Experimenting with lighting makes you realize that it opens you up to so many more creative options when it comes to shooting photos. The folks are Photo Extremist seem to agree too.
They published a video a while back on how to shoot splash photos using a single light. And they explain that it’s all about the flash duration. In lay man’s terms, flash duration essentially takes over for the shutter speed when it comes to stopping motion.
They talk about a fairly complicated lighting setup with gelled lights and a timed trigger to get the moment absolutely perfectly right. This is essential and there is no workaround. Many strobists would automatically think about second curtain flash, but that won’t get you the fully stopped motion. Instead, you’ll get trails–which is another cool effect.
If you have some time this weekend, give this a shot. We’d love to see what you come up with.
This video on the images of splashing water is after the jump.
