John Allen Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Ok so I'm going to be shooting an underwater shot and would like to create a beam of light in the water. What I know is that I'll need to put some kind of substance that has larger particles to reflect the light. I've tested corn starch and it works just fine in a small container, as long as you don't stir it up, which wouldn't be very practical. But I'm just not sure if it would be a great idea to dump a bunch of corn starch into a swimming pool. So I guess my question is, does anybody know or have worked with any substances that work well for creating a high contrasted beam in the water without making a big mess in the water? Which would result in a very angry PM I guess. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted October 23, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted October 23, 2008 I've done it small scale with a bit of milk in the water to make it a little cloudy. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be any better than the starch. I think the problem you're going to have is that any substance that makes the water cloudy or puts particles into it to be lit is going to have to be cleaned out afterward. There's no way around that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Mmmm yeah I thought that might be the case. I was hoping that there was a product usually used for that. But I guess I'll just have to go with that or try and find something that's less messy. Thanks for the help. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Werner Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Do the particles need to sink into the water? If not shaved pieces of styrofoam would float and be easy to skim off the top of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glen Alexander Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Ok so I'm going to be shooting an underwater shot and would like to create a beam of light in the water. What I know is that I'll need to put some kind of substance that has larger particles to reflect the light. I've tested corn starch and it works just fine in a small container, as long as you don't stir it up, which wouldn't be very practical. But I'm just not sure if it would be a great idea to dump a bunch of corn starch into a swimming pool. So I guess my question is, does anybody know or have worked with any substances that work well for creating a high contrasted beam in the water without making a big mess in the water? Which would result in a very angry PM I guess. ;) Why don't you use fiber optic cables? Start off with one strand every x meters start bunding more strands. Use cheap led's for colors or high power krypton lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 Do the particles need to sink into the water? If not shaved pieces of styrofoam would float and be easy to skim off the top of the water. Yeah I need it to blend with the water, which styrofoam; 1, like you said, would float on the water, and 2, would be to big of a particle. When I say large particles I mean that it shouldn't quite mix all the way, where as smaller particles do mix easily. Why don't you use fiber optic cables? Start off with one strand every x meters start bunding more strands. Use cheap led's for colors or high power krypton lamps. Umm....hmmm......maybe I don't fully understand your post, but wouldn't that be dangerous? Also, I'm not sure if that's the kind of look I'm trying to achieve. But thanks for the comments guys! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glen Alexander Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Nothing dangerous about fiber optics. You're guiding light down the pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bruce Taylor Posted October 26, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted October 26, 2008 Diatomaceous earth. It's white powder that will stay suspended for a bit and then sink. Use as much or as little as you want, you'll have no worries with the pool. It's actually the filter media that's used in the pool filter. The pool cleaner will suck it up and deposit it into the filter where it belongs when you're done. Go to any pool supply store to get it. Weird fact: Works great as a non toxic way to get rid of walking insects too. They walk through it and get it between the segments of their exoskeleton, and the little diatoms slice 'em up. Hope this helps, Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share Posted October 26, 2008 Nothing dangerous about fiber optics. You're guiding light down the pipe. Oh ok I must have misunderstood you. I thought you were saying telling me to put x-mas lights in the pool, and so I was like "Uhhh". lol But even so, I don't think that's quite the look I'm going for. Thanks anyway! Diatomaceous earth. It's white powder that will stay suspended for a bit and then sink. Use as much or as little as you want, you'll have no worries with the pool. It's actually the filter media that's used in the pool filter. The pool cleaner will suck it up and deposit it into the filter where it belongs when you're done. Go to any pool supply store to get it. NICE!!! Thanks a lot Bruce! That sounds perfect, I'll definitely check it out. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Metzger Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Milk and corn starch will not work. Think about all the movement created by all the people in the water...it's going to get gross/dirty very quickly. for a "beam", why not use a carbon arc (made for underwater obviously). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Hmmm......sounds like a good idea. Where might I find them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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