Water Drop Photography with the Nokia Lumia 1020 Smartphone Camera

Introduction § The Nokia Lumia 1020 Smartphone includes an advanced

camera that takes high-resolution photos in a Raw format § This demonstration shows how the Lumia 1020 can be used

to take stop-action shots of water drop collisions

Equipment Used § Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone with Nokia Pro Cam app § StopShot controller with water-release valve and infrared

beam sensors, from Cognisys, Inc. § Yongnuo YN560 III electronic flash unit § Two small tripods, for flash and smartphone § One large tripod with horizontal arm to support water valve § Glass dish to hold water

Equipment Setup

Operation of Equipment § Button on StopShot is pressed to trigger release of two drops

of water in rapid succession toward dish of water below § When first drop passes beam from infrared sensors, the flash

is triggered after a specified delay (approx. 300 msec) § About same time that StopShot is triggered, shutter on

camera phone is pressed to trigger one-second exposure § During the one-second exposure, in darkened room, the flash

is triggered as the water drops collide

Settings on Camera Phone and Flash Unit § App used is Nokia Pro Cam § Shutter speed is set to one second § Exposure compensation is adjusted automatically by the app § Manual focus is used, focusing on a small object in the pan

of water where the drops will hit; then object is removed §  ISO is set to 200 § Flash on camera phone is turned off § Yongnuo flash is set to manual mode, at 1/128 power

Screen Shot of Camera Phone § This shot shows screen of Nokia Lumia 1020 while set up to

take a photograph of a water drop collision

Screen of StopShot Controller § First line indicates that unit is waiting for the press of the Up

or Down button to trigger the release of the water drops § Second line indicates delay of 316.1 msec from time water

drop passes infrared sensor beam to triggering of flash

Water Drop Photo Examples § Photo examples shown in next few slides were all taken with the

Nokia Lumia 1020 using the setup and settings outlined above § Camera was set to take DNG (Raw) photos § The high-resolution (38-megapixel) images were used § Each photo was opened with Adobe Camera Raw and edited in

Photoshop CC to improve contrast and sharpness slightly § The first sample image shows an uncropped version; the other

images were cropped fairly heavily to focus only on the area of the water drop collisions

§ Two images were taken using a setup without the red background beneath the water dish, so they are lacking the red color of the other images

§ The delay on the StopShot was varied from shot to shot, to produce images of different stages of water drop collisions

Water Drop Photo Example 1 – Uncropped Image

Water Drop Photo Example 2

Water Drop Photo Example 3

Water Drop Photo Example 4

Water Drop Photo Example 5

Water Drop Photo Example 6

Water Drop Photo Example 7

For More Information About Advanced Compact Cameras Visit Whiteknightpress.com § White Knight Press is an independent publisher of guide

books for various compact cameras, including: § Nikon Coolpix P600 §  Sony DSC-RX10 §  Sony DSC-RX100 II §  Sony DSC-RX100 §  Fujifilm X100S § Canon PowerShot S100 §  and others . . .