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Photography Teaching Challenge


TrueTricia

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So you opened this because it said "challenge?"  Well, that might have been a bit of trickery on my part.  There's no judging or prizes.  But there is a challenge associated.....

 

So many of you guys are great at taking photos of your tank(s).  And then there's the rest of us.  I want this threat to be a place where people can see how you get your shots.  No, you don't have to share your patent-pending techniques, but just general tips and tricks.  For example, every photo you post here has to include at least the basic information about your shot such as:

  • camera type (iphone, Nikon, etc)
  • type of lens/focal length
  • aperature
  • speed
  • white balance
  • flash/no flash

This way those of us that drool over your photos have a fighting chance of maybe getting a few good ones of our own.  Of course, you can include additional information about how you used a spotlight to illuminate the coral/fish, etc, but you don't have to. 

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Practice

Isaac you have already broke the rules of this thread...you did not post a beautiful pic...of which you are very capable....and you did not give details of how it was shot.

 

Darn, I also just broke the rules..no pic. :blink:

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OK. I will bump this thread and try again, but you will be disappointed with my answers.

 

DSC_0195_zpse510b601.jpg

 

Seriously, just practice. I shoot about 200 pictures every time I take my camera out and take photos of the tank. Out of those 200, I maybe get 5 that I'm happy with. Some of the things I do, if possible, are adjust the lights. The above is taken under an Evergrow standard ERC layout, so I adjust the blues out (almost all the way, 10%) and then I keep the whites at 100%. This helps provide the natural look.

 

I use a Nikon D90, and the lens is a tamron 60mm. I never use the flash. I can't tell you anything else about the aperture or speed, it's mostly intuitive, which makes it difficult to share.

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Use a tripod to eliminate camera shake.  This allows you to use slower shutter speeds, which means higher depth of field (i.e., tighter aperture/larger F-stop number) since the shutter is open longer which lets in more light.  A corollary to the tripod, use the timer function so your hand doesn't move the camera when pushing the button.  Even better, if you want to get good timing for fish, use a remote trigger.  If you want really killer shots of coral, figure out a way to use a tripod with top-down shooting.  This typically means some DIY handiwork to create a tripod "arm" adapter for your particular setup.  A length of T-slot aluminum is usually a good starting point for many situations.  Re: flash, only use it if you have an indirect, remote flash setup.  Otherwise it will bounce off the glass or create shadows.  I never use one for coral, but it will probably be necessary to allow a high shutter speed & small aperture for a fast moving fish.  Also turn off all pumps/water flow when shooting coral.

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I use a Nikon D90, and the lens is a tamron 60mm. I never use the flash. I can't tell you anything else about the aperture or speed, it's mostly intuitive, which makes it difficult to share.

 

Each image file has all of that information in the EXIF, unless you purposefully eliminate it when exporting from RAW. You can see the EXIF in Lightroom/Photoshop/etc or just windows explorer if you click on "properties - details".

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Each image file has all of that information in the EXIF, unless you purposefully eliminate it when exporting from RAW. You can see the EXIF in Lightroom/Photoshop/etc or just windows explorer if you click on "properties - details".

 

I'm on a mac that is 7 years old. I can use iPhoto and don't have enough room to even update my software :huh:

 

I spent laptop money on a new build....

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-Turn off powerheads. Also be sure to photograph the tank when the water is clear. 

-Moving subjects (including coral polyps) will require a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the motion. 

-Set the aperture to achieve the desired depth of field.

-We're typically shooting in bright light so the ISO can be low. I usually shoot around 200-400 for corals, a bit higher for faster moving subjects like fish. 

-White balance is key. Familiarize yourself with how to do custom WB. 

-If you need to use a flash, do so off camera and experiment with placement. I also like to use colored gels to match the color of the flash to the color of the ambient light. Otherwise the different colored light will look goofy. 

-Shoot raw so you'll have more options in post. 

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I'm on a mac that is 7 years old. I can use iPhoto and don't have enough room to even update my software :huh:

 

I spent laptop money on a new build....

You can see the aperture and shutter speed on your camera. When looking at the photo, you click the scroll key and you'll see all the info about your shot.

 

Also, what kind of lens are you using?

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You can see the aperture and shutter speed on your camera. When looking at the photo, you click the scroll key and you'll see all the info about your shot.

 

Also, what kind of lens are you using?

I delete off the camera once uploaded. Look above: tameron 60mm

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Knowing others camera settings won't help much. Completely depends on the settings/type of your light and the room.

Edited by brad908
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