Dry Ice is pretty cool.  Literally.  At -69 degrees Fahrenheit, the "fog"  sinks, rather than rises.  It floats along the surface of the water like some ethereal, kindred spirit.

I can see why performers use it in their acts, and movies use it in scenes where I normally hide my eyes.  Except I don't watch scary movies.  The first one I watched was "Amityville Horror" when I was young, and that night I slept in the bathroom with the light on!  I'm a big wimp.

The fog reflects flashes in interesting ways.  Sometimes, more frustrating than interesting, but different, none the less.   I guess that is the same reason we don't use our high beams when driving through fog?!  

Besides learning that I needed to use gloves just to handle it (which they told me at the store), I discovered a few things at home.  I added a few more things to my darkroom.  Hammer, check...Ice chest and towel, check...Gloves, check...  The hammer is to break up the ice into manageable chunks.  Unlike Sharon Stone in the movie "Basic Instinct", I don't own an ice pick.   I also discovered that bigger chunks and/or warmer water = more "fog".  I frequently had "too much fog", which obscured too much of the drop.  Getting those delicate tendrils of fog to show up in the right place, is hit or miss.  I figure that if I have to explain that the photo is not hazy, that it is dry ice, then it's not distinct enough. 

It's fun to see ice "boil" under water and bubble.  Sadly, it doesn't last long enough.  I think I will just have to make more trips to the store, as this is one challenge I am going to conquer!  Wish me luck!

Photo above:  "Set the Night on Fire"

(Named after the Jim Morrison song "Light my Fire")