Water is amazing! High-speed macro shots reveal the beautiful forms created by the surface tension of water.
To set this up, I filled a red plastic bowl full of water. I suspended a bag of water above, then poked a pinhole, resulting in a regular drip into the bowl. The key to freezing motion is flash. I used an external flash. Shutter speed was 1/180s, but the flash is much quicker, and the illuminated pixels overpower the darkness. So the quickly moving water was frozen by short capture time. Once I had everything set up, I sat there and took a bunch of photos, trying to get the perfect timing, just after the water drop impacted the water bowl. I narrowed down my hundred or so photos to these four.
Taken outdoors on a summer day, I like how the flash illuminates dust particles in the background. I find it fascinating how the clear water reflects the red bowl below.
Taken with the Pentax K-S2 and Super-Danubia Auto Zoom MC 80-205mm f/4.5, a vintage telephoto lens.
Shutter: 1/180
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400