For my final assignment, I decided that I wanted to imitate a photograph taken by Harold Edgerton. Edgerton was born on April 6, 1903. He went to school at the University of Nebraska in 1925, where he became an electrical engineer and photographer. He is known for using high-speed shooting techniques which aided him in scientific uses. The photograph that I wanted to imitate of Edgerton’s is titled Drop of Milk Splashing into a Saucer of Milk, and it was taken in 1936. The photograph shows exactly what the title describes. The saucer is placed in front of a black background.
For my imitations, I got a white shallow plate from my kitchen and set it on a stool. Due to the fact that I do not have professional lights or backgrounds at home, I had to improvise. I use 3 lights that I could point toward the plate. I set one on top, the right side, and the left. From here, I found a black t-shirt that I hung in the background. I then had my little sister stand on a tall stool and use a stray to drop a singular drop of milk into the saucer. This causes the same effect that Edgerton used! My camera settings were set to be the same for every picture: ISO 2000 (which I wish wasn’t so high but was working with what I have at home), shutter speed 1/8000, and f/ 4.5. Although it was definitely hard to set up with minimal resources, I think my photos have a very similar look what Edgerton developed. I decided to keep the splashes of milk that went up into the black because it gives the photos an almost “space” look. It almost makes you wonder if the photo was taken on the moon! Overall, I am happy with how these photos turned out. I think that keeping the specks of water really helps to bring my own creative touch on the photos.One thing that I would do differently if I had the resources would be to have a brighter light on the saucer. Having a brighter light would help to combat the high ISO causing a slight grainy look.
PhotoChronologies 