CREATE AN OILY ABSTRACT

Mike Harris shows you how to cook up a storm by combining oil and water to produce eye-catching graphic effects

- Mike Harris

1 HOUR If you paid attention back in science class you’ll recall that oil and water don’t mix. When you combine the two liquids, the insoluble oil rises to the surface and clumps together, and this very often results in the formation of perfectly round droplets that make fantastic abstract subjects.

Oil and water photography is an ideal technique for beginners looking to embark on a dedicated project, because it doesn’t require much equipment and can deliver excellent results. We captured our images with a macro lens and a tripod with a tilting centre column, which enables us to fix our camera in a top-down position. While both of these items are preferable, standard kit lenses often have decent close-focusing capabilities, and it’s quite possible to achieve fast enough shutter speeds to enable you to shoot handheld.

Household items make up the rest of your setup, and once you’ve nailed this relatively simple technique you can begin experimenting with various compositions and backgrounds. Something as simple as coloured paper can work well, but making your own backgrounds is hugely rewarding. Abstract paintings are ideal, and we used digital creations displayed on an old tablet screen; while paper needs to be illuminated using continuous lighting, the bright LED screen of a tablet acts like a lightbox.

A word of warning: exercise extreme caution when placing electronic devices near liquids, and never connect them to a power source when doing so!

Everything you need to capture awesome oil-bubble abstracts

1 CAMERA AND LENS