pontiac1940
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Post by pontiac1940 on Aug 15, 2018 13:39:51 GMT
Posted these in my gallery and thought I should explain these. Last winter was brutally cold with many record cold temperatures set. Late Dec and around New Years were crazy cold..and it lingered through February which probably was the coldest February on record here. Anyway ... photographing frozen soap bubbles was all the rage for a while and made the 6 o'clock news a few times. So naturally, I had to try it. Imagine this 71-year-old goof standing on his deck when it was -20 something ... blowing soap bubbles with a camera hung around his neck.  Surprised "the authorities" did not show up.  Technique points: has to be at least -15°C, but colder is better for fast crystal development; water, soap and corn syrup mixture; blow bubbles with a straw onto a snow platform; do that ~57 times until one lands perfectly; shoot fast. REPEAT about 20 times and maybe you'll get a good shot. Go inside and warm up. REPEAT. Done in full sun backlighted and shadow in background. New Year's Day 2018 around noon ... -24°C at the time. (Was -37°C that night!) Colors jazzed up with "saturation."  Jan 11, 2018 at noonish and -26°C at the time.  |
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bnk1953
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Post by bnk1953 on Aug 15, 2018 14:56:24 GMT
very nice - what were your ingredients for the solution?
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pontiac1940
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Post by pontiac1940 on Aug 15, 2018 15:19:58 GMT
Thanks. Was fun. Neighbors never reported me. water, soap and corn syrup mixture Forget the ratios: 400 mL bottle with mostly water, a squirt or two of dish soap and a teaspoon or so of corn syrup. Should say "freezing" bubbles vs "frozen" bubbles. The ice crystals form fast...the trick is to get them as they are forming and before the bubble is all ice. Clive |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2018 16:24:37 GMT
Wonderful images Clive. I did the same thing last winter and was on occassion successful in getting these with my camera. I found that getting the solution just right is just part of the whole picture. One of the troubles I had was that the bubbles, when blown onto the snow would just consistently burst, so I ended up using a smooth surface (a glass turned upside down in the snow) to prevent that from happening.
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Post by whippet on Aug 15, 2018 19:08:52 GMT
Imagine this 71-year-old goof standing on his deck when it was -20 something ... blowing soap bubbles with a camera hung around his neck. Surprised "the authorities" did not show up. Technique points: has to be at least -15°C, but colder is better for fast crystal development; water, soap and corn syrup mixture; blow bubbles with a straw onto a snow platform; do that ~57 times until one lands perfectly; shoot fast. REPEAT about 20 times and maybe you'll get a good shot. Go inside and warm up. REPEAT. Done in full sun backlighted and shadow in background. . My imagination ran riot there, Clive.  How do people think up these ideas. If I can spell it, those photos are - phenomenal.
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pontiac1940
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Post by pontiac1940 on Aug 15, 2018 19:48:27 GMT
bnk1953 Here is a link to a recipe that I sort of followed...did not use sugar. www.popsci.com/how-to-freeze-soap-bubbles-into-ice-orbsBTW, room temp soap solution is better than cold when it is very cold outside or else the crystals form way too fast. I was leaving the bottle outside when I came in to warm up, but the bubble froze too fast when the solution was cold. So I was nuking the plastic bottle on occasion...just to take the chill off. Thanks Simone and whippet. Simone, my hit rate was poor. I'd blow bubbles time and time again and every once in a while one would settle on the snow shelf on the deck railing. Then trying to focus and shoot was tricky. I'd guess that I shot maybe one in 20 bubble events...and took dozens of photos for every decent shot. Clive |
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Post by jackscrap on Aug 15, 2018 21:03:25 GMT
Incredible shots Clive, your persistence and endurance really paid off. I don’t like to even imagine how cold - 37 is...
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pontiac1940
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Post by pontiac1940 on Aug 15, 2018 22:38:39 GMT
Incredible shots Clive, your persistence and endurance really paid off. I don’t like to even imagine how cold - 37 is... jackscrap, thanks for your kind words. -37°C is cold and potentially dangerous. But stories of "flesh freezing in 30 seconds" are exaggerated. Wind is the big issue when it is cold and fortunately we don't get strong winds with extreme cold. I like winter and walk a lot. If dressed in layers and good head covering, walking down to -20 or -25 is no issue. I'd rather walk at -25 with no wind than at zero with a strong wind. Extreme temps are quite rare most winters...last winter was brutal. I'd be quite happy to miss an opportunity to photograph freezing soap bubbles next winter. Clive |
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Post by Sydney on Aug 15, 2018 23:06:22 GMT
These are amazing Clive!
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Post by hmca on Aug 16, 2018 2:16:38 GMT
Your results are terrific....and thanks for sharing your recipe and tips with us. Thankfully we never see those temps in New Jersey.
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Surprised "the authorities" did not show up. 
