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Breaking the Symmetry
1st PlaceBreaking the Symmetry
labuds


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Puzzle Macro II (Advanced Editing VII*)
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon MF Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D PC
Location: basement
Date: Nov 18, 2008
Aperture: 29
ISO: 250
Shutter: 250
Galleries: Abstract, Macro
Date Uploaded: Nov 18, 2008

 you guessed it! this is ferrofluid. Fun but extremely dangerous liquid... not bad for your health, but i have a wall still stained by all this stuff. Magnets go wild sometimes, and this stuff flies all over the place, including your camera and lens.

Since then, i machine fixtures for the magnets to prevent accidents. I usually add a few degrees of freedom for adjusting the magnetic strength and divergence at the surface to control the spikage.

This is my third attempt at photographing this stuff:


As for the title, it's a physics inside joke about the annoying sentence which people use as a shortcut to avoid explaining phenonema like superconductivity - "it then superconducts because of broken symmetry"
Wtf does that mean? beats me...

PS: I love the tilt/shift 85mm

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 262
Avg (all users): 7.2765
Avg (commenters): 8.0882
Avg (participants): 7.3000
Avg (non-participants): 7.2556
Views since voting: 9568
Views during voting: 422
Votes: 170
Comments: 58
Favorites: 18 (view)

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AuthorThread
 11/28/2008 08:30:40 AM
Great job! Congrats!!!
 11/28/2008 07:18:04 AM
Looks like your back! Good Job!
 11/27/2008 03:38:36 AM
I love NERDS!
 11/26/2008 03:07:12 PM
Thanks for updating and educating us (well some of us) as to what it is. I will now have to go and educate myself as to what ferrofluid is. I really like the other picture you have put in here too.
 11/26/2008 03:43:50 AM
No wonder I couldn't guess what it was! Very cool.
 11/26/2008 01:28:24 AM
Congrats on the blue and nice photo
 11/25/2008 10:45:29 PM
Wow thats amazing stuff!! Great shot & well deserved ribbon
 11/25/2008 09:28:30 PM
Fantastic shot!!! Congrats on the blue!
 11/25/2008 08:48:33 PM
Wicked shot!! Congrats.
 11/25/2008 08:28:07 PM
Well, you definitely deserve that blue. Stumped me all the way. You definitely should be on team Polska! :) Congrats!
 11/25/2008 07:47:52 PM
Man, just awesome - I've somehow managed to miss the wonders of this stuff! I had no idea what this was, but loved it! Can't wait to play... Thanks for the silicon wafers tip, I've been trying to find something hard & reflective, too, for another photo idea & maybe that'll work.

Congrats on a most well deserved blue!
 11/25/2008 07:46:27 PM
I love these shots of yours, they are so interesting and the lighting is wonderful. Big congrats on the Blue.
 11/25/2008 07:34:08 PM
Originally posted by Damzel:
Not to be rude but not putting what it is make this not following the rules doesn't it? Just wondering? Awesome shot just would have like a follow thru on what it is.


sorry, submitted it at 11:55... details updated
 11/25/2008 07:33:10 PM
Not to be rude but not putting what it is make this not following the rules doesn't it? Just wondering? Awesome shot just would have like a follow thru on what it is.
 11/25/2008 07:30:28 PM
I thought this had that classic DPC look. Way to go on the Blue. I think it's the bottom of a crystal dish of some sort.
 11/25/2008 07:17:59 PM
Congratulations on your win, but aren't you supposed to have left a description of what it is? Comeon, the suspense is killing me.
 11/25/2008 07:12:56 PM
Congrats. I had a feeling this ferrofluid was going to win.
 11/25/2008 07:10:10 PM
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 11/25/2008 07:02:17 PM
yay for first:)
 11/25/2008 07:02:17 PM
dude, awesome!!!!!! where did the 6-5 go?!
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/25/2008 06:53:20 PM
My pick for the blue
 11/25/2008 12:27:36 PM
This image is very clean & very interesting. No idea what it is.
 11/25/2008 10:25:12 AM
A stumper, so meets the challenge. Fabulous image I keep coming back to. I like absolutely everything about it. Among best of show!
 11/23/2008 06:17:56 AM
Ferro Fluid.
 11/23/2008 02:21:56 AM
8 - Nice processing / tones - fits the Challenge well (no idea what it is - looks like something perhaps with some liquid tension happening, but no idea given the patterns)
 11/22/2008 07:19:26 PM
This is a ferromagnetic fluid. Cool photo and would be an awesome desktop background photo. So well taken it almost looks fake.
 11/22/2008 01:25:05 PM
Cool macro. no idea what it is though.
 11/22/2008 06:02:15 AM
It's a very creative,very clear and well composed shot. Is this a macro of Faro fluid?......I am giving it a well deserved 10....Very nice...
 11/22/2008 02:27:32 AM
this is the magnetic fluid. looks really good, but too easy to guess :) great composition and sharpness.
 11/22/2008 12:08:27 AM
It looks so nice...I must...go buying some ferrofluids...
 11/21/2008 06:26:48 AM
I have absolutely no idea!!
 11/20/2008 08:01:59 PM
Absolutely no idea whatsoever. Beaut photo.
 11/20/2008 05:17:24 PM
It's a pretty cool image. No idea at all what it is.
 11/20/2008 12:45:41 PM
This one is cool...looks like the bottom of a shoe...:-?
 11/20/2008 01:59:35 AM
I don't know what it is but I love it!
 11/20/2008 01:24:15 AM
wonderful worlds of physics! nice.
 11/20/2008 12:44:37 AM
No idea what it's of, but I think I'm looking at the winner here!
 11/19/2008 11:59:54 PM
This one upsets me the most. I can not reach a conclusion as to what it is!! which makes it good. (:
 11/19/2008 10:48:08 PM
love it, not a clue what it is though.
 11/19/2008 10:47:39 PM
No idea. Looks great though.
 11/19/2008 10:44:43 PM
I hate you. Whoever you are, Whatever this is, I hate you. I spend 7 days trying to think of something beautiful and elegant reminiscent of yanko's blue ribbon winner in the last challenge, and here it is. I really hate you. 10 :) ...I spent the day contemplating your photo, and I still hate you.
 11/19/2008 08:53:23 PM
Congratulations on your ribbon! Well done.
 11/19/2008 05:28:39 PM
It's got liquids (maybe), very smooth tones, and fantastic lighting. This will score well. I'm guessing this could be an entry from IreneM. I haven't a clue as to what it is.
 11/19/2008 05:02:59 PM
Ferrofluid? Nice shapes and wonderful tones. Very high-tech looking!
 11/19/2008 03:23:20 PM
Very intriguing... Sharp, nice tone, great composition
 11/19/2008 02:54:09 PM
Great shot and composition here, and I have no clue what it is. My choice for a medal.
 11/19/2008 02:54:05 PM
Cool patterns. This is a really interesting macro.
 11/19/2008 12:22:04 PM
That magnetostatic liquid from 'Spawn?
 11/19/2008 11:29:01 AM
Egads, I wish I could even venture a guess on this one... Not only is this puzzling, it is incredibly well executed. One of my favs...
 11/19/2008 08:36:16 AM
Have no clue but I like it. ;)
 11/19/2008 08:00:07 AM
very nice shot but I have no idea what it is
 11/19/2008 06:09:01 AM
Wonderful texture!
 11/19/2008 03:50:07 AM
Is this ferrofluid? Whatever it is, it's freaky cool.
 11/18/2008 11:30:50 PM
Not sure yet
 11/18/2008 11:02:25 PM
You got me on this one. Great shot, sure to finish in the top 10
 11/18/2008 09:43:45 PM
No vote, just guessing...

can't tell
 11/18/2008 08:30:48 PM
I just voted on a shot with that reflection as the main subject.

Love the tonal values in this B&W. The shapes are out of this world and everything just blends so well.
 11/18/2008 07:24:28 PM
is this that magnetic fluid? If so, that's amazing stuff! Nicely captured!


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