High Speed Photographs Capture Bullets Bursting Colorful Water Plumes

Apparently, shooting pellets at water droplets is a surefire way to make aquatic forms that look like alien flora.

by Beckett Mufson

August 25, 2014, 8:00pm

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The rare moments before and after a water droplet forms have been the subject of artistic curiosity countless times, from the Joachim Sauter's bronze droplet kinetic sculpture to Yugo Nakamura's artificially composed rainstorm symphony. South African photographer Francois Loubser adds a splash of color to this line of artistic inquiry with a series of high-speed photos that capture the moment a small projectile smashes into tiny plumes of pigmented water.

A sophisticated, computer-controlled rig gives Loubser the attention to detail he needs to capture the precise moments of impact. "It can take 100 to 200 shots to start," Loubser told The Daily Mail. "Then you start taking proper images. Probably 200 to 500 shots will yield five to 10 great images."

Loubser uses water softener to aid the process, encouraging the liquid to jump higher, and hold itself in interesting shapes. The time-intensive technique yields extraordinary forms and liquid configurations—the punctured droplets wind up looking like anything from alien trees to skinny, surreal hula hoop dancers. All the snapshots benefit from expertly chosen color palettes that form dreamy sunsets or vivid tongues of flame to set the photograph's mood.

Below are a few of Loubser's fantastical water droplets, precision frozen by his lense. J.J. Abrams take note: we think these would look great on a strange and foreign planet in galaxy far, far away.