Hi Paul

Nice shots. For your first effort I am very impressed. I remember my first efforts and they were not even worthy of uploading although even now I am still trying to improve.

First one seems under exposed. Second and third look very good, I am very impressed at how well you have managed to focus.

You can certainly build from here and make some tweaks and experiment, I am sure we will be seeing some more nice shots from you.

One of the tips to add colour is instead of that reflective tin in the background you said you put, if you replace it with a coloured reflective card you will have coloured drops. A drop of water will reflect colour from an angle of approximately 120 Degrees around it, so whatever you want reflected at a particular point in the drops just adjust the colours covering that angle .

Oh and if you want to add colours reflected from the bottom I personally think a martini glass is way too high. Get a flat transparent dish like a pyrex and put coloured card or anything with colours underneath it. They will reflect better.

They look pretty good to me. The No 3 looks stunning to me with the back light and the hair with that bit of lighting around shining at it. But I would have preferred still if eyes were in focus. Did you do it purposely that way or you missed the focus?
The one walking away that you have re-edited after Martin's advice looks stunning, its worth making a poster and hanging on the wall .

Hoverfly? ahhhh its absoluely fabulous, am so green with envy .

Well done, seems that lens is an absolute stunner

Karl,

While I have no problem at all explaining any process, setup or technique used in any shots I find your comment extremely strange. Even the way you asked it is quite unusual. Was it just to make a point that nothing escapes your expert analytical eye?

If it was really to know the setup you could have just asked it simply, rather than explaining it and then asking if that was the way I did it.

So I am kind of lost with your question. And probably a PM would be more appropriate as well. That way you wouldn't be ruining other people's perception who viewed it to take a couple of minutes to think about it and come to the conclusion themselves.

I have on several occasions written and explained in details techniques and setups to many fellow members and emailed them on request.

This particular one is not exactly a brain puzzle and it doesn't take much to realise how it is done. Most of the viewers realised it if not immediately but certainly within a few minutes of analysing it they certainly found out how this is done. But none blew it off and put it in a comment like you did.
In case you missed it, didn't you notice the joking comment from Daniel Bridges regarding the levelling? That was a hint about the technique applied, and all that was in a nicely put comment.

What it annoys me in your comment is just the way you just frivolously and very childishly put it and still want me to confirm if that is how I did it.

Shim, what a brilliant idea . I definitely want to have a go at it. I love anything that exudes colour and what you just described me seems very doable. I might have a very small tungsten light somewhere in the shed, going to dig it out tomorrow and have a go at it.
Just standing wine glasses with liquid end up being boring , need some more stuff to make it entertaining . Didn't want to play with water drops today because it makes a hell of a mess and I will leave that to the very last when I am done with the wine glasses , well if I can resist it anyway .

Thanks for that tip, if I pull that one out would be awsome, a rainbow on the edge with liquid in the glass unlevelled , sounds interesting

My last of the batch which is still a crude one but looking forward to lock myself again in the shed to improve the next batch
Should be able to work on those reflections and spots and get better images on my next session.

Ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Dan.... we want to see those smoke patterns now that you have let the secret out we won't let you off the hook until we see them here

Thanks Jack , Really appreciate your vote of confidence.
Its quite fun, of course with a bit of frustration mixed at times but in the end its well worth it

Thanks again

Dan
I did notice those spots and the glass being dirty also. I was already so tired by this time that I just couldn't get myself to go out of the shed and rinse and start all over . I kept on doing that every time I moved the glasses or the glasses shook a little while I was moving etc
Oh, another thing, I will never ever leave glasses with any liquid inside overnight . Yesterday I left the glasses as they were with liquid thinking oh I will go next day and continue with the work, went in today and the moment I changed the level of water the cirular marks were there. And it was such a pain to get rid of that circle I learnt my lesson.

About the sensor mark, very possible there is dust, I will look into it later.

Today I was just happy I managed to get that tricky background sorted, and then I wanted to experiment with some smoke too . But by the time I got to it was shattered and frustrated, and tired so just got on with it as it was and did some trials .

They seem promising as I didnt expect to see some scope in it, but the moment I started putting some ideas into practise I could see that I can improve further. But that's going to be next time I am just happy that I know it can be done. Here is a small taster .

Get those smoke images you grabbed while in Wales up so that we can all see them. Knowing your ability you are going to stun us so no need to keep the suspense any longer .

Dan, did you get that level from SRS? I got to speak to Chris to see if he has more stock of those.
Anyway these are the best I could come up with, without that level you use its pretty difficult to get it spot on

One more attempt and a different version of water levels .

Got to work on that lighting so I can get the refletions out.

Dan, did as you explained and seems to make a world of difference, and this time didn't get frustrated trying to sort it out, half hour with trials and they came up better. Even had time to play with some smoke , wait for it

C&C greatly appreciatd again please.
Thank you

Dan, is that the spirit you used for your fantastic Red Kite shots?
Saw your images on the link, yes that's precisely the type of background I was looking to achieve, will try again, thanks for that tip

Gwyn,
thanks for that link, will have a go at it

I can't open that link, I am a member but is the fact that I became a member in Dec 2008 only the reason why I can't open that issue online? A bit confused here now, thought I could access that, well, anyway seems that I can't. Thanks anyway Gwyn

The background on this one looks better but then I had to chop off the third glass as the background didn't reat that one and it got half of the glass with a dark background