Creativity with Oil and Water

There are lots of ways to be creative at home. Here is one project that can be done with a pan of water and a teaspoon of oil.

Setting Up, Step By Step

• Place a clean glass dish on two cans.
• Add some water to the dish – we find room temp to cold water best.
• Add a teaspoon of cooking oil (does not seem to matter which kind, we have tried sunflower, walnut, coconut, olive oil, and avocado oil).
• Stir gently with a plastic or wooden utensil to get more bubbles.

• We use our M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8 lens, usually choosing F2.8 to F4 for the aperture. Try to get your camera as parallel to the glass dish as possible. A tripod with an articulating arm can make this easier, but it can be done handheld.

• For lighting you can use a cheap desk light, or a flashlight.
• For additional creativity, can use a colored flashlight (or place a gel on your flashlight with a rubber band or gaffers tape). You can also place scrapbook pages underneath the glass as another way to get colored bubbles.

Here are some examples of what you can capture with this activity!

Instagram: @lisaandtomphotos

Lisa and Tom Cuchara are known for their "Creativity is Contagious, Pass it on" philosophy, expertise in teaching Photography and Photoshop, inspirational & informative photo workshops, two books published with Amherst Media, and numerous award-winning photographs. They enjoy sharing their passion and knowledge.

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