Refraction Pictures (Water Drops)

©JP Parmley

I have always been fascinated by pictures of water drops or dew drops that show the reflection of the object behind them.  Waiting for the perfect moment of dew drops can take a while so I started researching how to manufacture such a setting. 

There are a few things you need to set this shot up.  You can do this in about 10 minutes and have several unique pictures.

1. You need a macro lens.  Preferably one that is 85mm or longer.  The longer the better.  If you have an extension tube 1.4 or 1.x it will help as well
2. Tripod
3. Glycerin.  I found a small bottle at Wal-Mart for about $4
4. Calm day with plenty of daylight

Mix in a small bowl water and glycerin at about a 2:1 ratio.  You can experiment with the ratios to help insure the drop stick to your subject.  Using a syringe or eye-dropper, place drops on the stem or subject you are using.  This will take some playing around with.  I found that getting the flower stem I was using wet, helped the drops stick better.  On a windy day it can be difficult to get drops to stick so pick a calm day.

Once the drops are where you want them, place a single object about 8-12 inches behind the drops and in line with the camera on a tripod.  If your camera has a live view feature, use it and zoom in on the screen.  Manually focus on the reflection in the water drop. In an aperture priority (Av for Canon), use a smaller  aperture (larger #) to give a bigger depth of field.   As you reduce the aperture (larger #) you may find that you have to increase the distance between the drop and object behind it so it is blurred in the picture.   Use a low ISO since you are outside on a bright day and have plenty of light.

I have found that a single object works better than several.  For example a single flower vs. a bouquet.  Also note that the object behind the drop will show upside down.

If you have a shutter release cord, use it.  If your camera has a mirror lock up feature, use it.  Both will help eliminate camera shake.  Even the smallest amount will show up.  Avoid surfaces that can shake like tables, decks, etc……..use a solid surface like the ground.

Once you have the picture, zoom in and check the quality of the focus. 

Have fun!

JP