As a child, I was often fascinated by soap bubbles. It is amazing how one can easily create these beautiful floating globes from simple soap solutions. Watching these colorful bubbles float and burst is mesmerizing. As they usually last for a few seconds, I have always wondered how to capture them. This post not only describes a way to create long lasting soap bubbles but also how to take their outwardly photos.

  • Soap Solution

One can create soap bubbles that can last anywhere from minutes to hours by using simple house hold items – water, liquid soap and glycerine. I recommend mixing 1 parts of liquid soap with 3 parts water and 1 table spoon of glycerine and leave it for a couple of hours. Glycerine is the secret ingredient that thickens the bubbles and increases their life span. Feel free to experiment with the amount of glycerine, add more as needed. You can also substitute glycerine with any sugary solution made from brown sugar or vanilla extract.

  • Camera and Lens

Any camera will do the job, as long as you have a lens that can create a nice field of depth. I re-use my astrophotography camera Canon EOS Ra with AWB and Canon RF 24-240 mm zoom lens. This gives me enough depth of field at 240 mm but I would recommend using a dedicated macro lens if you have one. To keep the bubbles sharp, use manual focus with an aperture over f/15 depending on your lighting setup. I captured all my images at f/22. It helps if you have a tripod and a remote trigger for hands free operation. Using a self-timer helps reduce the shaking if you want to skip the trigger.

  • Lighting and Setup

Having the right kind of lighting will help you get the best colors and textures out of your soap bubbles. Using any point source of light is a big no! Soap bubbles are highly reflective surfaces, hence photographing them is a challenge. Using a softbox is highly recommended to diffuse the lighting evenly over the surface of the bubbles. Make sure that the diffused light is placed directly above the bubble, as close as possible. I use a simple setup, a softbox supported by 4 bottles on top of a corrugated box. A black anti-reflecting cloth or panel can be placed behind the soap bubbles to give you those inter-galactic planet-like images.

Bubble Photography Setup

Bubble Photography Setup

Once you are comfortable with your setup, pour some solution in a camera cap or a shallow dish. Use a straw to blow the bubbles. Stick the end of the straw in the solution at an angle and start blowing slowly. If you did it too quickly, multiple bubbles might pop up and you will have to try again. As a single bubble comes up, move the straw out of the solution and into the bubble and keep inflating. Remove the straw once it reached a satisfactory size. A newly formed bubble won’t show much texture. The swirl of colors form over time and you can speed up the process by blowing a bit of air over the bubble. The swirls are at its peak right before the bubble is about to burst. Just keep trying till you get the perfect shot.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful. Check out some of my photos on the top of this page and please share your thoughts in comments below.