Over the course of the next three weeks, I’ll be sharing one image per week of bubbles frozen just below the icy surface of a local pond that’s near and dear to my heart.
The first image presented here is, in my opinion, one of the most unique and bizarre photos I’ve ever captured. When viewed at just the right angle, these bubbles demonstrated incredible aqua and magenta coloration which served as a welcome reminder during a string of cloudy and snowless days that the world still holds vibrant colors beyond shades of drab brown and muted green.
The colorful display seen here is due to a phenomenon called iridescence. When light hits a bubble, part of it reflects off the front surface, while another part enters the bubble’s soapy film and reflects off its back surface. Depending on the viewing angle and the thickness of the bubble, different colors will be visible at different viewpoints due to the interactions between the reflected light. While I was photographing these bubbles, it was fascinating to experience this firsthand, and if I moved just a few inches to either side, the colorful iridescence captured here vanished entirely.
Joey Priola Wilderness Photography 