Dart vs Water Balloon (Balloon Loses)

I saw Shaikhemran's thread, Balloon Blast , where he popped water balloons with a pin, and it inspired me to try it myself. Instead of poking them with a pin, I decided to throw darts at them.

The setup:

I hung the balloons with a coat hanger pierced through their tips. I placed the camera (Canon XSi) on a tripod, horizontally parallel to the balloons, about three feet away. The flash was handheld and fired manually. I hung a black backdrop from the rafters behind the balloon.

The exposures:

For this, I used my 18-55mm lens and set the camera in manual mode, ISO 100, F4, and 8 second shutter. During the process, the garage was near total darkness and the flash was on its lowest power setting.

The technique:

I couldn't use my remote for these shots because I needed both hands free (which is why I chose the 8 second exposure instead of bulb). Holding the flash in my left hand, I'd press the shutter release with my right then grab a dart and toss it at the balloon. When I figured the dart had reached the balloon, I'd fire the flash. I could see instantly whether or not I had captured "the moment" and the eight second exposure was more than adequate for this entire process. A miner-style head lamp came in handy between attempts to gather up the darts and change balloons when necessary.

The problems:

First of all, actually hitting the balloon in the dark was no easy task. Even when I did actually manage to make contact, the cheap darts (with worn out tips) seemed to prefer bouncing off the balloons instead of popping them. Patience and persistence...

The result:

Out of 13 balloons, I managed to get seven good shots over a two hour period. My favourites are below.

Tips:

If you are going to try this, use light-coloured balloons ... they are easier to see in the dark. Also, be prepared for a major clean up afterward...

You have a good imagination to come up with this and it works, well done

I just love these shots. Really good job on the set up and the tips you provided. The photos are eye popping.


Alex, you have a good promo waiting here...

awesome shoots and nice technique- thanks for sharing these, they are wonderful

Thanks everyone, but don't forget, it was originally Shaikhemran's idea...

As fun as this was, it took a lot of patience ... and time. Don't forget, there's the cleanup I have to do today as well.

The majority of shots came out like these:

Wonderful shots! You did a very good job with these!!

Excellent job! Just pushed this article out though our FB and Twitter for everyone to see... keep up the work and thanks for sharing.

Alex

I like the failures best. They have more antici---.

Nice series - pops and non-pops both.. I'm afraid I would never hit the balloons much less get the timing close...

Thanks again everyone ... and thanks Alex.

i love the photos and thats a really cool idea

Pics are just wonderful.........

This is a good example of my saying that the photographer's most important equipment is located between his ears. When I first saw these photos, I wondered if specialized equipment was used. Not at all! The photographer used his brain and equipment at hand to produce stunning shots. Key, I think, was using low power on the flash so that it produced a very short flash, thus capturing the action. Bravo! Well done!

Thanks Charles. I share your belief about the equipment. The backdrop, by the way, is a car "back seat cover" for dogs that I picked up at the dollar store.