Blowing bubbles is a pastime enjoyed by young and old alike. The pleasant motion and swirling colors of the bubbles can be remarkably relaxing. With the right tools and techniques, it’s possible to take striking photos of these soap film phenomena, and that’s exactly what [Eric] and [Travis] did.
After beginning with a robotic arm and a computer fan blowing bubbles, the project moved towards a simple stepper motor setup. A thin frame is lowered into a solution of soapy water, then brought back up by the stepper motor. The resulting soap film is held in front of a black background and carefully lit with a softbox light.
Lens selection is critical for this sort of work – in this case, a TS-E 50mm Macro f/2.8 lens was the order of the day. [Eric] shares other tips for taking great shots, such as adding sugar to the solution to make the soap film last longer, and using a modified speaker to help “paint” the surface of the films.
The resulting images are beautiful examples of the art, showing vibrant colors from the interference patterns created by the light. [Eric] has done a great job of clearly documenting the development process and the final results, making it possible for others to recreate the project elsewhere.
We’ve seen other soapy projects before, like this automatic bubble blowing machine. Video after the break.
Is it interference patterns from the light? I always thought it was the thickness of the film itself acting as an etalon wavelength-selective filter.
Sugar is a great tip! I’m gonna have to try this with soap bubbles next time we’re messin’ around with LN2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V3UNFPfBM0 since freezing the water also makes films behave in interesting ways…
Yeah, they’re caused by refraction & differences in film thickness.
Ghost bubbles can be done with dry ice as well, the Exploratorium used to have an exhibit for that
Close up, please.
This is Eric who took the photos from the article. What do you want to see a close-up of? There is an album linked at the top of my web article with tons of images if you’re interested.
Microfilm for ultra-lightweight indoor model airplanes takes this to 11 – somewhere between an art and an obsession….
https://youtu.be/vMkXJApR8M4
My first “contact” with the technical aspects of soap bubbles was in my modest high school library in 1967. It was thin, only about 80 pages and mostly B&W photos.
I am very interested in creating my own rectangular frame for making soap bubbles. The motors isn’t as important as choosing the right materials for the frame. Any guidance you can provide on that would be greatly appreciated!