This image was created by following an iterative and experimental approach and working with the option which best suited aesthetic and physical appeal. Though my initial goal was to capture the refractive properties of different liquids by capturing an image of their contrasting “reflection” on a nearby surface, I found that all of my light sources were too diffused and I did not have the proper equipment to properly capture the phenomenon. Following this, I tried taking images from above of food dye in water to examine their behavior – however this by itself led to some uninteresting results. To counteract this I added olive oil to the mixed solution and captured the point at which the surface tension of the bubbled oil on the surface began to break down and form larger connections. This breakdown of surface tension was reminiscent of cellular division, albeit the other way around.

This image was captured by holding a camera above a plastic container full of water, green and blue food dye, and extra virgin olive oil in a dark room with 3 point lights reflecting off of one side of the container. The scene was surrounded by black posters with a white poster on bottom.

Captured on a Fujifilm X-T30 II with settings: 1/180 SS, ISO 4000, f/5.2, 9100 K WB, 200% DR.

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