Think you're looking at digital artwork created in Photoshop or Illustrator? Think again. What you're actually looking at are drops of cooking oil floating in a bowl filled with water. The concentric circles are sherbet colored because of (who would have guessed it?) construction paper.
Two years ago, Michael Krutzenbichler came across this timelapse video by Shawn Knol and was inspired to start experimenting with oil and water himself.
“I've had a rough idea what the images would look like. But to be honest, I was really surprised with the results,” the Munich, Germany-based photographer told us. “I did some tests with different light settings (ambient light vs. external strobes, different angles etc.) and at some point the oil drops looked like surreal three-dimensional objects or planets floating in space.”
When asked what the secret is behind capturing these artistic shots, he said this: “The basic setup for this kind of shot is really simple and you don't need fancy equipment: Find a glass bowl, fill it with water, add some drops of cooking oil and start shooting with a macro lens. To add color to the images, simply put some colored paper under the glass bowl.” (You can check out a set-up shot, below.)
What a fun way to create your own art!
