Alright so yesterday I tried shooting refraction pics after seeing some cool examples online. Woke up thinking “How hard can this be?” Spoiler alert: kinda tricky but totally doable once you figure the stupid simple stuff first.
The Messy Setup Part
First I grabbed random junk from my kitchen:
- My phone camera (old iPhone)
- A wine glass because it looked fancy
- Plastic cup as backup
- Flashlight from my emergency kit
- Honey and oil for thick liquids
- Tap water obviously
Cleared my desk near the window for natural light. Propped the flashlight with books – which immediately fell over. Spilled water everywhere. Swore quietly. Started over.
The Frustrating Trial Part
Poured water into wine glass. Held phone directly above it. Looked like muddy puddle. Zero refraction. Moved flashlight sideways – now saw weird blobs on the wall. Still garbage. Tried honey next. Sticky disaster. Wasted 20 minutes wiping gunk off everything.
Finally shoved the plastic cup against the glass. Poured water BETWEEN them. Boom. Suddenly saw upside-down window reflection in the water gap. Almost dropped my phone yelling “YES!”.
The Stupid Simple Fix
The magic trick was stupidly easy all along:
- Two clear containers pressed together creates the water gap (glass+glass or glass+plastic)
- Light MUST hit from the SIDE (flashlight 90 degrees)
- Keep phone dead vertical above
- Background needs contrast (I used black cardboard behind)
Rest just fiddling. Moved flashlight closer for brighter streaks. Rotated glass slowly to warp reflections. Hands shaky? Rest elbows on table. No tripod needed.
Why It Almost Failed
I was ready to quit before the double-container idea. Almost smashed my light against the wall. Why? Textbook overcomplication. Assumed needed fancy gear/props. Truth: refraction works with trash in your sink. The “cool effect” hides in adjusting three things:
- Container distance
- Light angle
- Background pattern
Totally worth the sticky fingers and wet table. Next time? Maybe try soda bubbles or ink swirls. But cleanup first. Lessons learned: Keep it stupid simple. And put down towels.
