Settings: Aperture Priority, f/6, ISO 200
Last year was the first time I tried to freeze bubbles. I was very unsuccessful and gave up, moving on to things like sunsets and walking on the Lake which had frozen over all the way out to the breakwater and beyond. This year I was determined to make it work. I tried several different mixtures and the best so far is 3 cups water, 1 cup blue Dawn, 1/2 cup corn syrup. It works really good if you can let it sit for a few hours after mixing.
One of the things that has kept me from success is the constant breeze that we seem to get at my house. We have had temps in the negative teens, but always accompanied by wretched winds that make it impossible to even try. Another thing is trying to maneuver both the bubble blowing AND try to take photos with a DSLR all while dodging the gusts of wind. Even a slight breeze can foil the best bubble. Having a willing partner who will sit and get their hands wet and cold (and maybe their bum too) and blow the bubbles for you makes a huge difference.
Yesterday my neighbor and business partner Julie was up for the challenge and we got to work. It was a bit breeze as usual but we hunkered down in the shelter of my house and managed to get a few. I used a colored paper plate as a tray in hopes of creating contrast, as we were only able to get one bubble to live on the snow and it was tiny.
On the snow this one looked like a pearl to me.
You can see my friend's and my reflection in this one :)
This morning I went out again as there was almost NO breeze at all. Julie was busy so I had to try by myself. This time I was able to use my patio table which has a good foot of snow on it, and get beneath the bubbles to create a darker background. The frost patterns showed up much better and I even got some swirlies as the freezing process was happening. I colored the snow with food coloring to add some interest.
Double bubble (yes I know it looks like a butt lol)
This one popped and after looking at the photo on my computer I realized it had two tiny snowflakes perched on it!
I shined an LED light on this one and it created a little red leaf!
Every bubble is so different. They all start out the same but the frost patterns move this way and that as the air pushes the solution around. It is so beautiful and fun to watch.
Close up of frost pattern growing. You can see a tiny snowflake is formed in the center of each design!
I hope you enjoyed my photos! It is hard work getting everything orchestrated and getting out there during the right conditions but once you do it is really rewarding! And if you have children it is really fun to show them how different bubble mixtures can give different results, and to let them watch the process of a frost pattern grow before their eyes :)
Autumn watching me from the window haha!
