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PHOTO TIPS! Post them here


ViS

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For those of you who have consistently provided good fish photos (enigma, nova, sab, matty etc, I'm looking in your general direction LOL.gif ), could you post in this thread some tips for beginners and professionals alike? I'm hoping everyone will contribute their own opinions and tips, and not just those couple that sprang to mind. There are many excellent photographers here bigsmile.gif

Basically we'd like to know if you use manual settings and what they are, what sort of camera you use, whether you crop pics, what editor you use and if and how you adjust the balances of your pics in an editor. Obviously anything else of interest would be helpful (ie depth of tank, lighting, whether you take a pic in the same spot each time or chase a fish around the tank etc.)

Eventually, we'll start up a photo FAQ and this will be the main tips thread.

Post away! wink2.gif

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Well...there are many aspects to taking a good photo, I'm sure Enigma and a few others will vouch for that. I would like to say first off, that in no way, am I a professional photographer, but from what I know, I am glad to share with others.

Firstly, the main thing is obviously good lighting is essential. I try to take my photos of my fish at night while the room light is off, leaving only the tank light.

It also depends on what kind of fish you are trying to capture. Fast moving fish like featherfins and cichlids will need a faster shutter speed, where as if you are photographing discus or "stagnant" catfish, it seems a bit easier. I'm not too great with manual settings, but someone else with experiece may assist us. I mainly use the Macro function. For those who are unfamiliar with the macro function - it is a function on the camera which suits the best for taking closeup shots of your selected object.

Cameras I use are: SOny Cybershot F-77 4.0MP and Sony Cybershot T3 5MP. Both are great cameras, but I find that the T3 is slightly more effective.

I generally don't use flash, as I feel that flash doesn't provide the final photo a sense of realism, but rather a washed out photo. That brings us back to the first point - good lighting. If you DO decide to use flash, take the shot from an angle from the glass, so to reflect the flash away from the lens.

You can generally get away without using editing software, but it does help. There are a few free programs out there on the net. Just Google for them. Photoshop, Imageready, Paintshop Pro will all do the job, but they come at a price.

HTHs bigsmile.gif

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Guest tyson

Novafishy, thanks for your useful photography tips they will come in handy for beginners like me, just one question tho you said you take your pix at night with the room light off and just the tank light on but do you still use a flash that way?

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My tips to get a successful shot:

First off buy the best camera you can afford – don't just look at megapixels (use 4MP as a start), but consider the optical zoom too (the higher the number the better!). Ignore the term “digital zoom” in all the ads as all that is a cropping into the maximum optical zoom (ie. blowing the image up digitally and you will loose detail this way). Being a Canon guy i suggest the mid range Canon G6. All my shots are taken with (an old now) Canon G2 4MP (purchased about four years back) at about $1,900!!! This was probably one of the first 4MP cams within reach of the avergae consumer without going to the $8,000 digital SLRs level back then! Its still a good camera and more than capable of a good shot if you are patient! Ive always had canon cameras and studied photography at uni as part of my graphic design degree all those years ago! tongue.gif

As Nova states above smile.gif, take the pics in a darkened room with just the tank lights on and a hand held flash pointed through the top cover glass. Always use a tripod or another steadying device (the top of the girlfriend's head works well if flat enough! haha!)! Take the pics from the side to eliminate flash glare if using built in flash.

Don't just rely on the auto settings of your camera (if it has manual settings use them!) Keep fiddling with the settings to - one thing that helped me when using the cameras flash (not a external hand held one) was to play around with the flash-firing timing too (if your cam will allow it). I found that setting the flash to fire either just before or just after the actual shutter opening can help eliminate that washed out look (over exposure).

I use the manual settings (f-stop/aperture and shutter speed) mostly, and dont be scared to play around with the aperture and shutter speed - but find a low setting of f2.8 works well and gives a sense of depth. For those that are a little confused by F stops and apertures... The lower the 'F' number the wider the aperture, keeping the main subject in focus, whilst blurring background. The higher the 'F' number the smaller the aperture, gaining an increase of focus from front to back - so probably better for larger faster moving fish to have a slightly higher aperture number to ensure the whole fish is in focus (but you will need a slower shutter speed as less light is getting in the camera)!

F2.8 gives a bigger hole, giving you more light and therefore you can use a faster shutter speeds - it gives less in focus tho.

I usually use a fast shutter speed of around 1/500.

I also rely on a manual setting for focus, I pick a point in the tank and manually focus on that and wait for the fish to come into view! I find food helps to entice them out! LOL!

I use a hand held flash too, that is connected to the hotshoe on the camera via a cable and over rides the cameras own flash (so that doesnt fire). I can then play around with positioning the flash for most dramatic effects... usually over the top through the cover glass.

The trick is to have some time up your sleeve, be patient and take heaps of photos! I usually take 80 odd for maybe 10 good ones!

For further reading start here for some good tips!>>

Aquarium photo tips

Play with the white balance setting – if taking pics of a tank use the tungsten or fluro setting. This gives a more natural white balance and will remove the yellow cast.

I use Photoshop CS to further colour correct if needed – using things like the channels, levels, curves, etc. etc.

I hope that helps and inspires!

cheers

Steve

(aka sab)

Edited by sab
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I'm very new to taking picture of fishes, i have a very basic digital cam (dimage xT) and am used to taking things that keeps still! like landscapes for example, taking pictures of my fishes is a big challenge, i've taken 100+ shots so far now and only 2 are clear! oh oh cryblow.gif

thanks for the tips guys, i'll keep in mind about the lighting and angle

Diana

Edited by dianas
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  • 1 year later...

Let me just start by saying, "you get what you pay for." DSLR's will take a much better picture than a point and shoot camera.

The most important thing is to get the fish in focus. Really easy if you have a DSLR, really difficult if you have a point and shoot.

The three main utilities of a camera are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Each have their good and bad points, all of which need to be in balance to allow the correct amount of light into the picture. Using a flash will make this easier (just make sure you are not straight on to the tank to aviod the flash bounce off the glass.)

Shutter speed (1/8, 1/100 etc.)

The longer the exposure (ie. longer time - [1/8 is slow 1/100 is fast]) the more light is let in, but more blurry the pic will be.

Aperture (f#'s)

The smaller the F#, the more light is let in, but a really shallow DOF (Depth of field)

ISO (ISO 100, ISO 400)

The higher the ISO setting, the more "grainy" the picture will be but will let in more light.

Using the flash with a quick shutter speed (ie, 1/200th of a second) is what I would recommend for a novice photographer.

If you or anyone else finds this confusing, PM me for more details.

Like I said FOCUS is the most important thing, you can have all the other settings perfect, but if it's out of focus, it'll look crap.

Oh and make sure your glass is clean.

Please correct me if I am wrong on any of this information.

Edited by Matty
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  • 5 months later...

Matty,

You really seem to know what you are talking about, so did you do a course or was it all trial and error? I have just got a new Canon EOS 40D SLR and there is more gadgets on this thing than the space shuttle. If you did do a course could you recommend one?

Cheers

Tomist

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  • 9 months later...

Informative advertising

If anyone is still interested in learning more about fish photography Matty has contributed a great article in the coming issue of Australian Aquarium Magazine (AAM) due out in early September. :thumb

I should also mention to those that are unaware that Enigma is a regular contributor to AAM and every cover shot and centrefold is his and AAM’s combined masterpiece. :clap

Edited by Australian Aquarium Magazine
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  • 5 months later...

Here is the entire article that was published in AAM

A guide to fish photography.

A lot of people find aquarium photography very daunting especially if you’ve only tried it once or twice with poor results. Some of the problems experienced by those starting out in aquarium photography include, blurred images, not enough light, floating particles and tank reflection just to name a few. However by following a few simple guidelines, you will be able to shoot with more ability and confidence, and ultimately improve your success rate.

Most people will begin taking pictures of their fish using their camera's automatic mode or one of the preset modes, but if you want to start taking great pictures, you'll need to understand what your camera is capable of. Switch to manual mode and learn what all the features can control. You must understand that camera's work by capturing the amount of light that comes in through the camera lens. The more light that makes it through, the easier the picture is to control. Using a flash is essential in taking photos of fish but not always possible as the sudden burst of light can spook some fish.

The three main utilities of a camera are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Each affects the final image in very different ways with the best results being achieved when they are all in balance to allow the correct amount of light into the picture.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed is indicated as 1/8, 1/200 etc, this means that the shutter will be open for an eighth of a second and two hundredths of a second respectively. The longer the exposure time (ie. 1/8th is longer than 1/200th) the more light is let in, however a long exposure will make any movement in the picture blurry - still life will be sharp.

Aperture

The aperture is expressed as F-numbers, eg. F2.8 and F8, and creates the depth of field (DOF). The smaller the F numbers the larger the lens opening and the more light is let in. For example, when you take a picture of a fish from a front on angle, the focus should always be on the eye. With a small f number (F2.8) the fish's eye will be in focus and not much else. (See article1.jpg) With a large F number (F16) the entire fish should be in focus as well as some of the background.

ISO speed

Digital cameras are made with an ISO speed ranging from about ISO50 or ISO100 up to ISO6400. The more advanced cameras get the larger the range of ISO speed. The greater the ISO speed, the more light is let in causing the picture to become "grainy." A small ISO speed of ISO100-400 should create no grainy effect at all.

Now that you know about the 3 basic utilities of the camera, you need to know how they all work together. If you choose not to use a flash, you will need to use high ISO settings, small aperture settings, and slower shutter speeds. Don't rely on the output of a standard fluorescent tube for lighting. Put as much light above the tank as possible. Lamps, spotlights, even floodlights if you're able to, just don't have them resting on the glass lids of your tank as overheating can crack the glass. To start with, try using a shutter speed of 1/60th, an aperture as low as your camera has and an ISO speed of ISO400.

If you do decide to use your flash, the whole situation becomes much easier because you can increase the shutter speed to reduce blurring, decrease the aperture settings to increase your DOF and lower your ISO setting to reduce digital noise. For a start, try 1/200, F16, and ISO100. Using a flash will give you a much sharper and crisper picture, however sometimes you will get a "washed out" effect in the colours of the fish or hot-spots from the reflection of light off the metallic sides of the fish. For those of you that own a Digital SLR camera, an external flash is essential for serious fish photography because You can adjust the angle of the flash to any direction. Bouncing the flash off a mirror or the ceiling can give you a more natural light and make the colours of the fish evenly saturated. Another step further would be to purchase a wireless transmitter for your Digital SLR to have the flash resting above your fish tank and pointed down.

The single most important challenge when taking fish pictures is to get the fish in focus. This is easy if you have a Digital SLR and difficult if you have a point and shoot camera. It seems to be the case of, the more you pay for your camera, the faster the auto focus is and in turn creates better pictures. It is also easier to focus without using a tripod because you can follow the fish with your camera (called panning) instead of waiting for the fish to swim in front of it. If you have trouble, try focussing on an object in the tank (rock, driftwood etc) by pressing halfway down on the shutter button, and then moving to a fish at about the same distance from the lens that the object was. This technique requires a lot more patience and luck, but it is handy when the camera you own has a slow auto focus.

Tips and Tricks.

• Take your pictures at night as many fish have different colours and patterns at night.

• Do a water change on the morning of or the day before you start taking pictures. This will minimise the fish waste and floating particles that ruin a good picture, plus fish seem to enjoy a fresh water change, enhancing their colours and can trigger behaviours such as spawning which makes for a much more interesting photo.

• Tripods are useless unless you're taking a picture of a stationary fish, like pleco's, bristlenoses and thomasi's etc. It's much easier to follow the fish. Make sure you are at a comfortable height to avoid stress on your back.

• Get to know your fish's movements. Watch to see which fish moves in which direction and is in a good position for capturing. For example, Clown Loaches tend to swim up and down the glass so try to capture them at the top of their turn.

• Make sure the focal point is the fish's eye. A focussed tail and a blurry eye will look terrible, but you can get away with having a focussed eye and a blurry tail but understand that higher F-numbers will improve this and give you a greater margin for error.

• Having a clean tank makes a big difference in picture quality. Clean the glass, inside and out, there's nothing worse than taking a great picture but having it ruined by a spot of algae or some dirty water drops, It also stops your camera from auto focusing on dirty glass. If you have air bubbles in the tank turn them off too; this also eliminates tiny particles in the picture.

• Taking the picture on a slight angle to the tank will eliminate the unwanted sight of the flash in your shot. Just be careful not to create too much of an angle as the refraction of light will distort your picture.

• If you're using a point-and-shoot camera switch to the macro function that is typically shown as a little flower. This will help focus on the fish much closer to the camera, however the disadvantage of using this mode is that you are often not able to use the macro settings with the manual settings on a normal point-and-shoot camera. It will also cause a shallow depth of field in automatic mode if there is insufficient light. A dedicated macro lens on a Digital SLR camera can produce more detail than you will ever see with your naked eye. Here is a photo of an Albino bristlenose catfish using a 60mm Canon macro lens. (see article2.jpg)

• Have your batteries for your camera fully charged. There's no fun in having your camera go blank right at the time your fish is yawning or has its fins/gills flared.

• Try to capture you fish as close as you can to the front of the glass as the more water there is between the lens and the fish, the more difficult your camera will find it to focus.

• Where possible, remove any aquarium essentials from the background like heaters, filters and air tubing. Having these objects in the picture will make it look cluttered and messy. When setting up a tank, keep this in mind and make sure this equipment is at either end of the tank or preferably in a sump tank.

Post Processing

So you've taken that 1 in a 100 shot? Even if you haven't got it quite right, you can enhance the picture using a post-processing programs like PhotoShop and Paint Shop Pro.

Being able to digitally correct photos was once frowned upon, (and still is by some traditional film users) but is fast becoming an essential art in itself.

• Don't go overboard with the brightness and contrast controls. It is much easier to adjust the levels plus it will give a more natural look.

• The "Clone" and "Burn" tools come in handy when you want to remove unsightly objects from the picture like other fish, shadows, floating particles and air bubbles etc.

• Don't crop your pictures too harshly, leave enough area around the fish to give it that "swimming" feel.

• A nice way to give that professional touch is by adding a border and signature.

This post has been promoted to an article

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  • 8 months later...

if you are like me and you are hopeless with manual settings, use a camera with sports setting and auto macro focus. Take pictures at night with only the tank lights on to eliminate any reflections on the glass. If you use a flash take the photos on an angle. I always use a tripod, the smallest movement with close ups ends in a blurred shot. Click away and you should get some good shots.

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  • 2 years later...
  • 4 weeks later...

i find point and shoot cameras can do just as good a job as SLR's, a good photo is all about luck not a $1000 camera

just turn on the macro setting then hold the camera right up against the glass to eliminate glare, half press the button to focus then wait for a fishy to come along

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  • 1 month later...

here are some of my tips:

point and shoot: well it is pretty easy to do on those types of cameras, as long as their is enough lighting the shutterspeed will be fast enough not to get a blur motion, other than that the flash will help although this might create a large glare on the glass, the best way to remove this is to shoot from an angle.

dslr: well if you have a dslr like i do, you should be fairly familiar with all the features and settings.

the main thing is if your not going to use a flash the shutter speed must be fast enough so that when the fish move suddenly it will still be sharp. In order to do that you must have a fairly high shutterspeed around 1/100 (from my experience) depends on your lighting but by setting a higher shutter speed this allows less light to be captured so you would have to bump up your ISO and your f/number (aperture size) and remember the higher the ISO the more noise (grains) you will get in the image or you could put it in (S) mode (shutter priority) and it will control the f/number automatically but you still have to control the ISO and shutter speed. if not, then again you can use the flash from an angle. just experiment with shutter speed, ISO and f/number until you get a clear bright image.

i often try and get up close to the fish if not i will crop it later on. and if a fish is slowly moving around i will follow them with the camera instead of staying at one place waiting for it to pass by.

if it is a good image and clear but a dark one i will keep it it put the exposure up on editing software (iPhoto or Lightroom)

i use an dslr (nikon d5100) and when taking pictures of my fish i normally use it in shutter priority mode.

Edited by andrew.vid
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