table in front of your background. Place the camera in front of the bucket, facing it and your background. The camera should be placed higher than the bucket. The flash should be to either side of where the water is going to drop. Try right or left, both, to determine which is going to be better for capturing just what you want your water droplets to look like.
You should place the plastic bag over the bucket, with a hole in it; the idea here is to get the drops of water to fall in exactly the same place every time so that you can focus once, find just the right position and refocus if necessary, and leave the camera where it is for every photo once you find the perfect shot. (Make sure the bag is secure, since you don't want it to fall and splash water on the camera.)
If necessary and if you've got the means to do so, you can place your camera on a tripod away from your water-based sources and then do a zoom focus, so that you sure your camera and other equipment will stay dry. Otherwise, simply be careful that the camera and other equipment will stay dry. Connect the remote control to the camera once you've got everything set just the way you want it to be.
Now, you need to establish the proper settings on your camera.
Try manual focus on your camera; point the camera in the direction where you are going to want the water drops fall, and place a pencil or other object you can focus on easily in that place; the idea is to focus on the object so that it's already going to be set when the water drops fall; they're going to be moving too quickly to focus on them.
For shutter settings, try 1/160 or faster, so that you can "freeze" the water drops in mid-fall. Try different values for the aperture, focusing on the proper depth of field and so on.
Put a hole in the plastic bag and put some water in it, hanging it up high enough that water will simply drip through in front of the camera lens. Shoot right when the drops fall, and practice. A few photos, and you should be taking very good "water drop" pictures for canvas prints or desk calendars!
More Information:
Find out more on
canvas prints and
photobook on
www.photobox.co.uk. 
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