Have you ever noticed how oil and water do not mix? Pour oil in the rice or spaghetti water and what does it do? It floats, separates and transforms. This mesmerizes me so I set up my own experiment outside on a beautiful day.
Circles Galore
First of all, before I divulge all my secrets, did you wonder about this circle image? Does it resemble a Venus or Mars type of planet that you would see in a National Geographic magazine? OK, I know, I’ve totally gotten carried away with myself. Can you imagine how much trouble I could get into with this type of mindscape?
I have read many How To photography books and have taken gobs of workshops not only to learn new techniques but also to seek out my own unique ‘look’ and talent. It’s one thing to pick up the camera and shoot anything – it’s another to develop your own photographic identity. To do that, the photographer must identify what truly speaks to her/him and stay true to their style. Each day I get closer to finding my identifiable look. Macro is my first love, animals and people next, followed by scenic shots. If you check out my site, you will notice that flowers, food and abstract speak strongly to me.
This image was taken by placing a colorful scarf under a suspended glass loaf pan, filled with water and placed under a shaded area with dappled light. My camera was on a tripod with my 100 mm macro, 2.8: Canon lens in place. The camera was directly over the pan set at 1/60 sec shutter speed, F11 and ISO 100 with the lens only inches above the pan. I slowly poured oil into the water and watched it separate watching it through the eye of the lens. The oil oozed through the water, splitting apart and reproducing much like a newly fertilized embryo. It reminded me of something we would see in a sci-fi movie.
As the oil mutated, I clicked away capturing some far-out images. This is one of my favorites mostly because it makes one wonder what it is. To me, it resembles a new galaxy.
What do you see when looking at this image?
