Oil and water




Oil and water





Setup for Oil and water:

Setting up to capture oil emulsified in the water certainly is fun and creative. With a simple setup explained below gives the opportunity for capturing infinite combinations of colors and patters at home. The philosophy of shoot is similar shooting smoke from scent-stick.

  • In a glass bowl/dish, mix equal amount of water and oil
  • Keep the bowl/dish at some height. 
  • Keep a colorful paper/design with bright colors in the space between the bowl and table
  • Use flash to light the background i.e.the colorful paper
  • Shoot from top, perpendicular to the plane of the liquid to use least depth of field and maximum shutter speed. Higher depth of field may be avoided.



Tips for better results:

  • Use a dedicated macro lens and accessories
  • Clean the glassware before use
  • Use bright multi-colored paper / design for background. I used magenta bottle for some photos.
  • Try different backgrounds
  • Keep the water/oil mixture stirring periodically
  • Use a strong daylight - setup should be near a window
  • Shoot handheld, tripod might be irritating to handle since need to change the composition and place of interest frequently
  • However, take advantage of both.
  • Try using design on the glassware as well instead of simple plan glass
  • As always shoot RAW and edit them

Try to shoot from angles

"Oil in water" is different than "bubble of oils in water"


Try glassware with designs

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