My latest obsession is encasing items in ice and photographing them. This requires patience and planning. It started when I was wanting to do some drink photos and I started researching how to create nice, clear ice. Yes, fake ice is available, but I wanted to try making my own first. Also, I’m cheap and don’t like spending money if I don’t have to. Yes, real ice melts faster. But since I’m using strobes, the space doesn’t get as hot as fast and so the ice can last longer. So, I got some molds and did some practicing. Then, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to put something in the ice?
How?
In order to get the ice clear, I boiled it twice before freezing it. I had to boil it, cool it down, boil it again, then cool it down. Then put in the molds. I let it freeze a little before placing the fruit in. That created some interesting bubbles and patterns in the ice.
Fruit
I experimented with several different types of fruit, but liked the cherries the best. The strawberries on a black background are nice. But the cherries really grab attention.
Flowers
I wanted to try some flowers in ice. I got a nice spring bouquet with all different types of flowers. I decided to try the tiny buds in a round mold. I admit that I did not like these at first. But when I revisited these several months later, I liked them more. Then I found roses on sale, read about that here. I put some buds into the molds and poured the water around them. I think I prefer the squares. They have a nice uneven shape that I really like. And the buds popped out a little after putting them in water. So, they looked like full blooms when frozen. I absolutely love these!
Thanks for visiting. These and other icy gifts are available in this gallery!
