ARTIST CAPTURES MOMENT WATER BALLOONS EXPLODES IN HIGH-SPEED PHOTOS

London-based photographer Edward Horsford has mastered the technique of timing to capture some of the fastest movements. His new series of photographs features split-second water balloon explosions. That is correct. Horsford captures the exact moment a water balloon explodes. “I started these as a way to challenge myself technically and creatively.”

And it is clear that he's had great success with this self-initiated challenge.

Horsford's whole goal with his photography is to capture high speed moments that are rarely seen and more challenging to capture. To master this art, Horsford focuses on a solid background, his own hand, and a colourful water balloon. He then perfectly times the moments when each rubber balloon breaks and releases the water in the air, just before it moves down flooding to the ground.

To be able to capture the right moment he wants, he decided to built his own trigger which is customised to function and adapt to exactly the right speeds. 

To bring more attention to the centre piece, which is the balloon and the moment it explodes, he sets up in the dark and uses a flashlight to focus on the main point. To also keep his photographs visually interesting, Horsford dabble in the experiments with composition, strobe lighting, angles, and colour combinations. The process is so complex and exact, that each photograph is more unique than the next.

This is not an easy task, and we can definitely say that Horsford has become a self made master in fast speed timing.