There seems to be some interest among viewers in the set-up and testing process.
Since the gun barrel is fixed in elevation (it can be traversed left and right), the task is to first adjust the flash timing to capture the drop when it passes through the pellets path position.
Secondly, once the flash timing is set, the gun trigger solenoid timing must be adjusted to place the pellet at precisely the right spot to impact the drop as the flash fires. Once this is set, the gun trigger timing can be additionally increased in increments of 1 microseconds to capture the impact and resulting splash at any point in the event.
This shot indicates that the flash needs to be advanced about 2 milliseconds to capture the drop earlier in it's fall to place it in the pellets path. The gun solenoid timing needs to be advanced about 1 millisecond to impact the drop as the flash fires at 1/38,500ths second (1/128 power on an SB900)
It requires about 4 or 5 test shots like this to bring it all together and place drop, pellet, and flash at precisely the same time and place to capture the event.
Here is an unprocessed, uncropped test shot taken while adjusting the timing of drop and gun firing. It shows the relative sizes of the drop and pellet.
Wow handheld..... Wow.... Very Cool shots.... All the above!
Just so there is no misunderstanding, the only thing that is "hand held" in these images is the small cup of water in posts #16 and 20. Every image posted required the camera, flash heads, and pistol to be securely mounted and aimed precisely.
The camera is mounted on a tripod and motorized, computer controlled focus rail in order to precisely bracket test shots to achieve proper focus
Nikon D700 - Nikkor 200MM Micro f4D
The gun is mounted with a machinists vice which allows adjustments on the horizontal x-y axis. Elevation is adjusted with shims under the mount. The gun is fired by a 24v solenoid which pulls the trigger at the precise time from a signal from a 9v intervolometer which is activated by the water drop falling through an infrared photogate detector. Te IR detector trips the intervolometer which trips a 12vDC relay which activates the trigger solenoid after a precisely calculated delay.
amazing captures. nice setup, now I am jealous of that camera mount! I'm still surprised about the hand in front of the bullet part, but it looks like you have things extremely under control.
amazing captures. nice setup, now I am jealous of that camera mount! I'm still surprised about the hand in front of the bullet part, but it looks like you have things extremely under control.
The hand was not in front of the pellet. The camera angle just makes it appear that way. All these shots required precise planning and, in some cases, mathematical calculations were needed to determine the timing delays. To place the drop and pellet at the precise location and fire the flash at the precise moment leave virtually no margin for error. If any of the several timing parameters are are off by as little as a microsecond or two, the shot is missed.
I do not shoot hundreds of shots hoping that one will be on target. Each shot begins by using known values that have been previously calculated mathematically and a test shot is fired. If any of the parameters are off, the timing is adjusted in microsecond increments. A typical shot requires two or three adjustments to achieve success.
For example, here is a calculation done to determine the time taken for a single drop to fall from release valve to a point directly lined up with the pellet path:
Here's the set-up for targeting and timing calculations for the water drop.
Targeting is fairly easy. A round metal rod is placed in the gun barrel and adjusted until the tip of the rod is directly beneath the path of the falling drop. The position of the rod tip shows us precisely where the drop and pellet will meet if the timing is correct. The rod tip also serves as a focus point.
A measurment is made from IR gate to the tip of the rod. In this set-up it is 13 inches exactly.
We now have to calculate how long it will take the drop to fall 13 inches which will give us the timing delay for firing the flash. Once this time delay is entered into the intervolometer, the flash will fire when the drop is precisely at this point if our calculations are correct.
To calculate the time delay we use the formula:
x = 1/2 at [squared] and solve for t.
x = Distance traveled (13")
a = acceleration constant of gravity which is 32 feet per second squared
t = time in seconds
13/12 = 1.08 feet
1.08 = 1/2 (32)t squared
t squared = 0.0675
t = 0.2598
So, for a water drop to fall 13 inches, it will take 259.8 milliseconds. This value is entered into the intervolometer which will fire the flash when the drop is precisely 13" below the IR gate and directly even with the gun barrel.
Now all we have to calculate is when to fire the gun so that drop, pellet, and flash all meet at the center of the camera frame (hopefully in focus!)
I like this makes me think back at the time I spent in the Civil Engineering lab @ Delft University in Holland.
Step it up another notch: make a photo of the whole setup incl. camera, gun, pellet, drop, flash etc... at the exact right moment of course. Would be a great cover/intro photo for the series of close-up's !
ciao!
Nick.
ciao!
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
I like this makes me think back at the time I spent in the Civil Engineering lab @ Delft University in Holland.
Step it up another notch: make a photo of the whole setup incl. camera, gun, pellet, drop, flash etc... at the exact right moment of course. Would be a great cover/intro photo for the series of close-up's !
ciao!
Nick.
I've had so many requests for set up details on various web forums that I am building a webpage dedicated to high speed photos. Until that page is ready, those interested can see the whole set-up and a few hundred other images at the NikonCafe.com forum (link is below).
My thread on the NikonCafe forum is 50+ pages and goes into great detail about the various set-ups with many images of the gear including my latest project: Shooting objects that have been cryogenically frozen in liquid nitrogen to -321 F.
Those are impressive shots, indeed. I don't know how you did it, but this whole shooting water drops series is remarkable. Wanted to know how you set this whole thing up.
Those are impressive shots, indeed. I don't know how you did it, but this whole shooting water drops series is remarkable. Wanted to know how you set this whole thing up.
The set-ups are explained in great detail along with a few hundred images on my thread at the NikonCafe.com forum.
very interesting, some really great shots in this thread.
i really like the last frame actually!
are the pellets travelling too fast to freeze in the frame, or is the dof not enough to get drops and pellet sharp?
very interesting, some really great shots in this thread.
i really like the last frame actually!
are the pellets travelling too fast to freeze in the frame, or is the dof not enough to get drops and pellet sharp?
The image above is an interesting two drop collision, it was not shot with a pellet.
At the f stops I shoot at, DOF is rarely an issue.
On the pellet shots, the pellet speed is approx 850 feet per second. The pellet and impact splash can be 'frozen' by using an SB900 speedelight at 1/128 power which is an effective shutter speed of 1/38,500ths of a second. This is fast enough to freeze the splash usually, but the pellets always show motion blur due to high speed. To totally freeze a pellet at 850fps, you would need a speedlight that fires at 1/60,000ths second at least.
Note that I program the camera shutter to open for 1 second 40milliseconds before the drop splashes and expose the image with the flash, not the shutter. A typical DSLR has a shutter delay time of around 30-40 milliseconds which makes it impractical to use the shutter to take the photo at these speeds. Plus, the fastest SLR shoots at 1/8,000 sec using the shutter which is much, much too slow to capture the pellet.
Here's an example: (focus was a bit off on this one plus it's greatly cropped)
Have you tried to aim very close but just miss the drop with the pellet? or shoot without pellet, just the burst of air? Or a .22 rimfire gun that shoots supersonic .22LR ammo.. just miss the drop with that and see what the impact of the supersonic shockwave behind the .22 is on the drop
ciao!
Nick.
ciao!
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
Have you tried to aim very close but just miss the drop with the pellet? or shoot without pellet, just the burst of air? Or a .22 rimfire gun that shoots supersonic .22LR ammo.. just miss the drop with that and see what the impact of the supersonic shockwave behind the .22 is on the drop
ciao!
Nick.
DeVerm;1594345 Have you tried to aim very close but just miss the drop with the pellet?
Yes. The results were very interesting. In the image below, the pellet just barely clipped the drop and there is no indication of a shock wave. However, in the second image which was a near miss, it appears that the air blast following the pellet caused the drop to form a bubble of air.
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Or a .22 rimfire gun that shoots supersonic .22LR ammo..
I have a .22 revolver that I am modifying to use with the outdoor studio once the weather gets warmer. I'll try your idea. Thanks for the suggestions.
Here's a milk drop near miss. That drop is a mighty tiny target!:
For a good shockwave you need around 1,125 ft/s pellet/bullet. Most/all .22 match grade is now subsonic. I think I used Eley supersonic once but they only list subsonic now.
I got another idea: a strobe so you get multiple exposures on 1 shot (pellet underway to drop I think most flashes can do that...
ciao!
Nick.
ciao!
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
For a good shockwave you need around 1,125 ft/s pellet/bullet. Most/all .22 match grade is now subsonic. I think I used Eley supersonic once but they only list subsonic now.
I got another idea: a strobe so you get multiple exposures on 1 shot (pellet underway to drop I think most flashes can do that...
ciao!
Nick.
I'll check if the supersonic .22 ammo is available when I set up the outdoor range/studio. It may have some interesting effects on water filled balloons and other stuff.
The strobing idea is an interesting one but my calculations show the pellet moving at approx 10,200 inches per second. My top-of-the-line Nikon SB9oo speedlights will strobe 8 times @ 100Hz which would produce just a blur , I think, because 100Hz is an almost continuous light due to fall-off and dissipation. I'll do some calculations and tests to see what happens.
Thanks for your ideas and suggestions. Keep them coming!
The strobing idea is an interesting one but my calculations show the pellet moving at approx 10,200 inches per second. My top-of-the-line Nikon SB9oo speedlights will strobe 8 times @ 100Hz which would produce just a blur , I think, because 100Hz is an almost continuous light due to fall-off and dissipation. I'll do some calculations and tests to see what happens.
You could trigger 2 flash units at the same time and hope for tolerance differences between units or use a different model/brand etc. At 100Hz you get 10" separation... With a good black background it should work I think
ciao!
Nick.
ciao!
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
You could trigger 2 flash units at the same time and hope for tolerance differences between units or use a different model/brand etc. At 100Hz you get 10" separation... With a good black background it should work I think
ciao!
Nick.
I'll run some tests when I next set up the drop rig.
Meanwhile, enjoy this shot of two milk drops colliding:
Comments
Since the gun barrel is fixed in elevation (it can be traversed left and right), the task is to first adjust the flash timing to capture the drop when it passes through the pellets path position.
Secondly, once the flash timing is set, the gun trigger solenoid timing must be adjusted to place the pellet at precisely the right spot to impact the drop as the flash fires. Once this is set, the gun trigger timing can be additionally increased in increments of 1 microseconds to capture the impact and resulting splash at any point in the event.
This shot indicates that the flash needs to be advanced about 2 milliseconds to capture the drop earlier in it's fall to place it in the pellets path. The gun solenoid timing needs to be advanced about 1 millisecond to impact the drop as the flash fires at 1/38,500ths second (1/128 power on an SB900)
It requires about 4 or 5 test shots like this to bring it all together and place drop, pellet, and flash at precisely the same time and place to capture the event.
Here is an unprocessed, uncropped test shot taken while adjusting the timing of drop and gun firing. It shows the relative sizes of the drop and pellet.
The weapon
The camera is mounted on a tripod and motorized, computer controlled focus rail in order to precisely bracket test shots to achieve proper focus
Nikon D700 - Nikkor 200MM Micro f4D
The gun is mounted with a machinists vice which allows adjustments on the horizontal x-y axis. Elevation is adjusted with shims under the mount. The gun is fired by a 24v solenoid which pulls the trigger at the precise time from a signal from a 9v intervolometer which is activated by the water drop falling through an infrared photogate detector. Te IR detector trips the intervolometer which trips a 12vDC relay which activates the trigger solenoid after a precisely calculated delay.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003085685580
I do not shoot hundreds of shots hoping that one will be on target. Each shot begins by using known values that have been previously calculated mathematically and a test shot is fired. If any of the parameters are off, the timing is adjusted in microsecond increments. A typical shot requires two or three adjustments to achieve success.
For example, here is a calculation done to determine the time taken for a single drop to fall from release valve to a point directly lined up with the pellet path:
Here's the set-up for targeting and timing calculations for the water drop.
Targeting is fairly easy. A round metal rod is placed in the gun barrel and adjusted until the tip of the rod is directly beneath the path of the falling drop. The position of the rod tip shows us precisely where the drop and pellet will meet if the timing is correct. The rod tip also serves as a focus point.
A measurment is made from IR gate to the tip of the rod. In this set-up it is 13 inches exactly.
We now have to calculate how long it will take the drop to fall 13 inches which will give us the timing delay for firing the flash. Once this time delay is entered into the intervolometer, the flash will fire when the drop is precisely at this point if our calculations are correct.
To calculate the time delay we use the formula:
x = 1/2 at [squared] and solve for t.
x = Distance traveled (13")
a = acceleration constant of gravity which is 32 feet per second squared
t = time in seconds
13/12 = 1.08 feet
1.08 = 1/2 (32)t squared
t squared = 0.0675
t = 0.2598
So, for a water drop to fall 13 inches, it will take 259.8 milliseconds. This value is entered into the intervolometer which will fire the flash when the drop is precisely 13" below the IR gate and directly even with the gun barrel.
Now all we have to calculate is when to fire the gun so that drop, pellet, and flash all meet at the center of the camera frame (hopefully in focus!)
Step it up another notch: make a photo of the whole setup incl. camera, gun, pellet, drop, flash etc... at the exact right moment of course. Would be a great cover/intro photo for the series of close-up's !
ciao!
Nick.
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
My thread on the NikonCafe forum is 50+ pages and goes into great detail about the various set-ups with many images of the gear including my latest project: Shooting objects that have been cryogenically frozen in liquid nitrogen to -321 F.
Link to my thread :"Shooting Water Drops...with a Gun" on NikonCafe.com
BTW, I blast other stuff besides water drops! Here's a project set-up to photograph two pellets colliding with one another:
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AdventureSportRider
This link will take you to "Shooting Water Drops...With a Gun" thread on that forum. The thread is over 50 pages of information and images.
I will continue to post images here but for detailed descriptions you will have to go to the thread in the link.
Here is a drop of milk being blasted with a pellet:
Camera mounted above gun barrel
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Camera mounted above gun barrel
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i really like the last frame actually!
are the pellets travelling too fast to freeze in the frame, or is the dof not enough to get drops and pellet sharp?
moderator - Holy Macro
Goldenorfe’s Flickr Gallery
Goldenorfe photography on Smugmug
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At the f stops I shoot at, DOF is rarely an issue.
On the pellet shots, the pellet speed is approx 850 feet per second. The pellet and impact splash can be 'frozen' by using an SB900 speedelight at 1/128 power which is an effective shutter speed of 1/38,500ths of a second. This is fast enough to freeze the splash usually, but the pellets always show motion blur due to high speed. To totally freeze a pellet at 850fps, you would need a speedlight that fires at 1/60,000ths second at least.
Note that I program the camera shutter to open for 1 second 40milliseconds before the drop splashes and expose the image with the flash, not the shutter. A typical DSLR has a shutter delay time of around 30-40 milliseconds which makes it impractical to use the shutter to take the photo at these speeds. Plus, the fastest SLR shoots at 1/8,000 sec using the shutter which is much, much too slow to capture the pellet.
Here's an example: (focus was a bit off on this one plus it's greatly cropped)
ciao!
Nick.
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
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I have a .22 revolver that I am modifying to use with the outdoor studio once the weather gets warmer. I'll try your idea. Thanks for the suggestions.
Here's a milk drop near miss. That drop is a mighty tiny target!:
Aim was a little better on this one:
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I got another idea: a strobe so you get multiple exposures on 1 shot (pellet underway to drop
ciao!
Nick.
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
The strobing idea is an interesting one but my calculations show the pellet moving at approx 10,200 inches per second. My top-of-the-line Nikon SB9oo speedlights will strobe 8 times @ 100Hz which would produce just a blur , I think, because 100Hz is an almost continuous light due to fall-off and dissipation. I'll do some calculations and tests to see what happens.
Thanks for your ideas and suggestions. Keep them coming!
You could trigger 2 flash units at the same time and hope for tolerance differences between units or use a different model/brand etc. At 100Hz you get 10" separation... With a good black background it should work I think
ciao!
Nick.
Nick.
my equipment: Canon 5D2, 7D, full list here
my Smugmug site: here
Meanwhile, enjoy this shot of two milk drops colliding:
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AdventureSportRider
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