Bubble Baubles: Making Frozen Bubbles

Bubble Baubles, making frozen bubbles. Have you ever gone out side during a really cold day and blow bubbles? If you haven’t then your going to want to after you read this!

This is such a fun activity for all ages, just dress warm and have a great time. The bubble photo I took above, has a great reflection to it. I love the fact that not only did I capture a rainbow of colors, but I and the trees as well! That bubble hadn’t started fully freezing when I photographed it, so I was able to catch the reflections.

When blowing bubbles there’s a few things I’ve learned along the way, that you may find helpful. I have found that making homemade bubble solution seems to work better than the store-bought stuff. But if you’re not able to get the ingredients to make your own bubble soap, and have to use store-bought. Add a little sugar or corn syrup to the solution, and shake it up good so it dissolves before use. The sugar helps to strengthen the bubble walls, so they won’t burst so easily.

The home-made version I used is from Digital Photography School.  Their recipe is very simple and it makes a smaller amount, which is something I was looking for. I really didn’t need 2 or more cups worth of bubble solution, because I’m not sure just how long this stuff stores for. This recipe calls for glycerin, any health food store or craft store, even a grocery store carries it. One note on this bubble solution recipe, once mixed you need to let it sit over night. So make sure to make a day ahead of time! Choose a day without wind and preferably when there is more humidity in the air. The more humidity the better for the bubbles, they will be less likely to burst so quickly.

 There are so many different types of bubble solutions available on the web. It’s just a matter of what you are personally needing. If your going to be blowing a lot of bubbles, and or several people helping. Then you are definitely going to need to double or triple this recipe, or find another one.

After you’ve chosen your bubble recipe, mixed it up, set over night. The next day your ready for some frozen bubble bobble blowing. Before you begin blowing those bubbles, place your bubble solution outside for a good 10-15 minutes. You want your soap to get cold before blowing bubbles. This will help to keep your bubbles from bursting so easily. The cold solution bubbles stick much easier and will stay attached to where ever you want to place them.

After you blow your bubbles either let them land where they may. Or catch them with your bubble maker stick and place them where you like, and watch the magic begin. If your going to play with your bubbles during the day. Then you’ll be able to catch the rainbow affect from the soap on the bubbles. Or like I did by catching the colors and reflections of myself and the trees.I think my favorite way of photographing bubbles is around Christmas lights. Especially when the lights are LEDS. they are bright and vibrant, like the photo above. I blew a bunch of bubbles near one of my bushes, and just let them land where they wanted. So I was able to catch some beautiful shapes and color.

Some people like to build little snow mounds to set their bubbles on. so it looks like a snow globe. Since I had no snow I worked with what I had and they still turned out beautiful. If your bubbles burst, don’t be tender-hearted, frozen broken bubbles make for some pretty amazing photos as well. When photographing your bubbles at night. It’s very important to use a tripod others wise you take the risk of taking blurry pictures. Then lens I like using the most for bubble photography is my AF-5 Micro NIKKOR 85mm 1.3.5G ED .

If you don’t have a macro lens and you’re not wanting to spend the money on one. You can use a 50mm f1/8 lens with +2 close-up lens on it. This way you will get some magnification without breaking the bank. Just experiment with the lens you have on hand. I find most of the time I get great shots with what I already have. You don’t need all the latest or greatest camera gear. It’s all about how you use it, and your eye. So bundle up and head out doors with some bubble solution and go create some amazing bubble baubles!

I also had to share a couple of snowflakes that showed up while I was photographing my bubbles. One of the many reasons I love winter!