Splash - Frozen in Time - A Food Photography Challenge

A moment frozen in time.  Droplets suspended in mid air.  An eruption of milk unseen by the naked eye.  And all possible with the simple click of a shutter.

I can freeze time.

A little over 15 years ago a smiling nurse placed a squirming ten pound bundle into my waiting arms, and tears streamed down my plump cheeks as I held my first child.  We got to know each other as he gazed up at me, and I felt that he would be my little boy forever.

I wished I could freeze time.

Five years later he went off to kindergarten and cried the whole day because he missed mommy so much.  As school let out, he ran into my outstretched arms burying his face into my neck and told me how much he missed me.

I wished I could freeze time.

Three years later he needed my help as he studied for various vocabulary and math tests.  We'd sit on the couch together and after I tested him on his vocab he would lean his head on my shoulder and we'd chat about his day.

I wished I could freeze time.

A few years after that, he moved to the middle school campus and was just a little afraid on the first day.  A hug from mom sent him on his way, and I watched him stand tall as he stepped out of the car and walked into school, without me... never looking back.

I wished I could freeze time

Today he is still is my little boy, but that little boy is now 5 feet 11 inches, and chuckles as he gazes down on me while mentioning how short I seem to be.  He stays up at night longer than I do, and while he still asks me to test him on his vocab (Spanish now), I can no longer help him in math.  After I test him, he tosses a quick thanks my direction, but no more does he lean on mommy's shoulder and chat about his day.

I wish I could freeze time.

Two years from now he will head off to college.  I know I've done my job well, and that he will be prepared.  He will be confident, and he will make good choices.  My little boy will head out into the world and he will be successful.  And he won't need me to help with his vocab.

My heart wishes I could click that shutter and freeze time just like I did with the liquid in this martini glass, but my head tells me that its for the best that I can't.  Life was meant to be lived, and part of living is letting go.

I can't freeze time.

While this photography challenge pushed me to achieve an image I didn't think I could capture, it was extraordinarily fun.  The whole family got involved, even that little/tall boy.  We all took turns dropping "things" into various liquids as we clicked the shutter and gasped in awe as we froze time, or alternatively burst out laughing as we ended up missing the glass altogether.  Dropping something and timing the shutter to catch that drop at precisely the right moment is amazingly difficult and I have reams of footage of absolutely nothing.

Most tutorials suggest a stobe, or a sort of flash that syncs to your camera but is wireless, however, that equipment remains on my wish list.  Our images were shot with my Canon EOS 60D using my Canon EF-S 60mm Macro Lens
.  Lighting worked far better in the twilight hours of the day as I backlit my subject with a Lowel EGO Light and side lit the subject with Liv's halogen reading lamp (how's that for professional?!!).

While I had the most success with the liquid in the martini glass, I also had a full set up trying to catch drops of milk.  Making my attempt in the late afternoon I quickly gave up as the lighting was less than desirable and left the setup unattended on the table.  Hours later, I returned to the kitchen at twilight to find Liv and her friend Audrey giggling and snapping away while dropping drops of milk into a glass with a baby medicine dropper.  The scene brought warmth to my heart and these talented girls caught the following images.

 I wish I could freeze time...

For more stunning splash photography, work your way around our Food Photography & Styling Group's circle starting with Kay Pickens, a Food Photographer in Colombia, MO.