December, 2017 POTM Contest - Red & Green

Christopher Davis

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Seasons greetings

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ritter6788

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I like this Ritter! Curious, how did you get the black background; low depth of field with spot lighting or did you photoshop the background black

I don't own photoshop or any editing program other than what comes with my PC for basic edits like crop, brightness, contrast, etc. My tank had a black background anyway so it didn't take too much editing to get it all completely black. I think I just increased the "shadow" function to black it out completely.

The DOF is from the lens I use. Instead of a standard or macro lens I use a 300mm zoom lens and sit across the room for fish pics. They aren't as skittish because you aren't chasing them around the tank with a camera. That fish was perched on the chalice perfectly still which made a clear shot easier to get.
 
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I don't own photoshop or any editing program other than what comes with my PC for basic edits like crop, brightness, contrast, etc. My tank had a black background anyway so it didn't take too much editing to get it all completely black. I think I just increased the "shadow" function to black it out completely.

The DOF is from the lens I use. Instead of a standard or macro lens I use a 300mm zoom lens and sit across the room for fish pics. They aren't as skittish because you aren't chasing them around the tank with a camera. That fish was perched on the chalice perfectly still which made a clear shot easier to get.

Very interesting Gabe. I would never have thought to use a long focal length away from the display. I'm assuming you still try to stay perpendicular to the glass to thwart distortion? I'll have to give that a try!
 

ritter6788

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Very interesting Gabe. I would never have thought to use a long focal length away from the display. I'm assuming you still try to stay perpendicular to the glass to thwart distortion? I'll have to give that a try!

Yes! You still need to stay perpendicular to the glass and a tripod is still your best friend. I've got some pretty interesting pics this way and using a flash on some fish or inverts can make for some really cool looking photos too. I have a blue damsel pic that looks super edited/over saturated but it's just taken close up with a flash. The damsel scales reflect the flash and looks really cool.
 

Maddlesrain

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I don't own photoshop or any editing program other than what comes with my PC for basic edits like crop, brightness, contrast, etc. My tank had a black background anyway so it didn't take too much editing to get it all completely black. I think I just increased the "shadow" function to black it out completely.

The DOF is from the lens I use. Instead of a standard or macro lens I use a 300mm zoom lens and sit across the room for fish pics. They aren't as skittish because you aren't chasing them around the tank with a camera. That fish was perched on the chalice perfectly still which made a clear shot easier to get.

I do something similar! My lense is 180mm, but I also sit away from the tank so that the fish aren’t as likely to be zooming around in an effort to escape me! Haha it’s much more effective and the pictures come out a lot better!
 
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OK, total Noob question here. HOW do you vote?

A couple days after the entry deadline, you'll find a voting poll in the reef discussion forum to cast your vote. November's contest voting poll is there now.
 

Tentacled trailblazer in your tank: Have you ever kept a large starfish?

  • I currently have a starfish in my tank.

    Votes: 24 29.3%
  • Not currently, but I have kept a starfish in the past.

    Votes: 18 22.0%
  • I have never kept a starfish, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 22 26.8%
  • I have no plans to keep a starfish.

    Votes: 18 22.0%
  • Other.

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