Soap Abstracts

Remarkable abstracts can be created in your kitchen using nothing more than soap. The image below is a film of soap suspended within a plastic frame. Here is how to do it.

Make a soap solution in a bowl consisting of dish detergent, like Dawn, in water. The amount of soap you use isn’t critical. Cut out the center of a Tupperware container lid so you are left with only the thick rim. Dip this plastic rim into the soap for a couple of seconds and then lift it out of the solution and you’ll see a sheet of soap film swirling with color. The colors won’t be as brilliant and saturated as exhibited by the image below, but wait. I’ll get to that.

Set up a solid black background. Black velvet or velvetine fabric is the best. Off to the side of the camera set up a piece of white translucent fabric, such as a bedsheet or softbox, and place a flash behind it. This is the light source, The soap film only lasts 20 seconds or so before it bursts. Have a friend hold the plane of soap film in front of the black background angled so from the camera’s point of view, you can only see the white fabric reflecting in the soap. The surface of the soap film is highly reflective, and it’s entire surface must reflect only the white material.

Set the lens aperture to f/22 or f/32 for maximum depth of field, and when the camera is triggered you’ll see the brilliant colors of the soap film. After it bursts, dip the frame into the soap solution again and repeat. §