DIYPhotography.net

On our last post we went through the basic ideas of capturing a high speed photograph, and today we will cover some of the basic triggers and kits available to play the high speed game.

So, we need a small and preferably cheap electronic gizmo that will be triggered when an event such as a passing cherry or a popping balloon occurs. We need it to then fire a flash unit, or even the camera shutter for slowish events like a bird taking off. (The camera can then fire the flash in the normal way that cameras do!) The range of triggers – and sensors for the various types of event - is quite extensive now. Click to continue ›

We have done quite a bit of High Speed Photography here on DIYP, but never took it from a step by step approach starting with the basics and moving up to elaborate setups. This is going to change today.

Starting today, and for every Monday in the next few weeks, high speed photographer Brian Davies is going to go show us the ropes on high speed photography. Brian is just your ordinary guy who loves to play with high speed, so the series is not going to be exclusive for lots-of-gear-super-techy-rich photographers, it is also aimed at the entry level togs who want to get some hands on with high speed. Actually there is very little that you would need other than a camera, a strobe, and a tripod to start with. All the high speed electronics can be DIYed if you have some basic soldering skills, or bought if you have a bit of extra green in your pocket. (Actually, for the triggers we show in this series, no soldering is neeed, they are on breadboard based).

And now, I step off and give the floor to Brian. Click to continue ›

If taking high end macro shots of insects strikes you as hard, how about upping the level by taking the pictures while insects are in buzzing around mid-flight. Too easy you say. Let do this 3D.

Photographer and designer Frans Fotoopa (photo grandpa) built a monster futuristic camera rig that does just that. Taking 3D images of fast flying insects in mid air. Click to continue ›

High Speed Photography may seem intimidating with all the high end Arduino Triggers and crazy setups that are going around.

If you just want to have a quick stub at high speed photography, your best chance is probably selecting a subject that is easy to shoot (pun intended) in the dark, and light it using a strobe. "How will the strobe know when to pop?" you ask. Easy, using a contact sensor. Such subjects include thing that you can blow up relatively slowly using an arrow or a slow moving pellet, like balloon, eggs and Christmas ornaments.

A contact sensor is one of the most primitive and easy to build high speed photography sensors and is basically build from two conductive surfaces each connected to one of the strobes contacts. When those two surfaces meet they short the circuit and pop the flash. Click to continue ›

If you thought that taking the perfect water drop photograph is as cool as it can get, think again.

When Corry discussed the concept of shooting a drop, he talked about how you can get interesting shapes and crowns by making two drops meet at a precise timing. It was pretty impressive. Photographer and water drop shooter extraordinaire Markus Reugels (A.K.A maianer) took the concept one step further and had those drops meet a pellet.

I asked Markus how he does that, and it ain't that simple. Aside using a special device called StopShot to time the drops, it involves building a special pellet rifle. This is how Markus describes it: Click to continue ›

Our pal Haje Jan Kamps from Photocritic came up with a pretty smart kickstarters project - the Trigger Trap. This should not come as a surprise if you've seen the passion Haje put into what turned out to be the early forefather for this project - a DIY laser trigger.

The main premise of this device is that it will trigger your camera based on events. Or act as an interlevometer to create a time lapse.

Out of the box Trigger Trap will support the following traps: Click to continue ›

I love how Corrie White (yea, the ultimate super splash guide Corrie) approached the issue of creating a multi-splash.

The hardest or most technically challenging path, of course, would be to actually make three splashes and somehow take their picture.

One level down would be taking three exposures and merging them in post.

But Corrie had what seems to be a better and simpler approach - doing it all in camera.

Usually, when using a few strobes in a single splash shot, the strobes are fires simultaneously to increase power output. (Remember? Low powered pop equals a short burst of light equals less motion blur. Since the strobes are set to low power, you need more of them to get more light).

Corrie took a similar yet completely different path, using three gelled strobes that fired one after another, he was able to capture three stages of the splash in a single frame. Click to continue ›

Catching a bullet in mid air is pretty impressive. There are some high end techniques you can use to make that possible starting from the relatively cheaper photogate kits, all the way up to air gap strobes. But I don't think I have ever seen a movie made from cutting together a sequence of high speed butter shots.

"Smarter Every Day" Destin did just that, he used the repetitive pattern of a bullet shot from a fixed gun to take a series of pictures with increasing shot-to-picture delay. The result is a series of pictures that when put together create a moving bullet movie.

(and if that was not enough for you, check the matches trick at 2:54). Movie after the jump. Click to continue ›

A little while back we introduced an electric DIY which was designed to help reduce the luck factor when going on a stormy night to photograph lighting. It involved quite a bit of hardware and was aimed towards DSLRs that have an external trigger jack.

Turns out there is an easier way for most Canon P&S owners. It is called CHDK. We discussed CHDK before when we showed how to make Hi Res time lapse movies. This time CHDK comes to the rescue with a lighting catching script. Click to continue ›

Over the last few days, Flickr Explore has been sizzling with multiple pictures of Vincent Riemersma featuring splashes in wineglasses.

We asked him to explain how he made these pictures and was willing to share this information. He kindly agreed.

Yay! Click to continue ›