Mercury Splat Macro

Mercury in motion - macro splat.

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Please don't try this unless you really plan ahead and know a bit about handling toxic substances.

An experiment with mercury for the Canon Photo5 'Splat' (Capturing Action) brief. As soon as I saw this brief in the competition I knew I wanted to use mercury, a truly 'opaque' liquid. Unfortunately, it's not an easy thing to photograph - and I couldn't find anyone who would let me 'splat' it in their face or over their head for kicks. My final images were far from what I had hoped for but it was fun all the same - even if it was a difficult (and dangerous) thing to try. The clean up job afterwards was a killer.

Mercury - Chemical Symbol Hg, also known as quicksilver. Hg (hydrargyrum) is derived from the Greek word hydrargyros, which is a compound word meaning 'water' and 'silver' — since it is liquid like water, and yet has a silvery metallic sheen. The element was named after the Roman god Mercury, known for speed and mobility.

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Comments

Drippy2009 says:

Wow.. That really is different.. and sooo dangerous! Love the spout
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

frosty_white_raven says:

Great capture. Mercury is a fascinating element, and this image captures some of its qualities nicely. I like how the background color effuses with the silvery blobs.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Kilzombie says:

Really cool shot! Awesome!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

EverlongPhotos__Chris says:

awesome job Steve!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Rustalico says:

Instant fave! really awesome job on this... I like the liquid quality you captured here... Stunning!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

modda says:

awesome shot how much fun would that have been jealous much
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Billie Jane says:

Very interesting picture!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Katie-Rose says:

Brilliant capture!
Beautiful!
Congratulations on Explore!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

leahclaire: says:

oh my GOODNESS. Just viewed it on black and was blown away! where did you get the mercury?
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Stevpas68 says:

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Leah - Years of collecting broken thermometers ;) No. Let's just say I have contacts in industry.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Ostholländer says:

Really great capture.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

G_iG_i says:

Wonderful!
Congrats for the explore.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

grey mustard says:

Brilliant idea, the center of the splat came out really well. Interesting how some of the clumps resemble tin foil.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Håkan Bäckvall says:

Instant fave! Great work!

--
Seen in the interestingness archives. (?)
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Dr. Ilia says:

beautifully captured!

Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

TheTwinBros says:

what!! never seen something like this before ... very cool
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

VisualAssault says:

Great capture....i hope you had the appropriate gear on
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

<wikd> says:

Great excuse to play with Mercury!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Sprengstoff72 says:

nice, i hope you disposed of that stuff in a proper manner. An amount like that is enough to pollute a lot of water.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Shigow says:

nice
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Elizabeth251 says:

great shot....congratulations.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Peter Bower says:

Takes me back to year 12 Chem... wait, we didn't do anything this cool.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

danieljones. says:

omg awesome! isnt that stuff like super poisonous?!!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Stevpas68 says:

Thanks again to everyone for your comments and favorites.

It really is magic stuff so I'm glad so many people have enjoyed seeing it this way.

danieljones - I wouldn't say it is super poisonous but it definitely needs to be handled carefully. Mercury vapour is my main concern when handling it. Organic mercury compounds are a far more toxic than the metal itself.

Spengstoff72 - I haven't had a need to dispose of it but I'm fully aware of the effects it could have on the environment if disposed of in the wrong way. I collect it all afterwards and can use it again.

A couple of things that I keep in mind knowing that I have it around... I keep it safely stored away in well sealed containers. It's not something I would play with regularly (maybe every couple of months as a treat!) - I get minimal exposure by staying away from it and only using it for a short time when I do, preferably on a cool day to minimise vapourisation. I use Nitrile gloves to handle it.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

.Ester ∞ says:

impresionante....!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Bergerpics says:

I really like the orange background. Cool substance in a freeze frame.

-Michael
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

EVOLJO says:

These Mercury shots are great.Glad to see the warning.My Dad kept some in a Draw in the Kitchen when I was a Kid.I used to play with It when nobody was around on the Kitchen table.
Ask Trevor about the trouble he got into because of it.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

RyanSacristan says:

wooooow, I love it. Never saw this with mercury. Good idea!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Monalisa. says:

ohh!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

aguarneodo says:

simplemente genial!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

annems1 says:

wow!! again. . .;))
THis stuff is fabulous!!
great images . . .
I remember as a junior nurse breaking many a thermometer and watching the droplets escape!! ;)))

--
Seen on your photo stream. ( ?² )
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

sevenbrane says:

Very cool idea!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Danah Abdulaziz says:

perfect professional work, amazingly done ^^
and congrats for the explore ^^
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

mpecho says:

Amazing, thanks for sharing it
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Tiffany心如  says:

Woww @_______@
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

stripesboy [Ross C] says:

That looks amazing.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Kerri Afford says:

Congratulations

Your photo was voted #2 at the
ACG (Another Challenge Group)
Please post your photo to the pool
Posted 6 weeks ago. ( permalink )

goosie-gander says:

fantastic!!!
--
Seen in your Mercury set. ( ?² )
Posted 5 weeks ago. ( permalink )

kasia-aus says:

AWESOME!!!! YOU WON

You have won a challenge in the
True Blue Aussie Challenge Group.
Please post your awesome image to
the pool so that everyone can go
Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!!!.
You have 1 hour to start a new challenge.
If not an admin/mod will get a new one going.
Posted 3 weeks ago. ( permalink )

gtakiller84 says:

Do you still alive?
Posted 10 days ago. ( permalink )

Stevpas68 says:

haha - I'm still living! ...about time to get the crazy stuff out again I think...
Posted 10 days ago. ( permalink )

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Taken with a Canon EOS 450D.
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Taken on November 1, 2009
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Mercury Splat Macro

Comments

Drippy2009 says:

frosty_white_raven says:

Kilzombie says:

EverlongPhotos__Chris says:

Rustalico says:

modda says:

Billie Jane says:

Katie-Rose says:

leahclaire: says:

Stevpas68 says:

Ostholländer says:

G_iG_i says:

grey mustard says:

Håkan Bäckvall says:

Dr. Ilia says:

TheTwinBros says:

VisualAssault says:

<wikd> says:

Sprengstoff72 says:

Shigow says:

Elizabeth251 says:

Peter Bower says:

danieljones. says:

Stevpas68 says:

.Ester ∞ says:

Bergerpics says:

EVOLJO says:

RyanSacristan says:

Monalisa. says:

aguarneodo says:

annems1 says:

sevenbrane says:

Danah Abdulaziz says:

mpecho says:

Tiffany心如 says:

stripesboy [Ross C] says:

Kerri Afford says:

goosie-gander says:

kasia-aus says:

gtakiller84 says:

Stevpas68 says:

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