Extraordinary pictures capture the moment a flying bullet tears through a strawberry, paintball and crayons



These are the amazing images that capture the exact moment a flying pellet comes into contact with its target.

Using an air rifle, a camera and a home-made flash, artist Alan Sailer was able to shoot at everyday objects and catch the moment on film.



Sailer used a laser to trigger the Nikon D40's shutter, while the special flash filmed the action in slow motion - despite the .177 pellet travelling with a velocity of about 500ft per second.

Berry nice: Using a laser to trigger the camera, Alan Sailer captured the moment a pellet hit a strawberry in slow motion



Sailer was able to adjust the delay on the laser, so that the camera went off at the ideal moment, controlling the amount of 'explosion' visible in the final shot.



'The shooting is stressful. It takes time to set up the shot and then, it's all over,' says the photographer.



'You may or may not have got a good picture and now there is a mess on your set-up, your camera, the garage.'

Having a ball: The paintball explodes - making a mess - and a kaleidoscope of colour



' I have variable delay after the trigger. So if there is too much mayhem, I lower the delay. Not enough exploding parts, raise the delay.'

Photography that requires a microsecond flash to stop action has to be moving near the speed of sound and such events are usually high-risk.

To buy a fast flash is expensive, often costing many thousands of pounds, but Sailer was able to build one for about £200.



He was exposed to high voltage, where a careless mistake could potentially be fatal.



Having a bauble: The Christmas decoration shatters into colourful pieces



Matrix-style action: The water-filled ornament shows the bullet tearing through the glass



Tomato juice: A fun and unique way to blend fruit



Walnut cracking: Sailer goes nuts with his air rifle



Waxing lyrical: The blue crayon is spared - despite the pellet's velocity of 500ft per second

