“Water Drops for Ukraine:” An interview with Cat Evans

World events from the past few weeks have hit close to home. As a former employee of Skylum Software, I have friends in Kyiv and, while I’m grateful that they are all currently safe, the upheaval they’ve faced is unimaginable.

Early on in the conflict, I started noticing artists posting photos and other works with blue and yellow, showing their support for Ukraine. The work of one photographer, in particular, caught my eye — Catherine “Cat” Evans. She photographs a variety of subjects, but one of her passions is macro photography, and water drops in particular. 

Over the years I’ve seen several meaningful images that she has created, some using household items as props, and others using things like her dad’s Marine Corps dog tags and the American flag. You can feel the emotion in her work. 

I sat down with her for a short interview to talk about her latest images, created with the colors of Ukraine flag, how she got started with photography, and a bit about her creative process.

“Water Drops for Ukraine” inspiration

Angela: How did you get started with water drop photography?

Cat: It all started back in 2011 when I invested in my first macro lens — a Canon 100mm. It opened up the micro-world and allowed me to see what my eyes alone could not. There is a fascinating little world inside a single drop of water.

Angela: What inspired you to create the “Water Drops for Ukraine” series?

Cat: I started noticing the blue and yellow theme that artists were sharing on social media. I jumped in by sharing images from my archives that featured blue and yellow and even snapped a few new ones with my mobile phone.

While I was looking through what other artists were sharing, I came across another water drop image that grabbed my heart featuring the colors of the Ukrainian flag. That set me off on a creative quest to see what I could produce.

Since the “Water Drops for Ukraine” theme is something generated by my personal reaction and emotions to current events, I believe it comes across in my images. It shows what I was/am feeling.

Getting the shot

Angela: How do you prepare for a water drop photoshoot?

Cat: I use natural light most of the time so it depends on the lighting in my kitchen, where I usually set up. I gather my props, which can include fresh flowers or any object that will hold a drop of water. For backdrops, I use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or whatever I want to be reflected in the water drops.

For the blue and yellow shoot, I used scrapbook paper and sunflowers — the national flower of Ukraine. My heart and mind were reeling with the Ukrainian people and I needed to process what I was seeing and hearing through art.

This shoot proved more challenging than some of the past ones I’ve done. Dealing with a definite line between the colors, and lining them up on the same focal plane was more than a bit challenging.

Angela: Are there any special tools that you use to create these macro scenes?

Cat: My primary tool is my Canon 100mm Macro lens, along with my Canon EOS R6. A tripod is also a must. One of the other tools I’ve come to rely on is a Plamp, it has a clamp on the end of an extendible arm that lets me suspend an object in front of the background. Random household objects, like a metal file stand, are helpful at bringing a subject up to eye level. If you look around your house, you’ll be surprised at what you can find to help make a shot happen.

Post-processing “Water Drops for Ukraine”

Angela: Tell us a bit about your post-processing workflow.

Cat: I use Adobe Lightroom Classic for 90% of my post-processing. I try to get it right in-camera to minimize the work in post. However, with this series, I was challenged. I struggled with white balance and had to adjust that. I’ve also found that radial masking in Lightroom is great for adding a bit more definition to water drops.  

Angela: Where can people find more of your work?

Cat: You can find me at thrucatzeyes.com, on Facebook and at @thrucatzeyes on Instagram.