Page 2 - Fluidism Diary
Robert Kernodle
07-01-2007 - Genre within Genre
In today's session, I realized that the run style (down the tilted bowl's side) and the pool style (within the bowl's contents) might best be considered as two styles in the same genre.
I used plain water, plain oil and acrylic paint,... alternating between the two styles.
At the end, I shot two frames of the mock-pool cut-out painting that I made on 06-11-2007.
This was a diox purple day.
Also, while taking the photographs, I alternated between f/16 and f/22,... using f/22 on the deeper run style.
07-03-2007 - Mixed Results
Results from 06-29-2007 were so so,... maybe one outstanding shot from the session.
Results from 07-01-2007 were more spectacular,... with nine outstanding shots from that session.
Acrylic in the mix definitely tends to cause formations that catch my eye more strongly. Oil in oil on a pool of water (without acrylic) tends to cause less impressive formations.
07-23-2007 - Aqua Lumen
Any given style can be the foundation of its own distraction from itself. Other directions can evolve from the main style.
A diversion from fluidism, thus, has occupied me for the past two days. While still attuned to liquid, this diversion does not concern liquid's turbulent inner geometry. Instead, the concern is with liquid contained by glass vessels - how sunlight can shape edges, reflections, shadows and focal depth through glass and water.
Seeing that clear galss containers do not provide nondistracting backgrounds for fluidism, I nonetheless notice fulfilling geometric patterns formed by clear water and the clear glass container itself. Photographed close-up and at varying angles, water in glass, illuminated by sunlight, is a fascinating subject. If successful, then I'm thinking of denoting a series of images based on this idea, calling it by the name, Aqua Lumen.
As with many of my attempts, this diversion was driven by happenstance: I happened to be at a wedding where the bride and groom gave away their clear glass flower vases. I claimed two. I have broken one already during this latest exploration.
Also,... continuing my experimenting with fluidism, I recently introduced the use of a round, black food tray, on which to stage fluid flow events. The tray, properly used, was too reflective, so I turned it over and used the reverse side, which had shallow, centrally-radiating grooves on a matt finish. I think that I might have captured some outstanding images from both these latest efforts.
07-25-2007 - RESULTS... Aqua Lumen
Eight respectable images resulted from recent experiments with sun-illuminated glass vessels containing water.
Two standout images also resulted from recent fluidism explorations on a black food tray.
The possible variety of fluidism images far exceeds the possible variety of Aqua Lumen images, which seem to be only a sideshow series resulting from the failure of clear glass vessels to evolve fluidism further.
07-26-2007 - More Aqua Lumen
A perfectly clear morning, together with a personal conviction that I could improve, drove me to do another session with glass/water/sunlight.
A spherical vase alone is an extended study, because of variables like lighting conditions, angles of view, and background colors. Each change of these variables offers a potentially unique image. Each different combination of these variables offers even more unique images.
Maybe there is not enough variation in the final image to consider it a different work, but there is enough variation to determine whether one image is the BEST image of a particular configuration.
Autofocus is usually useless with this sort of subject. Consequently, I have been forced to become more comfortable with focusing manually. I also have become aware of yet another possible variable: choice of focal plane.
To review and clarify, we have the following variables:
* cloud conditions
* sun angle
* latitudinal angle of view
* longitudinal angle of view
* background color
* glass color (only clear explored so far)
* water color (food coloring NOT explored yet)
* focal plane
I see now that I could eat up alot of shots, fully exhausting this exploration to find the best images.
Fluidism has a temporary competitor.
08-01-2007 - Colored Water for Aqua Lumen
Yesterday I made yellow-green water with food coloring. I thorougly washed a crystal tapered drinking glass and buffed it dry with paper towels, careful not to touch it with bare hands, since this causes unwanted finger prints. Cautiously filling the glass with colored water to avoid splatter drops, I continued my latest diversion with glass, water and sunshine.
Results were good - four outstanding shots.
The particular glass that I used projected extremely fine crisscrossing lines of white light, as well as green curvaceous fine-lined interference patterns in areas of shadow.
Precise tiny angles of the sun make a subtle noticeable difference in the specific expression of colors, exact projections and particular reflections of colors. I do not know that I could judge these subtleties on a digital camera's view screen. I think that I see them best on film transparencies on a light table, which is how I do things now.
08-07-2007 - The Inner Journey
These notes that I make must seem trivial, by comparison to significant struggles in the world. Here I sit (comfortable, well fed, housed, unthreatened physically, composed in relatively peaceful silence) scribbling words about my own isolated visual preoccupations.
Even so, I think that this must be a goal of living - to arrange circumstances so that these seemingly trivial instances of self awareness reach a peak. Each person can have an inner journey worth writing about, even if no audience ever reads the written account. A person does good to write his own story for himself, creating a verbal mirror to see the shape of his own conscious reflection.
My latest preoccupation with sunlit, water-filled vessels continues. I seem to be disatisfied with my best shots so far. I think that I only now am getting started here - into the groove of what I need to be doing. I think that I can do better to capture the concept of Aqua Lumen.
I've got to separate the more practical shots from the more abstract shots,... focusing on those subtle light projections as key components of each image representing this named theme.
I need to clean up the background more,... fine tuning my choice of what surface covering will render the warm, earthy feel that I seem to prefer.
There are different sub-themes that I can develop, based on water color and background color alone.
09-21-2007 - Bathroom Session No. 1
At this time of year, a unique harmony of everyday house fixtures and sun position allows great light for a brief 15-minute time span. This harmony of conditions happens in a little bathroom, where a sink acts as tabletop, window acts as opening to light, sun acts as main light source, and transluscent shower curtain acts as light diffuser screen.
I use a round, black, shallow, plastic food tray whose shinny inside surface I have sanded to a dull finish. I level this tray on the sink with two kitchen knives. Into level tray, I put water, oil, and acrylic pigments. There's just enough clearance around the tray (at proper angle) to set up tripod and camera.
I pre-set all necessary elements early, because I have to be ready to move fast, since usable light lasts only 15 minutes.
There's a comical irony about being able to do some of my best work near the toilet,... able to flush artfully-contemplated liquid down a porcelain bowl, after its short-lived peak patterns are gone.
04-21-2008 - Fluidism Concepts - Press Releases
Press Releases
09-05-2008 - Soap Film Surface Patterns
Tiny displays of beautiful patterns slide across soap film surfaces. I have mentioned this phenomenon before in these entries, but recently I have focused on it more intensely. In knowledgeable circles, this is a well known phenomenon.
My nearsightedness enables me to look inside a partly filled bottle of diluted dishwashing liquid and see tadpole-like drops moving into and out of paisley-like masses of turbulence on the soap film surfaces. I have to orient the bottle at certain angles in daylight to reveal these displays. Soap films are connected in an intricate honey-comb-like arrangement that refracts and reflects daylight into a spectrum that provides the color background on which patterns emerge.
Again, these constantly moving colorful patterns are extremely small and visible only close up at particular angles of light. They are clearly defined, with awe inspiring complex details. I see them as dynamic artworks. Unfortunately, with my current technical limitations, I cannot capture the pattern details as close as I would like for others to see.
I found the following reference by a photographer more experienced in this area
than I currently am:
Photographing Soap Film Colors
09-21-2008 - My First Soap Film Explorations
My revived interest in soap film patterns led me to the following reference:
Karl E. Deckart Soap Bubble Gallery
My interest also led me to the following very basic soap film science reference:
Soap Film Science Basics
After reading these references, and realizing my own limitations, today I attempted capturing soap film patterns as close up as my current camera allowed.
I used equal parts glycerin, Joy concentrated dish detergent and water to make a solution inside a clear glass globe, approximately eight inches in diameter with a four-inch circular opening at one end (a spherical flower phase, in other words). I used my kitchen window as a makeshift light box by placing a piece of tracing paper on the screen behind the glass sphere to diffuse light and make a more neutral background in the main view. I used black foamcore to box in the bottom ledge and right side to create a dark ground where soap film patterns might show up better. More generally, all this cleaned up the side and bottom view.
Now the challenge was to shake the globe to excite bubble/film formation, while washing down excess foam from the inner surface to create a clean view, while moving fast enough to take a light reading and position the globe, before the color patterns dispersed or the bubbles popped. And keep moisture and soap off the camera and lense! A bit tedious and on the edge.
I will view my results soon.
10-01-2008 - First Soapfilm Exploration RESULTS
I successfully captured soap film events that I photographed recently, but I did not capture the art of them. My background that consists of white tracing paper and black foam core is too busy -- the split is too distracting. All black is the best way to go. If I crop several of my first images, then I might achieve suitable artistic images. Other than these images, I mostly documented the phenomenon, rather than making clean art shots of the phenomenon.
The challenge is to make a black background around a transparent, glass, spherical container that allows adequate illumination without permitting excessive glare or reflection off the glass. First, I built a stage from leftover plywood (painted black) with black foamcore walls on two sides, only to discover that it did not work -- too much reflection off the glass sphere. Next, I went back to my kitchen window to attempt improvements, since light on the sphere seemed perfect here. My solution was: (1) paint the bottom inner window casing black, (2) measure, cut and place a piece of black matt board on the right inner window casing, (3) raise part of the inner window casing to the height of the windowsill to make a flat shelf to support the glass sphere - I used another piece of plywood, painted black, with two screws along one edge for leveling on the slanted inner window casing ledge, (4) cut varying size pieces of foamcore to experiment with boxing in the right side in such a way that just enough light illuminated soap films while keeping the whole background field of view black. I eliminated the white tracing paper diffuser altogether.
I also am attempting to improve my bubble mixture by allowing it to sit for a day or so, as one of my references suggests.
I have not tried all these latest adjustments yet, but soon . . .
10-03-2008 - Improved Windowsill Setup
Today I tried my new setup. The sky was perfectly clear all day, so one light level setting lasted for the entire duration of my shoot. Still problematic was washing excessive foam from the glass sphere's inner surface, after shaking it to make bubbles. Currently I am using a dishwashing liquid container filled with water as a washer bottle -- I need a better squeeze bottle with a curved spout to aim the water stream more accurately and with greater speed. On the other hand, my fix for sealing the top of the glass sphere (while shaking) worked better than expected: I used a plastic food storage container lid, fitted with double thick paper towels that I cut to fit, duck taped to secure, and moistened to seal more tightly. I simply pressed this makeshift seal onto the sphere's opening, while holding it tightly as I shook up-and-down for two vigorous strokes.
My newly contrived, all black background seemed to work too. I did have to cover another window with a blanket to control excessive reflections caused by such a bright day.
As for bubble lifetime, glycerin definitely extends longevity of soap films.
I need to use a few remaining shots on the current roll of film, before seeing results.
10-09-2008 - Results Of Improved Windowsill Set Up
The improved windowsill setup was moderately successful. Eight images stand out as best of the bunch. Four of these eight seem best as a series -- eventually I will scan these to post online. Most of the other photos from this session seemed slightly overexposed; I'll reduce by one half stop next time in similar light conditions.
My current technical limitations prevent me from capturing close ups of patterns on any one soap film -- not enough magnification, and too little light with a slow film. Instead, what I capture are color patterns on GROUPS of bubbles or on GROUPS of soap FILMS that are interconnected. "Bubblescapes", I could call them. I consider all this as fluidism -- a branch of fluidism that focuses on SOAP and WATER.
My fluidism, in general, might be approaching the end of an era, since (as of Jan. 1, 2009) the last E6 film processing lab in my town will shut down. Photo fluidism, thus, might go on hold for a while, later to evolve digitally, OR it just might end. Cost of E6 processing has gone up, and additional costs to mail out film for developing would make the whole endeavor less attractive, plus there would be increased turn-around time to see results.
10-17-2008 - Continuing Soap Film Studies
Two days ago, I set up more soap films to photograph. I brought back tracing paper as a light diffuser and background, because last session's images showed tree reflections in the soap films without it -- not a bad thing, but I wanted a more neutral effect. I also was more sensitive to reflections off the glass container, so I controlled these better by placing black cloth and black foam core over light colored objects in the room (including my forehead). I probably have achieved my best results with these limitations. I am pleased with results that I see today -- maybe ten good images.
The more I look at fluid structures, the more I am convinced that all structures are fluid. Liquid is capable of forming membranes, chambers, and networks of chambers made of membranes. Liquid can form spheres, tears and orderly lines that agglomerate into significant compounds of these. Cells, tissues and organs of our living bodies only could have come from such fluid dynamic structures.
A fluid universe has no other choice but to lead to life. We, thus, are the universe come to know itself. We are NOT bodies separated from a god that created us -- we are puddles of God, if we choose to speak in these terms. This fluid God does not think and act from a central point that extends his/her will over all creation. There is NO "mind of God", in the same way there is a finite mind of man. God's mind is infinite and eternal; it cannot be contained, nor can it comprehend itself; it cannot exist as we name it.
This cosmic mind, then, is a selfish concept, from a selfish act of branding reality in the image of a human organism. A more proper act is to brand our human organism in terms of the greater general concept, which is "fluid". Fluid is God. Fluid is humankind. We all are one in the same being.
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