Exploding Water Balloon Art
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With the rise in popularity of shows like Time Warp, it’s easy to see the appeal for images of super-slowed-down events. For those of you who have not seen the gloriousness that is Time Warp, it’s an awesome show on the Discovery Channel where Jeff Liberman, an MIR scientist, teacher, and artist, pairs up with high-speed camera expert Matt Kearney to explore the mundane in slow motion. They examine every day occurrences in our lives, from rain drops calling or piercing an ear, and even more extreme things like gunshots, explosions, and X-Games stunts. Even the seemingly boring activities in our lives look insanely interesting under the lens of a high-speed camera.
London-based photographer Edward Horsford seems to have been inspired by these experiments and has created a very exciting series featuring water balloon explosions. It took some training and a lot of patience, but he finally mastered the art and technique in timing the exact moment a water balloon bursts, resulting in some incredible photographs. He explained, “I started these as a way to challenge myself technically and creatively.” It’s great to see that he wanted to push himself, set a goal, and achieved it. Makes me inspired to come up with a creative project of my own and see how far I would possibly push it!
Horsford built his very own set-up for the challenge. He built his own trigger for the camera, which was customized to adapt to exactly the right speeds for the balloon burst. The set itself is simply a black backdrop with a flashlight focused on the main point of the image. By experimenting with composition, lighting (strobes!), different angels, and color combinations in the water, his photographs come out looking super-interesting. The actual process to take these pictures is so complex that no two pictures are even the same! What’s so cool is that the form of the water within the balloon seems to hover in mid-air just after the balloon snaps. It looks like someone is actually holding a ball of water! Check out his other photos below, and prepare to have your mind blown.
Edward Horsford Website
Edward Horsford Twitter
