Liquid sculpture photography falls within the realm of high-speed photography. To explain it thoroughly would take several days. By the time I captured decent water droplet collision images, I had been experimenting for about three months.

The exposure time is unrelated to the camera shutter speed; instead, it is determined by the duration of the flash emitted by the camera's flash unit. When capturing the collision of water droplets, I use four Nikon SB-26 flash units with a flash output set to 1/64. At this setting, the duration of the flash is 1/23000 seconds, which becomes the actual exposure time. This is a fundamental principle of high-speed photography: the exposure is determined by the duration of the flash output, and this speed is much faster than the camera's maximum shutter speed (Usually 1/8000 second).

Due to the extremely fast speed of water droplet collisions, the camera's autofocus becomes ineffective. Placing a reference object at the location where the water droplet falls, focusing on the reference object first, and then locking the focus allows you to move the reference object away while maintaining the focus.

Even though the time for water droplet collisions is extremely short, an even shorter exposure time is sufficient to freeze the motion of rapidly moving objects. As long as you continue learning, experimenting, and maintain a persistent spirit, you will undoubtedly capture impressive water droplet works.

Gorgeous fringe umbrellas, Spider-Man, aliens, petite mushrooms... The prototypes of these intricate scenes are actually splashing water droplets. You might have never carefully observed the marvelous, enchanting, and soul-stirring moment when a droplet of water falls from a height. When two water droplets collide in midair, they create many shapes that you couldn't have imagined. These beautiful formations resemble precious gems, various fantastic animals like crystal crafts, making you see them as jellyfish in the ocean, mushrooms in the forest, or sparkling diamonds. It's as if you've entered a fairy-tale world, dreamlike and enchanting. However, their beauty is fleeting, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Water droplet photography is a lengthy, tedious, and challenging endeavor. Only those with strong perseverance and unwavering dedication can capture distinctive and exceptional works in this field.

I use Congnisys' The StopShot Studio Water Drop Kit as my shooting controller.