Containers and Backdrops

• A clear water retainer or bowl is a good idea for photo transparency. A fish bowl works well. Fill the bowl with water and place it under a faucet tap or even a shower head. Turn the water on so drops of water come out of the tap approximately every second. Also, create a good background for your water drop. A colored background works the best for an interesting effect. Try colored, waterproof plastic and line it around the base of a sink.
  
  

Type of Lens

• Use a macro camera lens for sharp, close-up focus. In many cases, digital cameras have a macro setting built in -- sometimes point-and-shoot cameras have this setting, too. But if you don’t have a macro setting, seek out a macro lens. These are sometimes expensive and run from $148 to $979 as of the time of publication, depending on the features. Charlotte Lowrie, on the Words and Photos website, recommends a 100mm macro lens. A good exposure setting is ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/200th a second. Set up a tripod with your camera.
  
  

Focus

• Your focus settings are important for the sharpness of the water drop. An auto-focus setting is possible, though it’s best to set the focus manually. You can perform a common focus test using a pencil in the place where the droplet falls. Focus squarely on the pencil so your focus is razor sharp; it may take some time to get your focus perfect.
  
  

Use of Flash

• Turn on the flash on your camera, which helps to create better clarity for all fast-moving objects, like water drops. A high-speed flash, especially, helps capture a moving water drop in better clarity. However, if you manually set your flash, set it to a lower duration level so it won’t last too long. You only have a second to capture the drop of water.
  
  

Use of Reflection

• For the best effect, treat your water drop as a mirror. This includes capturing reflections in the water. Also, capture backgrounds through the water droplet to add a whole different dimension to your photography. A technique like this is slightly more advanced and takes more time as any perfect shot does involving water.