Bubbles in a Glass - Part Two of an Experiment

[Brownbear]

Part 1 of the experiment was the grasshopper/cricket in the glass...

The experiment was inspired by Mike Buckley's glass photos. I filled a glass with soapy water, placed the glass on a table near the window. The sunlight makes the water look like a glass of beer. I must say that I was quite taken with the beautifully translucent bubbles...

I'm sharing these for fun so no critique please, but I would enjoy hearing about techniques for photographing glass objects just for the sake of learning.

[Digital]

Neat idea.


Bruce

[Brownbear]

Let's hope that Mikey thinks so, too... Translucent bubbles in a glass... immense potential with a highly skilled photographer behind the camera.

Neat idea.


Bruce

[Andrew76]

I have no advice to offer for photographing glass - having never even tried it, so I'll leave that up to the resident expert(s).

I do think you've got a fantastic idea here though Christina, with endless potential! I'll be interested to see where it goes!

[teokf]

great idea, I like the 3rd one. I think the bubbles and the textured glass somehow makes it look better than the others. IMHO 8)

[ClaudioG]

Just a lttle extra info I saw on a you tube example..if you scratch one of your old glasses on the inside..like with a coin or something...and pour sparkling water or coke or anything bubbly..it actually makes alooooot more bubbles than usuall.. The bubbles latch on to the scratches... Try it out.

[Loose Canon]

Light: Science and Magic

It's all there Christina!

[Brownbear]

Thank you to everyone for your comments and ideas.


Photographing glass was a one time event for me.

The only reason I tried this is because I thought that the addition of exotic tropical fish in Mike Buckley's glasses would look really nice. So I thought I would simply try a few shots and post the images for Mike to see, simply as an idea that works for him or not. I also did it for the learning experience because I admire his glass images, a lot.,

I don't have any fish so my initial attempt was a grasshopper but I found it really hard to capture any detail in the grasshopper (see earlier post) and I remembered that Mike said that translucent objects were best hence the bubble idea.

Terry, thank you for sharing. I borrowed a copy of that book from the library but it was a 1st edition and related to film. I expect that it may take a while for the library to acquire a new edition, so I will likely purchase a new copy as I would like to learn about light.

[Mike Buckley]

If you want to make photos of soap bubbles in a glass, this set is a great start. I especially like that the reflections in the glass are appealing rather than distracting.

Considering that I never drink beer, I don't consider myself an expert in its froth. Even so, these bubbles look to me as if they are soap bubbles, not beer. The other give-away that they aren't beer is that the liquid underneath the bubbles, unlike beer, is clear.

The third photo doesn't stand up to the quality of the others for me because the texture in the glass competes with the texture in the bubbles.

I have made very few photos of bubbles but this one is my favorite. I provided the link only so you can see one distinct advantage of photographing larger bubbles -- that the larger surface area of each bubble makes it easy to see the reflected color of the surroundings and the prismatic refraction that produces the attractive colors in the visible spectrum. If those reflections and refraction are present in at least some your own bubbles, they're probably too difficult to see because of the small size of the bubbles. These distinctions makes my photo different from yours, not better.

[Mike Buckley]

Mike said that translucent objects were best hence the bubble idea.

I'm pretty sure that I wrote that transparent and translucent subjects are best when using either bright-field or dark-field lighting setups that I have been using for the most part. Those setups have light emanating only from behind the subject. Your lighting setup is very different, which explains why the opaque grasshopper in your other thread looks fine.

[Brownbear]

Hi Mike,

This was just an extension of the grasshopper in a glass idea and experiment... I did find the bubbles to be very intriguing and I think that I should have tried placing the grasshopper on top of the bubbles, and perhaps I will try something similar one day.

Yes, indeed. I don't drink beer either. I'm not sure why it came to mind.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about competing textures, something that I will keep in mind for future.

Thank you for sharing your bubble photo... Amazing...! Somehow I missed that thread. I could see the colours and reflections in my bubbles, but yes they were very small.

Frothy Romulan Ale

[Brownbear]

I'm pretty sure that I wrote that transparent and translucent subjects are best when using either bright-field or dark-field lighting setups that I have been using for the most part. Those setups have light emanating only from behind the subject. Your lighting setup is very different, which explains why the opaque grasshopper in your other thread looks fine.

Yes, you likely did. I simply didn't understand as I have never used any kind of lighting except for outdoor lighting.

Thank you for sharing.

[chauncey]

Aah...did you first remove the grasshopper or drown the little sucker?

[Brownbear]

The fact of the matter is that I became quite attached to the grasshopper during our photography session but he flew off into the wild blue yonder before I was finished with him. While I'm very hopeful that he will visit again I am content to know that he is alive and well, and free.

Aah...did you first remove the grasshopper or drown the little sucker?

[Mike Buckley]

he flew off into the wild blue yonder before I was finished with him.

I'm impressed that you know the animal's gender. As for flying offing into the wild blue yonder, I have to wonder about that. Your home, the color of the animal's body and its apparently nearby habitat indicate that it flew off into the suburban green yonder.

[Brownbear]

LOL

I also know his name because I named him after you. Mike Jr. the grasshopper did fly off into the wild green (not blue, you're correct) yonder. I live in close proximity to the forest and mountains and it is not uncommon to see black bears in our neighbourhood.

I found Mike Jr. inside my home. Indeed, it was quite the surprise as I've never seen a grasshopper here before. I suspect that he was tired of roughing it in the wild green yonder, and simply wished to enjoy all the conveniences of city life for a day.

I'm impressed that you know the animal's gender. As for flying offing into the wild blue yonder, I have to wonder about that. Your home, the color of the animal's body and its apparently nearby habitat indicate that it flew off into the suburban green yonder.

[Shadowman]

Part 1 of the experiment was the grasshopper/cricket in the glass...

The experiment was inspired by Mike Buckley's glass photos. I filled a glass with soapy water, placed the glass on a table near the window. The sunlight makes the water look like a glass of beer. I must say that I was quite taken with the beautifully translucent bubbles...

I'm sharing these for fun so no critique please, but I would enjoy hearing about techniques for photographing glass objects just for the sake of learning.

But these photos are just asking for a critique.

Nice images and idea.

Splashes are always worthy of a try.

[Brownbear]

John, if you truly wish to take the time to provide a critique I would appreciate it, and perhaps others can learn from my experiment.

I opened with the statement of no critique because it was just an idea and a one time experiment, so I didn't wish to take up anyone's time for a one time thing. Although I adore Mike's glass photos it is for his technique in which he somehow brings out all the shadows, highlights and details in his glass ware.

I was fascinated by the effect of the sunlight seen through the glass, and yes, I liked the bubbles, a lot, but my primary interest is in wildlife photography and perhaps one day outdoor landscapes. That said it is good to be versatile and I think learning about one type of photography helps one improve no matter what type of photography one is keen on.

I do try and capture every possible splash in my birds shots.

[Shadowman]

John, if you truly wish to take the time to provide a critique I would appreciate it, and perhaps others can learn from my experiment.

I opened with the statement of no critique because it was just an idea and a one time experiment, so I didn't wish to take up anyone's time for a one time thing. Although I adore Mike's glass photos it is for his technique in which he somehow brings out all the shadows, highlights and details in his glass ware.

I was fascinated by the effect of the sunlight seen through the glass, and yes, I liked the bubbles, a lot, but my primary interest is in wildlife photography and perhaps one day outdoor landscapes. That said it is good to be versatile and I think learning about one type of photography helps one improve no matter what type of photography one is keen on.

I do try and capture every possible splash in my birds shots.

Regarding the splash effect, I was thinking more along the lines of your bubbles in the glass shot. Perhaps dropping a colorful cherry in a glass of milk.

[Shadowman]

John, if you truly wish to take the time to provide a critique I would appreciate it, and perhaps others can learn from my experiment.

I opened with the statement of no critique because it was just an idea and a one time experiment, so I didn't wish to take up anyone's time for a one time thing. Although I adore Mike's glass photos it is for his technique in which he somehow brings out all the shadows, highlights and details in his glass ware.

I was fascinated by the effect of the sunlight seen through the glass, and yes, I liked the bubbles, a lot, but my primary interest is in wildlife photography and perhaps one day outdoor landscapes. That said it is good to be versatile and I think learning about one type of photography helps one improve no matter what type of photography one is keen on.

I do try and capture every possible splash in my birds shots.

Regarding the splash effect, I was thinking more along the lines of your bubbles in the glass shot. Perhaps dropping a colorful cherry in a glass of milk.