# The universe in my dining room - just playing aorund!



## Bend The Light (Dec 12, 2010)

I was quite pleased with how these turned out, actually...




Universe 1 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




Universe 2 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




Universe 3 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




Universe 4 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




Universe 5 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




Universe 6 by Bend The Light, on Flickr

You like 'em?


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## Derrel (Dec 12, 2010)

1 and 3 are my favorites. Pretty good.


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## RauschPhotography (Dec 12, 2010)

Love #2 and #4. Excellent work!


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## Frequency (Dec 12, 2010)

#2 and #4 are excellent because thy have a cosmic look; others are just behind in liking

As a whole a classic creative series

Regards


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## Bend The Light (Dec 13, 2010)

Thank you, people.


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## LaFoto (Dec 13, 2010)

Ooo, they make me feel like I must do to this oil-droplet-universe experiment myself again, too, one day. 
Yes, I like universes 2 and 4 best of all, too.


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## Bend The Light (Dec 13, 2010)

LaFoto said:


> Ooo, they make me feel like I must do to this oil-droplet-universe experiment myself again, too, one day.
> Yes, I like universes 2 and 4 best of all, too.



Thank you. I need to have another go...not entirely happy, but they're a good start, I reckon. Glad you like them.


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## rabman (Dec 13, 2010)

Very nice!  :thumbup:


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## Bend The Light (Dec 13, 2010)

rabman said:


> Very nice!  :thumbup:



Thanks.


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## Robin Usagani (Dec 13, 2010)

they are all great. No.2 is the only one that really does look like a universe. Good job.  What is it anyway?


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## Bend The Light (Dec 13, 2010)

Schwettylens said:


> they are all great. No.2 is the only one that really does look like a universe. Good job.  What is it anyway?



It was my 5 year old who said it looked like the solar system, or the "whole UNIVERSE!"...so I used that as the title.

It's cooking oil floating in a dish on water. 

Cheers


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## Robin Usagani (Dec 13, 2010)

NIce...  I need a macro lens!


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## Bend The Light (Dec 13, 2010)

Schwettylens said:


> NIce...  I need a macro lens!



I haven't got one...just a 50mm on a basic macro tube (an old M42 lens, it was).

I do a lot of macro with an old 135mm f2.8 M42 lens on macro tubes, with manual "everything"...including flash. I would LIKE a macro lens, true, bt I can't afford one, so I do it the poor man's way.


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## Markw (Dec 13, 2010)

I did this project a while back and got a universe myself (check photo 1 here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/macro-photography/220989-hydrophobia-semi-pic-intensive.html).

That being said, I really like 2,3, and 4.  Wonderful.  How did you get the colors?  Did you use any type of special lighting (not for the colors..just in general?)?

Mark


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## Bend The Light (Dec 14, 2010)

Markw said:


> I did this project a while back and got a universe myself (check photo 1 here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/macro-photography/220989-hydrophobia-semi-pic-intensive.html).
> 
> That being said, I really like 2,3, and 4.  Wonderful.  How did you get the colors?  Did you use any type of special lighting (not for the colors..just in general?)?
> 
> Mark



Nothing special at all...

I had the overhead light (a power saving bulb), built in flash which triggered an old nissin flash. The camera was obviously directly overhead, and the nissin was to the side, about 6in up, directed at about 45 degrees to the surface. That's it.

The only ones with added colour are green (as in number 1) where I added some food colouring at the end. The others are natural cooking oil colour. I duplicated some layers and set blending mode to "multiply", which darkened and enriched some colours, too.

Thanks

Craig


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## Bend The Light (Dec 14, 2010)

Markw said:


> I did this project a while back and got a universe myself



IT was YOU!
It was your thread that gave me the idea to try...thank you. I really like your number 6, another green one.

I also like the way you had spectrums of colour in some of yours...was that a CD or something?

Thanks

Craig


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## Markw (Dec 15, 2010)

CD?

This was the setup:







Just oil in a pyrex dish with some water and the sunlight coming in from the top right. Handheld the camera taking the photos with a makeshift (aluminum foil) reflector on the ground bouncing the sun up to the bottom of the dish (didnt help much at all). The multicolored towel is what really helped get the colors. The shapes turn into areas of color when using a macro lens. Works quite well. So all the colors you see are true. Just a _basic _curves adjustment. I'm flattered I could offer inspiration!

Mark

PS.  Just to clarify, the photos I shot were of the tiny bubbled between the big bubbles you see in the photo.  Fiddling around with the WB in-camera really helps as well.


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## Bend The Light (Dec 15, 2010)

Markw said:


> CD?
> 
> This was the setup:
> 
> ...



Ah, yes, I remember reading it now. I thought there was a CD in the mix somewhere, but that must be another thing altogether.

I plan a re-shoot when I get a bit of time, try to get more light in, and shoot some smaller bubbles. Although mine weren't massive...

Cheers

Craig


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## Markw (Dec 15, 2010)

This is interesting.  I think I might try it again with my SB-600 and lights.  Maybe controlled conditions (and possibly gels?) would create some interesting differences.  Well, I know what I'm doing this weekend! 

Mark


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## Bend The Light (Dec 16, 2010)

I tried taking photos of droplets of water on the CD, too. These are test shots, just handheld with 50mm lens and about 15cm of macro tube....bounced on-camera flash.

Looking to set up properly, see how good I can get them...




drop on a cd 1 by Bend The Light, on Flickr




drop on a cd 2 by Bend The Light, on Flickr


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## Markw (Dec 16, 2010)

Hmm. That's interesting.  There almost looks like a face on the last photo..all the way to the left.

That sounds fun!
Mark


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## Bend The Light (Dec 16, 2010)

Markw said:


> Hmm. That's interesting.  There almost looks like a face on the last photo..all the way to the left.
> 
> That sounds fun!
> Mark



That "face" is the reflection  of a margarine tub! If you look closely, it's symmetrical, and the line between is the edge of the CD.

There IS a face, though...I think my daughter is at the top left...


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## Markw (Dec 16, 2010)

Ahhh.  I see it.  How ironic is that. 

It's officially on the to-do list.

Mark


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