Aim...Fire! (High Speed Photography)

"QUANTUM SHOT" #218

Tired of the same old objects around you? Shoot them to pieces for the sake of art!

High speed, or "flash" photography is an art, widely used in scientific research, which also has a dedicated following among those wanting to "blow things apart" in the most elegant way possible. Witness the very popular Flickr group and a multitude of posts around the world, all joining in the delirious excitement of exploding various objects on camera. It's not easy to come up with a perfect shot... consider 1200ft/sec average speed of a bullet, plus a synchronizing laser, hi-tec flash setup and a fancy camera-work. The following is "the best of" gallery from a few masters of the genre:

Stefan, a.k.a. Fotofrog has a gorgeous set, where fruits and some vegetables get blown to smithereens, together with some tableware:

(images credit: Stefan - Fotofrog)

Crayons from Spyzter:

(image credit: Khuong)

Shattered glass lamp:

("Shattered Glass" by Raniel)

Peeled banana (and more from Jasper Nance)

(image credit: Jasper Nance)

Antibacterial soap bar:

(image credit: Jasper Nance)

Unfortunate? doll:

(image credit: Jasper Nance)

Hot tomato:

(image credit: Jasper Nance)

Bullet through a bottle:

(image credit: Johnny Lee)

"Pulsetronics" is UK company specializing in high-speed photography, mostly for science research. They also have a few artistic gems there... not for the faint-hearted! Check your electronic health record (EHR) to be sure -

Full Magnum Force:

(image credit: Arya Abidi)

Two spherical shock waves are visible on this "schlieren image" (an interferometric technique used to study the distribution of density gradients within a transparent medium). A serious weapon with considerable force, but nothing a good solid bottle of beer couldn't do: