This is a demonstration of the equipment and steps used to take stop-action photographs of water drop collisions using a Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone camera and other equipment.

1. Water Drop Photography
with the Nokia Lumia 1020
Smartphone Camera

2. 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

3. 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

4. Equipment Setup

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Water Drop Photo Example 1 –
Uncropped Image

11. Water Drop Photo Example 2

12. Water Drop Photo Example 3

13. Water Drop Photo Example 4

14. Water Drop Photo Example 5

15. Water Drop Photo Example 6

16. Water Drop Photo Example 7

17. 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 . . .