Playing with Bubbles--Photo Fun!

by Kristina 

I love Popular Photography magazine.   When I find a new issue in my mailbox, I can't wait to sit down and flip through all of the inspirational pages.

This month, I found the article Bubble Wrap to be just what I needed.....you know when you feel like you've been in a rut and have not done anything creative or fun with your camera?

Anyway, the photos of bubbles by New York photographer Satoshi were so beautiful and intriguing.  I loved the abstract shapes and how he turned something that is very ordinary into something extraordinary.  You can see his set up and tutorial here. 

So I grabbed a jar of bubbles (of course I had them on hand from my family photo shoots, who doesn't?) and decided to play, using a VERY basic set up (check it out below)....

Here's what I came up with....

And here is a pull-back of my no frills set up.....the black background is a photo box from one of my favorite photo sites, Paper Coterie, the vase is one I picked up at Ikea, and the straw was one we had on hand (my kids love making smoothies).

I did edit the photos in Lightroom...just a little sharpening and increasing the blacks and saturation...plus a big crop.   Pretty cool, eh?

All and all it was a great way to spend an hour or so in the afternoon and I was very excited about my results!

I encourage you all to go out there and play!  Whether it's capturing bubbles or finding something else to shoot that is out of the norm, I know you'll have a great time and learn something new in the process.

Oh and don't forget, we'd love to see any of your images on our FB wall or a link to your photos in the comments below.

Bubble-ology--Fun with Bubbles!

Over the past few days I have been on a bubble kick.  I saw some photos of a bubbles while clicking through various Flickr streams and was inspired to go out and blow a few bubbles of my own.

However, capturing photos of bubbles is much harder than you would think.  The wind can be an issue, lighting can prove tricky and sometimes just when you think you've got the shot they pop!

If you would have happened to stop by my house last week, you would have found me running around in my backyard, waving a bubble wand in the air, and clicking away like a madwoman.   I did manage to get a couple of good shots, but I wanted more.......

This bubble is looking back at you!

So  I decided to enlist the help of my twin boys.   They were having so much fun blowing bubbles that they didn't mind the fact that I was snapping their picture.  Usually I get the "Awww mom, do you have to do that?" comment when I pull out the camera.


I love the series of photos below.  Notice that while my son N. tries to patiently and gingerly blow a bubble, that his twin brother , A., is waiting in the wings ready to pounce and pop!

If you are looking for a little challenge and fun, I highly recommend you try a little Bubble-ology.  And here is a link to some home-made bubble solutions.