TOP TIPS CLOSE-UP KIT

Everything you need to capture awesome oil-bubble abstracts

1 CAMERA AND LENS

You can use any close-focusing lens , but if you’re using an interchangeable lens camera we’d recommend using a dedicated macro lens with a 1:1 ratio for the very best results. We paired our Nikon D800 with the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD.

2 TOP-DOWN TRIPOD

It’s possible to shoot handheld, but a tripod allows you to fine-tune your framing, and leaves your hands free to manage your subject and backgrounds. A tripod with a tilting central column is essential, as this will allow you to shoot from a top-down angle.

3 GLASS DISH

A glass oven dish will allow your background to show through – just make sure you give it a quick buff beforehand! Ours had the brand name etched into the bottom, but a couple inches of water, combined with shallow depths of field, completely blurred this out.

4 BUILD A BASE

Your glass dish needs to sit a couple of inches above your work surface so that you can place various backgrounds beneath it. We used four small tin cans to evenly elevate our cookware, but you could use any household items that you have to hand.

5 OIL AND DISH SOAP

We used olive oil to make our bubbles, but vegetable or sunflower oil should work too. A neat trick is to add a couple drops of washing up liquid to your solution – this helps the bubbles retain their form, and appear more prominent by providing slightly more relief.

6 TABLET TIP

The traditional way to create the background is to use coloured paper or a painted background and continuous lighting, but a neat trick is to display your background on a tablet or smartphone screen to provide both vibrant colours and adequate illumination.