Oil & Water Bubble Photography & Videography Tips | Macro Photography Tutorial

[@CrystalClearNM]

"this is one of the most common macro photography... " Thank you sooo much for this as I'm just now getting into macro photography and just absolutely blown away by this "most common photography subjects"

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you found it interesting! It's certainly worth giving this a go as you get started!

[@cskid61]

I used Christmas lights that changed colors constantly so each shot was different

[@Adaptalux]

Awesome idea! Did you have to diffuse them somehow?

[@cskid61]

@@Adaptalux I used the same thing you did. Here in the states we call them paper towels. great freaking idea by the way.

[@Adaptalux]

Thin enough to let the light through but thick enough to give some great diffusion. Handy for clearing up spills too :)

[@DavidEssex2112]

@@Adaptalux XD

[@elisabethlafontaine8979]

Sadly I don’t have an Adaptalux system yet. So I put a brightly colored scarf under my coffee table and light it with a desk lamp. Then I do what you do on top of the table. Warm water helps the oil to make lovely bubbles. Ben, thanks for getting me started!

[@chorton53]

This is one of the best videos I've seen on this kind of photography. Well done, sir !

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@suziequeen6051]

After seeing your video, I tried it. I really liked your video because it gave me the idea of how to set it up. I used "colored fairy lights" under the glass pyrex, then on top, I put a glass vase with oil & water. It worked beautifully. THANK YOU!

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you gave it a go and managed to get some pleasing results, Suzie.

[@bhalchandrakapatkar1710]

No.1 photography. 👍👍

[@carinaverhaegen34]

I love this macro photography very much and have already taken many pictures with the oil. Really nice to do in the winter period! grts Carina , Edegem Belgium.

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed the video Carina!

[@athinakyrtata3609]

Thank you for the tutorial!

[@estherdiskin3968]

Just watched this today. Really so simply delivered. Thank you. Have to try it.

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed it Esther! Thanks for watching.

[@elisabethm.lafontaine4835]

Love this! I’m saving for Adaptalux lights. In the meantime I’m using coloured scarves and a desk lamp!

[@Adaptalux]

Coloured scarves, great idea!

[@glenysrumble8513]

Just a pan of water in the kitchen sink I use. Cooking dyes can be used in combination with the rapeseed oil or washing up liquid. Not together.

[@sharihoffman1226]

I found this in a rather unique way -- I googled if it was possible to get rid of air bubbles from honey (for the purpose of photography!). I love this and wanted to pursue it and now I have your support. Thank you so much!

[@Adaptalux]

Nice to know we are out there for all the honey photographers! You might want to check out the other bubble photography video we did too, shooting the bubble suspended in dish soap - kzbin.info/www/bejne/momsoayKidh7gqM

[@BubblesPothowari]

beautiful, brilliant friendly lesson, Thank you.......

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you liked it!

[@michelemartin7276]

I’ve used colourful wrapping paper instead of coloured lighting. Works really well. Love your clever lights but balk at spending that much on a glorified torch.

[@Adaptalux]

There are indeed many other effective ways to do this kind of shot including placing coloured objects under the oil as you do! We definitely found that having an actual light source under the oil makes the kinds of smooth colours you see here much easier to achieve. There are countless objects we haven't tried though, would love to see some of your results if you have them? Ps. Do check out some of our other videos before you write it off as something less than it is. This is just one of the hundreds of ways to use the Studio, many of which would not be easy to achieve without the features of a dedicated macro lighting setup like this.

[@carlosmontecino1741]

Qué fotografías macro más hermosas !! Felicitaciones !! Congratulation , Men !! Saludos cordiales desde chile 🇨🇱

[@Adaptalux]

Gracias, estoy feliz de que te haya gustado el video!

[@liho26]

So easy and so genious! :)

[@Kishh27]

Great video! The color movements are so soothing! ❤️

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks, they really are fun to watch!

[@lisapalzer2511]

I've used all sorts of fabric and paper but i've not tried different colored lights. Sweet!

[@Adaptalux]

Worth a try for a different effect!

[@sandeepverma2807]

The best macro photography tutorial. If possible, could you please share the lights and different color filters and where can we buy them from. Also which camera and lens are you using ?

[@riyasryz]

great 👌 love it , hope you will create awesome tutorials like this

[@Adaptalux]

We have lots more tutorials on the channel!

[@adampap2007]

Thumbs up man! Thanks!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@sujithputhranartist]

You are Great 🙏 you showed me what I was searching for | I am an artist and want to blend macro videography with art and show how the colors blend and form a big painting ... thank you very much.. Subscribed your Channel and Rang the bell too 😍 Love & Respect from India 🇮🇳

[@Adaptalux]

So glad you found the video useful, welcome to the channel!

[@meandsunset]

Simple and creative. Thank you !!!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching :)

[@MrArunavadatta]

So interesting..I must try today..

[@Adaptalux]

It's a very fun project to try out!

[@sengaanthal3503]

Learning with relaxing nice

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@qkamoen]

This is really a fantastic idea!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@somyotparapin4084]

I love this.

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@ricflomusic]

Super cool thank you!

[@debsherdon628]

Thank you. This has been so incredibly helpful

[@jboone3745]

Great content, thanks.

[@Adaptalux]

Most welcome, thanks for watching!

[@sanjivvkhanna1498]

Liquid soap mix with oil will work fantastic 👍

[@thlcorner812]

Great and detailed tutorial. It's easy to follow for me as a beginner.

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@havrman]

Hi! Thanks for very nice and useful video! which tripod model?

[@Saiyasalez]

I use a 40mm macro for idk lol. But I found that with the lower minimum focus distance I did this with a tablet with a moving rainbow background in a dark room at full brightness and it came out great.

[@Adaptalux]

Some moving colours under the moving oil looks awesome, glad you got some pleasing results!

[@susanwhite7705]

Great video, cant wait to try it.

[@Adaptalux]

It's great fun! Thanks for watching Susan!

[@veronicaalessandrello1022]

I love the images of Oil droplets.

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks!

[@temporayaccoun]

Excellent bro it’s super excellent

[@ElizabethAcevedoPhotography]

Interesting! I'm looking to do more macro photography out in nature and this gives me some fun ideas.

[@Adaptalux]

Glad to hear it Elizabeth, let us know if your ideas pan out, would love to see what you come up with!

[@gMosVision]

Sorry if this was covered already. i didn't see a link or mention - What is that 3 tier light device?? Great vid.

[@gMosVision]

Nevermind - I see it's the Adaptalux Studio

[@terrywinkler-mollet2750]

Beautiful and very inspiring, greats from the netherlands

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Terry, glad you enjoyed it!

[@coopsy19]

Another great video @Adaptalux. I have watched the majority of your videos and found them to be very informative, giving me plenty of inspiration. I can confirm that the Adaptalux system is on my to buy list for 2020. I notice that you are using the Novoflex Tripod system, I've been considering this set up but have seen a few bad reports. I was just wondering if I could get your opinion on this tri pod. Regards Kevin from Scunthorpe.

[@Adaptalux]

Hey Kevin, thanks for the kind words, glad you are enjoying the videos and finding them useful! The Novoflex is a solid tripod, great construction and materials and the ball head is extremely useful and sturdy compared to others. Only thing missing is a vertical adjustment rail of some sort. If you want to tweak the height of the camera, you have to reposition the legs, which can be frustrating.

[@vincentvandenbroeck398]

Superbe merci pour ce tuto ! Thanks a lot wonderful 👍🏼

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@clarkbarrow6750]

I just found your channel and I subscribed. You put a lot of work into this video and it's very nice. Well done!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks and welcome to the channel Clark!

[@sisomphouviravong3711]

Great and detailed tutorial. It's easy to follow. Please send me a link where to purchase, thank you again!

[@Adaptalux]

Hi Sisomphou, I put a link in my other comment, but you can check it out here - adaptalux.com/ Thanks!

[@OriginalAnonymous1]

On a scale of 1-10.....1 being nothing and 10 being beyond awesome I'd give you a definite 15

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Anon, that made me smile :)

[@dreichmuth]

Very well done. What lens are you using, your lens look quite far from the subject. Thanks a lot!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Dania, It was a Tamron 90mm Macro. It could go much closer if needed but for the size of the bubbles, it worked quite well!

[@wolfamri]

Beautiful and well explained. You deserve more subscribers, so... 😉

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for the sub!

[@darhopkins5433]

Top shelf video! Excellent information, professional and inspiring enough to make me dive right into the.... (excuse the pun) oil and water. Cheers from Cincinnati, Ohio!

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed the video, come back to let us know how you got on trying it!

[@yvonnevanderweijden7087]

Top Video. Where can I get the lights?

[@Adaptalux]

They are available on our website - adaptalux.com/studio/

[@ekjibon]

brilliant idea brother, thanks for sharing

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@larrynaga]

How and what did you shoot yourself with? Great!!!!! Video, will try after I get a macro lens.

[@Adaptalux]

You mean the camera used to film the tutorial? It was just my Samsung S8+

[@Artchick1972]

Did you purchase those lights from Amazon? What are they called so i can look for them? Great ideas. I have been looking to change up my photography

[@Adaptalux]

Hi Lisa, The lighting is the Adaptalux Studio, me make it! You can learn more and purchase on our website here - adaptalux.com/studio/

[@runesndergaard-hannen775]

Really like this video - have you any experiences using text, drawings etc in a setup like this?

[@Adaptalux]

I haven't tried it, but I suspect it will have some very cool effects! Let us know if you give it a go.

[@pduffy421]

Brilliant video! Thanks. Grease proof paper may work as well as paper towel.

[@Adaptalux]

I think a couple of layers would give a really smooth effect for sure!

[@henrygarciga]

Try adding oatmeal flakes. What would confetti do ? Add heat on one end and see what it does to circulation in a circular pyrex. Use a fishbowl and dissolve vitamin c crystals or fizzing tablets of anything . I save objects that go in a fishtank and play with textures.

[@Adaptalux]

Those are some awesome ideas, I may have to do another shoot with some added ingredients.

[@vladognyanov467]

Difenetely i will make it...thank you!

[@Adaptalux]

Let us know how you get on Vlad!

[@Southfotos]

Could you please link the light you have in this video please, great video love it

[@Adaptalux]

It's the Adaptalux Studio, you can learn more here - adaptalux.com/studio

[@jeanscotland7749]

Brilliant

[@minikothari5570]

Hi there! Thank you for creating this video...really helped! I just have a quick question though...Instead of using lights under the table, can we use an image (print or digital) which would be reflected in the oil bubbles??

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed the video. A colourful screen would certainly work, a printed image would do well too, but it would need to be lit up using a bright light source.

[@minikothari5570]

@@Adaptalux Thanks a lot for responding! I plan to use an iPad to be honest, so I'm hoping that it should suffice! Thanks again for your upload and reply :)

[@michaelhodgson9471]

I add a drop of washing up liquid to the water before dropping in the oil. Makes a big difference, I think.

[@pattibright55]

i love this! ive been doing it for several yrs. however i am trying to find out how to get really clear water? would boiling help? i like to get most of the specs out and cloning is a pain. any ideas?

[@Adaptalux]

Hey Patti, I imagine most of the specs you are seeing are coming from elsewhere. Fibres from the cloth used to dry the bowl, perhaps just dust in the air settling in the water. My best advice would be to try and get everything involved as dust free as possible before you introduce water.

[@LIBERTY92676]

On my focusing distance range (on 100 mm Macro lens) what should the setting be? .3-.5? .5-infinity? or Full? Thank you

[@Adaptalux]

Probably .3 - .5 as that will get you slightly closer. Depends on your setup though.

[@JairSegal]

I love it. Thank you

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@PedroVenancio72]

Excellent I'm really looking forward to my Adaptalux, come quick, I have a Nikon D5600, i have normal kit lens, an AP-F 18-55mm and a Nikon AP-F 70-300mm, for macro what is the lens that used ma Nikon .. From Portugal greetings, Excellent product that you have ... A possible video talking about techniques with the Laser arms and UV arms.

[@Adaptalux]

Hey Pedro, our next video will be using the UV arms, and check out the recent Lego Noir video to see some lasers! We mostly use our 90mm Tamron lens for macro work. We used it in this video but it broke shortly after which is a real shame as it was a classic old school lens. With oil and water its pretty easy to use a non-macro lens, just crop your pics down a bit afterwards to capture the best bubbles in your shots! Look forward to seeing your shots when you get your pack!

[@PedroVenancio72]

@@Adaptalux thanks Ben

[@LIBERTY92676]

Thank you so much. I have not played with my 100 Macro, Used small colored twinkle "fairy" lights, but not getting the clarity that you got.

[@Adaptalux]

Fairy light work great! Clarity might be down to your diffusion or the distance between the camera, oil and lighting.

[@LIBERTY92676]

@@Adaptalux You know what, I was thinking of the same thing. Too close actually. I was seeing the lights too much and not the oil bubbles. I think the lights need to be further away. Thank you for your reply and I really love your videos. Makes me motivated during this tough time. Work went to a screaming halt.

[@stefanoguiducci6703]

great tutorial, tnx u... sorry, What brand is the lighting system you used?

[@Adaptalux]

It's the Adaptalux studio, you can learn more about it here - adaptalux.com/studio/

[@stefanoguiducci6703]

@@Adaptalux tnx a lot !

[@arabellao70]

I loved the video. Will a Canon 550D with a macro lens produce images like this? Thanks

[@Adaptalux]

Sure! The joy of this technique is that you don't need a super high end or modern camera. Just need to get it positioned right with the right colours and lighting under the oil and you're good to go.

[@mr.bitterness9123]

Thanks for this m8. I really appreciate it.

[@Adaptalux]

You are most welcome, thanks for watching!

[@kgopinathan2148]

Nice and informative. Can you please send me the details of the lighting and amazon link ❤️

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed the video, you can check out the lighting here- adaptalux.com/studio/

[@stefanievandijk7528]

I haven't tried yet but gonna! Just have to figure out how to do without the glas coffetable ...

[@Adaptalux]

Any transparent surface should do, try propping up a bowl between 2 book towers... make sure it's sturdy though!

[@shivstudio4031]

Vary vary nice

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching

[@annbemrose1321]

A very helpful and informative video! I don't seem to have the right camera, unfortunately. I have a Canon EOS T7i with an 18-55mm zoom lens and a Vivitar 2x macro lens attached to that. It's impossible to zoom in close enough to get those lovely, round bubbles and the camera won't focus on the few bubbles that do appear--there's no extra zoom dial on my camera which is much more basic than yours. I guess I'll have to wait until I can afford a real macro lens before I can expect good results with oil and water. I did try dish soap in a bottle, as demo'd in another of your videos and also had disappointing results with that.

[@Adaptalux]

Hi Ann, Sorry to hear you're not able to get close enough for this kind of shoot. The soap bubbles, in particular, do require very high magnification. Could I suggest some extension tubes as a very cheap way to get more magnification at a relatively low cost.

[@briansrcadventures1316]

Good tutorial. I need to have a go at this I think :-)

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Brian, I think you should, it's a lot of fun!

[@patricowen-meehan4210]

Followed all the instructions, instead of the lights in the video I used a prism creating a rainbow pattern in the oil and water

[@Adaptalux]

Wow that sounds cool, how did it turn out?

[@patricowen-meehan4210]

facebook.com/powenmeehan/photos/pcb.1066125597106640/1066123553773511/?type=3&theater

[@Adaptalux]

Wow, really interesting effect!

[@glenysrumble8513]

I use a washing up bowl, water and rapeseed oil, cheap fabrick paints and metallick powders/glitter/ sequins.

[@Adaptalux]

How does it look with glitter etc in the mix? I imagine you can get some interesting effects!

[@glenysrumble8513]

@@Adaptalux One gets a different image every time you move the water. metalic powders can be used i.e.gold silver copper etc., Try different mixes of colours.

[@VintigaMotion]

Very nice.

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Tim, taking some abstract inspiration from yourself!

[@男メロウ]

Great work

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@neilgroves3592]

What camera are you using please?

[@Adaptalux]

Nikon D5600

[@polyya69]

What Tripp’s ball head are you using here? Do you mind to tell which one please?

[@Adaptalux]

It's a Novoflex tripod and ball head, very good build quality.

[@polyya69]

Adaptalux thx for your answer 🙏🏻

[@paulhammond5507]

Could this be done with a 35mm prime lens as it’s all I’ve got that will go down into the F Stop 2 range ??

[@Adaptalux]

Hey Paul. I'd say you can probably get some shots with that, it depends on the minimum focus distance of your lens and how close you can get. You might struggle to fill the frame. If you need to get closer, try some extension tubes, they are a really cheap way of getting closer without a dedicated macro lens.

[@paulhammond5507]

I’ve tried it and got some great results with a bit of cropping 👍👍

[@LigaKlein]

Amazing pictures ❤️ what tripod did you use? Thanks

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks! Tripod is from Novoflex.

[@LigaKlein]

@@Adaptalux thanks for super fast answer :)

[@dibi8759]

hello sir what lights do you use? colorful lights please tell me

[@Adaptalux]

Adaptalux.com

[@dibi8759]

@@Adaptalux thanks sir!!

[@claudinchenchen]

What a good idea! I have never seen this before ;-)

[@Adaptalux]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KwentongPictrato]

hello what brand of lights are you using.

[@Adaptalux]

They are our own! you can find out more here - adaptalux.com/studio/

[@FCAMINS]

Sincerely. Could you tell me where I can find these lights that you use to do these wonders, Thank you

[@Adaptalux]

We make them! You can learn more here - adaptalux.com/studio/

[@FCAMINS]

Thank you.

[@Kyle_Hubbard]

So I tried this and couldn't get it to work. I had a glass dish, my phone, oil and water. I got two boxes the same size and placed the dish onto them, filled with water and some oil. Placed my phone underneath the dish and put on a multicoloured background. I tried with and without flash, without flash it was black and with flash all I got was just water with the oil bubbles, zero colour coming from underneath. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I am new to macro.

[@Adaptalux]

Sounds like you need to change your exposure settings to the brightness of your phone. Flash would just eliminate the colour from the screen, and on camera flash wouldn't work at all as you need to be lighting the background more than the oil.

[@sudhaphotography_921]

Very nice video

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching!

[@RmnRychv]

Nice

[@lydmarl.475]

What exactly, do you call the device with the tree colors?

[@Adaptalux]

It's the Adaptalux Studio, you can learn more on www.adaptalux.com

[@Bassbarbie]

Great video thanks - excellently presented but would much prefer no background music when you're talking.

[@Adaptalux]

It's much better balanced in more recent videos :)

[@RIDERTALE555]

SIR THANKS FOR NICE VIDEO OF PHOTOGRAPHY, I TRIED IT, WANT TO SEND SOME SAMPLES , USED VERY VERY BASIC EQUIPMENT, WHERE CAN SEND SAMPLES ??

[@Adaptalux]

[e-mail]

[@RIDERTALE555]

Send PHOTOS via mail

[@cputk7cputk7]

what lens did you use?

[@Adaptalux]

An old manual Tamron 90mm

[@johnnygilroy5213]

Super done ,I like Your explantion sir:)

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for watching Johnny!

[@patrickdavis9821]

Cool

[@maharabtamim8200]

Sir how i shot like this woth Mobile...?

[@Adaptalux]

You should be able to use all the same techniques from this video using a mobile, though a macro lens is going to be better most of the time.

[@sarair3656]

I have a Canon 77D - Not a micro camera. Is it possible I can get same result? Thanx.

[@Adaptalux]

Looks like the 77d can take different lenses, so you just need a lens that gets the subject In frame. All it takes is getting the dish in frame without showing all the edges.

[@vitorazinheira2195]

Nice video.

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks!

[@johnnyswatts]

You can just use coloured paper instead of shelling out for these lights (although these lights are just what I've been looking for to light some samples).

[@Adaptalux]

Yeah there's loads of ways to do this particular shoot, fairy lights work well too.

[@anniecrooney9640]

I am enjoying your videos very much! I have decided to dive into macro with adaptalux! Haven't decided just how deep yet! ($$$) Could you give me a hint as to what would be a good starting point?Thank you and more vids,please!?

[@Adaptalux]

Hey Annie, welcome to the macro club! The starter and combo packs are the best ones to look at if you're not sure what you need to get started. They all.come with the same control pod, so you can get more arms as and when you need them! The combo is great for getting a couple of colours and whites right out of the gate, 4 arms will give you a lot of creative options! Lots more videos to come too, don't worry :)

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

👍👍👍👍👍 Subscribed!!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Jules, welcome to the channel!

[@janicwesseling5082]

nice video!

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks Janic, glad you enjoyed it!

[@janicwesseling5082]

@@Adaptalux I subscribed! great info and things to try out myself.

[@Adaptalux]

Thanks for the sub, welcome to the channel!