Floating Florals

I embarked on a personal photo project inspired by artist Robert Peek. Peek creates stunning floral images shot in a fish tank surrounded by water and ink. These images are mesmerizing, so abstract and ethereal. I wanted to replicate his process with my unique spin. I knew that with trial and error would come authentic learning. With each experimental shoot, I have improved and found my rhythm. I am glad to share my tips, tricks, and images with you. I hope they will inspire you to try something similar. 

Supplies:

I didn't want to buy any new materials for this project except the white ink. I found a small container on Amazon. I used a glass cylinder vase I already had in my vase collection. This type of container kept the project more manageable and allowed me to shoot the flowers in a macro close-up manner. I had to keep the flower stems short to fit them under the water, but this allowed me to focus on the small details versus the larger flower stems. A larger container would enable you to capture more of the entire flower. I used a flower frog to hold the flowers in the bottom of the vase; a critical component of shooting submerged flowers in water. I used a dark green and dark blue backdrop behind the vase which helped showcase the ink. I was working in an area without natural light so I used an LED light. A key to this project is managing your light and reflections.

Gear:

I chose a macro lens for this project due to the size of my container and flowers. This enabled me to get a closer and different view, of the flowers. You can use any lens and setup that works for you. Using a tripod with a shutter release can help. 

Flower setup: 

I chose to shoot with bright-colored flowers. I cut the flower stem to a height that would allow the flower to be under the water in the vase—placing the flower frog with the flower in the vase with clear water. After that, I took some practice shots for exposure and light management. Managing the light in a home setup is very challenging. You may need extra light or to block light that causes reflections. I had an LED light handy and some black foam board to help with blocking light. The key is to reduce the reflections, and if you still have them, ensure they are not near your subject. You can remove some reflections in post-processing. Once I established my settings. I set my camera’s self-timer to 10 seconds. [p1] 

Shooting: Once you are ready to go, get your ink ready. Using the 2-second timer on the camera or interval shooting, place a little ink in the water and shoot. You want to shoot quickly as the ink settles and clouds the water. You only have a few minutes to shoot before it fills the water. First I shot on the tripod, then I removed my camera and moved around the vase to get different views. 

Key Learnings:

The most significant learning is managing the light and dripping the ink where you want it and in small increments. I did use a dropper for the ink as my ink bottle did not come with one. Plan to mess up a couple of times, and then you will get the hang of it. I enjoyed the process and the gorgeous images. I want to continue to shoot flowers from my garden with this technique and create an entire series. 

Let me know if you try it and what results you get!