Any tips on photographing ice ...... from the fridge?

[bobt]

I'm about to photograph a lump of ice in the shape of, and around the size of a tennis ball. Clearly I shall have to work out focussing issues, lighting and metering ahead of time as I won't have a lot of time before it melts.

Has anyone any experience shooting ice on this close-up level? Any clues for getting the best image? It may be that it ends up being a B&W image - and I'm thinking a black background would be good.

I had a quick practice with an ice block, but it looked pretty ordinary .... so perhaps there's something special required?

[ricktas]

I reckon the trick might be to get some light behind the ice and coming forward through it. Could make it look very interesting.

[Big Pix]

......add salt to the mix before freezing ....... it will slow the melting

[bobt]

Thanks for those ideas ... I'll try those - and maybe adding a bit of blue food dye to the water, that might add something. Not a lot of stuff on the 'net about this - they all seem to use fake ice made from plastic!

[triptych]

Does it have to be just ice by itself? I think freezing slices of fruit such as oranges in the ice would make it look good

[bobt]

Does it have to be just ice by itself? I think freezing slices of fruit such as oranges in the ice would make it look good

Actually, it'll have a coin inside it .... and it's for a competition so it has to be a coin. That's why I'm thinking of B&W - a silver coin and Ice hasn't got much else going for it!

[algee]

Sounds interesting - I'm thinking cold hard cash?

I tried something similar with a chilli inside a block of ice, but I couldn't get it to work - eventually I just went with the ice blocks and chilli side by side - just natural light from above I seem to remember. The interest came from the bubbles and distortions in the ice, the bending and refraction of the red b/g and contrast of the cold and hot.

Maybe you could heat a coin/coins and force them half way into the side of the ice block and re-freeze for a different effect. Experiment with different coloured b/gs (or even oof paper notes or more coins?)

Let us know how it goes. Good luck

[bobt]

Sounds interesting - I'm thinking cold hard cash? Maybe you could heat a coin/coins and force them half way into the side of the ice block and re-freeze for a different effect. Experiment with different coloured b/gs (or even oof paper notes or more coins?) Let us know how it goes. Good luck

You've got it in one! That's my title anyway - we have to combine any two of a number of specified items in one photo, and two of the things are money and a sphere. The problem has been making an ice sphere which I achieved eventually by splitting a rubber ball in two, freezing water in the two halves and sticking them back together. The aim then is to do as you suggested and heat a coin enough for it to sink half-way in.

It's taken most of the time to get the ice ball to work, so soon I'll be on to the actual photo!

I'm thinking of scraping some frost from the freezer to scatter around it, but I'll need to be quick before it melts .... I'll let you know how it goes.

[bobt]

Sounds interesting - I'm thinking cold hard cash?
Let us know how it goes. Good luck

Well ... it wasn't all that successful, but here was what I ended up with ....

[algee]

Hmm - I see what you mean, Bob.

Good idea which you followed through.