Burst, Break, Shatter, Fracture, Crush, Splatter, Demolish

UPDATE: Because some people (me) were really busy this week, I'm gonna extend the deadline one more week (Sep 30). For those of you who want to get a head start for October, the next topic will be "History".

-Isaac

A while ago, I saw some pictures Cary took of a water balloon bursting. I was thinking we could have a go at doing something similar. I found this site with some pretty impressive ideas to get your brain turning. You can try building a audio trigger, like this, or just take a lot of pictures till you get the timing right. Or just photograph something considerably slower than a bullet.

Last Balloon - Isaac

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I popped all of Eli's balloons trying to get this shot and kept getting it right before or right after the the burst.  This was the very last balloon, and I finally got it.

Canned Splatter - Mike
I found that I could get bigger splatter with a mason jar turned upside down due to the shallow depth. I also learned some interesting things about my flash when doing this kind of photography. I almost completely used up my battery using the pop-up flash, so I'm definitely envious of the rest of you with seperate dedicated flashes.
55 mm, f/20, 1/500 sec., ISO 400

"Sombrero" - Matt
Always wondered how they did these types of shots.
f/9.5, 1/350sec, 35mm

"Missed it" - Cary

You know those party-favor thingys that you pull a string and they "pop" and expel thin streamers? I exhausted an entire pack of 12 trying to capture one at just the right moment. This was the best attempt I managed. Just a fraction of a second too late. I'm still trying to get some other "bursting" things to work so I may update this later. Oh - I did finally post a Merit Badge shot from last week.

E-3 w/ 50mm, 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100, bounce flash

"Got it" - Cary

One of my guilty pleasures living here in the South, where all fireworks short of dynamite are legal, is submersible firecrackers. I usually have a box or two on hand. So with Trevor's help, we set about trying to capture the fireball of a firecracker explosion in a puddle in our yard. On about the 10th try, we got really lucky. The three images here are taken 0.2 seconds apart. The fireball duration is a tiny fraction of that.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 60mm, 1/250 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800

Bonus Pics:

"Racetrack" - Matt
I made a racetrack for Caleb out of old cardboard. He loves it.

"Chimpin' like a Pro" - Isaac

I just had to post this shot of one of our own demonstrating the classic "in situ image quality review and assessment technique" commonly known as chimping.

"I felt virtue go out of me" - Cary

Not long before the "chimping" picture of me was taken at a local swim meet, Isaac was alerted to my presence when, and I'm quoting here, he "felt virtue go out of [him]" as I took this shot. For those who aren't local to Vicksburg, that's his boy Eli to his left.

E-3 w/ 70-300mm @ 133mm, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100

Check Out the Poll

Hey all, I have added a poll to the side bar. Be sure to vote because I plan to use it for a future topic.  If the choice you'd pick isn't listed, hit us in the comments.

Topic: Merit Badge

Sorry about the short notice on the labor day post. Even though I did plenty of labor this weekend, I didn't have a chance to get my camera out. I hope this next topic will be better for everyone. The idea of this topic is to create an image that can be used for the cover of a BSA merit badge pamphlet cover. There are 128 merit badges to choose from, and some are new from when I was a scout (Geocaching, interestingly, is under sports). There should be plenty to get an idea for you can do. You can see the list by clicking here. You'll also be able to see the covers that are currently in use. Obviously, our goal is to make them even more awesome. You can do a collage like the current pamphlet or just a single image. If you want to add formatting or text you can or you can just submit an image only. If you opt for the image only approach, try to remember to leave some negative (empty) space so your editor has somewhere to place the title.
-Isaac

"Radio" - Mike
I didn't even know this merit badge existed when I was a scout. I got licensed as a HAM operator after Hurricane Katrina and thought it would be the best to use for this challenge. I used a constant light with a white umbrella for diffusion to the right.
55 mm, f/11, 2.2 sec., ISO 200

"Climbing" - Matt

I never got this merit badge either... come to think of it, I didn't get very many at all. Oh well, maybe I'll be better this time around.

Coin Collecting - Isaac

I never got this merit badge, but I do have a collection of coins from around the world. I was going to add text, but it didn't look very good, so I just thought I'd go with this instead. I used my nifty-fifty and a single flash, bounced. Foam-core bounce has been my go-to modifier lately.

"Insect Study" - Cary

Better late than never, right? Although I think Isaac will only give me half-credit since it's late. I did take the picture within the right timeframe - on Saturday the 11th - but it's been crazy-busy. Anyway, this very accommodating spider made a nice subject, particularly when backlit with the rising morning sun. And yes, I know that spiders aren't insects. However there are insects in the spiders' web, are there not?

E-3 w/ 70-300mm @ 179mm, 1/60 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Labor

Hey all. Matt has offered to let me have a go at this whole picking a theme thing, and so I'm gonna give it my best shot. I was thinking, with this being labor day weekend, it'd be fun to see your interpretation of what labor really means. Heck, it might even get you out of doing some work... "well, you see, I need to take a picture of you working..."
Due Wednesday September 8. Sorry I didn't give you a full week's notice on this one, you'll have a better heads-up on future topics.
- Isaac

"Wet Paint" - Cary

Angie has done the lion's share of our slooow kitchen remodel and Monday's task was painting the walls around our bay window eating area. What was I doing to help (besides the all-important task of providing photo documentation)? I was dealing with the snakes.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 24mm, f/5.6 @ 1/60 sec, ISO 100, bounce flash off ceiling

"Ravioli" - Matt

Rolling the dough for homemade ravioli.

f/1.8, 1/60sec, 50mm

Free Study

"Same Expressions" - Lisa

I found this photo of my grandson when I went back to check something in my archives and it reminded me so much for Boots expression on Shrek, I had to put it side by side...

"Farmer's Market" - Cary

Farmer's markets can be great places for colorful pictures, especially on a sunny day.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 21mm, 1/5000 sec @ f/4, ISO 100

"Uncle Lee" - Matt

He's a cool guy.

f/2, 1/125sec, 50mm