Water Drop Photography with the MIOPS Splash

Water Droplet Photography With the Miops Splash

Kamera Express

Water Drop Photography with the MIOPS Splash

Unleash your creativity with the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit—the first automated water-drop system designed to help you capture stunning water-drop photographs. No more struggling with droplets falling at the wrong time or photos taken a split second too late. With the MIOPS Splash, you can fine-tune every detail, guaranteeing a beautiful end result.

The kit doesn’t just release the water drops; it also triggers both your camera and an external flash. This ensures that everything is perfectly synchronized so you can capture the exact right moment. You connect the camera and the flash to the MIOPS unit using cables, although you can also choose to connect only the camera and let it trigger the flash.

You control the system through the free app (for iPhone and Android). The MIOPS Splash communicates with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Make sure your phone is compatible with at least Bluetooth 4.0.

How does it work?

MIOPS Splash setup

1. Build your setup

Build your setup in a room with minimal (ambient) light. Use the flexible arm and extendable holder to position the MIOPS Splash exactly the way you want it. The side knob lets you lock the arm securely in any desired position. Because both the arm and the holder feature 1/4" screw threads, you can mount the unit on almost any tripod. Prefer using it on your camera? The hotshoe adapter makes that possible as well. The MIOPS Splash is powered via a Micro USB cable, which you can connect to a power bank, your laptop or a wall adapter. This charges the built-in battery, so you can use the MIOPS Splash anywhere.

Choose coloured paper or a backdrop in the colour of your choice. The colours, combined with the water shapes, create the final image. Last but certainly not least, don’t forget the container of water the drops will fall into—such as a large glass or plexiglass tray.

2. Choose the right equipment

For the best photos, use a macro lens on your camera. It allows you to focus beautifully up close and lets the water droplets fill the frame. Choose a flash you can set manually.

3. Set everything up and shoot!

Once everything is in place, it’s time to choose the correct settings. You configure the MIOPS Splash using the MIOPS MOBILE app (Apple / Android). Here’s an example of the settings:

  • 1st Drop: Drop Size: 50 ms
  • 2nd Drop: Drop Size: 50 ms - Delay: 100 ms
  • 3rd Drop: Drop Size: 0 ms - Delay: 0 ms
  • 4th Drop: Drop Size: 0 ms - Delay: 0 ms
  • Trigger: Mode: Flash - Delay: 200 ms

In this case, two identical drops fall (the valve is open for 50 milliseconds, the time water can flow through) with a 100-millisecond interval between them. The flash fires 200 milliseconds after the last drop has fallen. For this setup, set your camera’s shutter speed to bulb mode. It’s the flash that freezes the motion—not the shutter speed.

Another option is to have the droplet kit trigger the camera instead of the flash. In that case, you can let the camera trigger the flash again.

Set your lens to manual focus; autofocus will get confused by the moving water. The drop always falls in the same place, so once you’ve set focus correctly, every shot will be sharp. The test function on the MIOPS Splash is very helpful here. Release a test drop and place a pencil in the water where the drop landed. Now focus on the pencil. You can use autofocus for this if needed, but make sure to switch it off afterwards.

Experiment with the aperture. You want the entire droplet to be sharp—but not the background. Start at F/8 and adjust from there depending on the effect you want.

MIOPS MOBILE app setup

4. Give your photos the finishing touch

Be prepared to discard a large portion of your photos. Water behaves unpredictably and doesn’t always give beautiful results. Select the successful shots and keep them separate.

During editing, keep an eye on a few things:

  • Make the right crop. The water droplet should fill the frame nicely, but make sure it’s not too close to the edges.
  • Especially in water-droplet photography, small imperfections can be distracting. Carefully check if they appear in your image and remove them if needed.
  • Play with colour by adjusting the colour temperature and saturation until you achieve your desired result. It can also be effective to experiment with highlights, shadows and contrast.

5. Hang your photo

Because of the abstract shapes and vibrant colours, water-droplet photos are perfect for displaying large on the wall. So reward your hard work and print your photo! Don’t have a (photo) printer? Profotonet offers beautiful, high-quality prints.