Learn how to take pictures of your tank with me!

[cherokee_dude]

So, I'm only 1 day old with this Camera and I plan on taking mostly shots of my tank, corals and fish {For now}. There is a ton of information out there, but I want this thread to be of the stuff we really care about... Taking awesome pictures of our tanks!

I'm calling on all the experts to guide us through this journey.
To that end; I am willing to try different techniques, exposures, settings, lighting conditions, etc... based on the advice from experts here and will post the resulting image results. Give me a challenge!

I am hoping to document my journey with Reef Photography; from camera purchase, to taking pictures, to making post capture adjustments for THE BEST possible pictures. I'll be posting links to articles that I found easy to follow here as well...


Day 0; Decided on a Camera based on the needs for capturing things in our tank. Here are the baseline requirements as I figured them to be...

1. Fast enough to capture moving Wrasses and other speedy fish
2. Needs to be able to accept nicer Lenses, but also cheaper ones that will do the job for a newbie
3. Has to be within my budget, but understanding that a decent DSLR is not super cheap, {Plus, Can't be spending too much coral money :tongue:}
4. Has to have the ability to accept Macro Lenses and use Auto-focus for the learning curve {If it's too much trouble to get started taking decent pictures, it'll end up on the shelf pretty quickly }

Here's what I decided on for Equipment, cost me about 600 to get started;
Nikon DSLR D80
Sigma 28-300mm lens
Nikkor 55-200mm Lens w/ VR {Vibration Reduction}
8GB SD Card
Wireless Camera Remote
Tripod
Camera Case
Camera Manual - Download the one for your camera RIGHT AWAY!



Day 1 ; Not much time to read today so I just used AutoFocus and had at it! Been trying to get a representative shot of the last chalice for a loooong time now, It's about the size of a tea saucer and is my absolute Favorite Coral! Throw up some advice or chime in on equipment I'm missing and why it's important.

 

[droblack]

Off to a great start! How do you get your solorensis to sit still long enough for a clear pic?

 

[Bio-nut]

I always shoot fish in the sports mode! I will go with you on this journey as I could learn a few tricks too!

 

[wishntoboutside]

Does the camera have a snow or under water mode? i have a cannon so i have no clue. It was a good cheat for me on an older camera. I think the art of color balance is the hardest. Making a picture look real but not over shooting it is the next step. but man after seeing Gary Parr in action I was truly inspired. We are so lucky to have someone like Gary in our hobby to one share his art with others in threads. Truly incredible. Funny I never thought a fish tank would lead me to another hobby enjoy.

 

[Murfman]

If you can, shoot in RAW format. You can adjust your white balance and color temp in the software and not have to worry too much, if you don't get the shot. Then you save as a JPG.

 

[cherokee_dude]

Off to a great start! How do you get your solorensis to sit still long enough for a clear pic?

I take two days off from feeding during the week. This makes every fish hang in the front of the tank on Sundays. Although he is lightning fast, everyone chills out just before feeding. Kind of like the calm before the feeding frenzy!

I always shoot fish in the sports mode! I will go with you on this journey as I could learn a few tricks too!

Thanks! I haven't tried that yet as I haven't tried shooting anything darting about.

Does the camera have a snow or under water mode? i have a cannon so i have no clue. It was a good cheat for me on an older camera. I think the art of color balance is the hardest. Making a picture look real but not over shooting it is the next step. but man after seeing Gary Parr in action I was truly inspired. We are so lucky to have someone like Gary in our hobby to one share his art with others in threads. Truly incredible. Funny I never thought a fish tank would lead me to another hobby enjoy.

I couldn't find this setting, but found Gary's thread. It's partially his fault I now have two Uber Expensive hobbies :tongue:

If you can, shoot in RAW format. You can adjust your white balance and color temp in the software and not have to worry too much, if you don't get the shot. Then you save as a JPG.

I can indeed shoot in raw, and have CS4 w/ Photoshop to make some adjustments if necessary.
These shots were taken in .jpg format and I could still make W/B and C/T adjustments... I used the 'Auto' function and crop for the first pics. I don't know enough yet to do much harm to the pics, but I know enough to be dangerous!

 

[ReefRunner]

I almost always take photos with an ISO of 800. While it can make the photo a bit grainy I find the faster speed allows me to shoot most of the time without a flash. I find the colors are truer, whether they are of fish or corals.


Robin

 

[gar732]

I just recieved my XSi yesterday and I don't have a clue so I'll be tagging along on this one. Great thread.

 

[ddwbeagles]

I agree awesome thread. Pretty thoughtful of you to do and your initial DAY 1 pics aren't too shabby. I'll be tagging along to pick up some pointers.

 

[cherokee_dude]

Day 7; Decided to switch to RAW format. Which I understand to be a picture where as much original formatting/pixels and and data from the camera to the PC are retained.

Also, a few things have become clearer based on a few test shots...
I've learned that ISO Settings, Flash and Framing {Subject Focusing} are all VERY important for taking pics of our tanks.

Let's tackle these one at a time, using my Purple slimer {on left} and Garf Bonsai {on right}...

ISO Setting is 250 for this example: Think of this as film sensitivity which is important because of the amount of seriously high output we use on our tanks.

The best way to think of it is like our Skin.
You know how some people are slightly allergic to dogs and can hang out in your house for a little while... While some people break out if they grab your jacket by accident?

The camera's sensor, which initially 'Captures' the actual image, is just like that, except we can say how 'Allergic' the film is to light when exposed at shutter release.

Notice how the first shot is grainy in the darker areas {It's easier to see if you enlarge it}? Photography people call it 'Noise' when it appears that you're looking at a picture through a window on a rainy day. That effect, at least for Macro shots, is reduced the lower we set the ISO while still capturing the level of detail we're looking for..

The other thing to note is the affect of a 6500k flash on the corals true color. In this context 'True color' to me is what I see when I have certain lighting on. I probably won't be using a flash for many more pictures since I/we don't have ~6000k lights and the first pic is NOT what any of my SPS corals look like, even out of the water. The second pic is much truer to what I see.

This context will change depending on whether I am trying to capture the color under 14k Phoenix Bulbs, T5HO Actinic Lighting, Blue LED's or a combination of these

These were with the Halides and Actinic supplementation lighting on.

Lastly, I messed with the Auto-Focus/Shutter Release button {aka Prayer button} on the second shot when I was Framing, or using the focusing brackets in the viewer, for the shot I wanted to take. Which caused it to focus more on the Garf Bonsai even though they are right next to each other. I'm going to switch to working with one subject at a time now since that seems like a whole nother ball of wax when it comes to macros.

Here's an example using moving subjects...

Here is a pic of my ORA Picasso clown without flash and using a tripod. The whole 'Picture day' thing is working for me. I know they're hungry and will spend more time in the front of the tank/camera Try to look past the Magnavore etchings on the Acrylic for now. I'm still putting together the build thread for the Glass Cages 120... and after all... camera's only capture what is actually there anyways right?

One final point... If you want to take good macros, even of fish. Hop on ebay and get a Tripod because you'll need it for sure...

I thought I'd pose a challenge to the photo buffs on here... I will offer the subject, you will offer tips for a great shot. OK?

I have a Purple with Super Neon Green center Favia. It can be under whatever lighting I have listed as available above, on the sandbed 20" from the main lighting and ~4" from the front of the glass. Post your tips and I'll post the results!

Thanks again for everyone's feedback! This is fun!

 

[cherokee_dude]

I found some good tips for macro shots here... Very easy read.
macro photography tips with example photographs and images - SLR Photography Guide

 

[cherokee_dude]

Day 14;
I visited my buddy Fishfry and decided to bring my gear including my tripod.
Fishfry's tank is a 47g Deep with a 250 14K HQI and Blue LED strips from Oznium.com...

These dimensions make it easier to capture wrasse since they pretty much shoot in and out of the rockwork at the same place in the water column. I focused in one area and waited for them to come in the eyepiece. Then I zoomed in quickly and tried to follow and focus. It's not as hard as you might imagine once you get a rhythm going.

Based on recommendations here, I decided to go FULL ON MANUAL and Wow! what a difference! You really feel in control.

Here's what I did;
1: Setup ISO to 100
2: Setup F-Stop to between 5-6.5
3: Setup Camera on Tripod {Leaving a light tension on the Vertical Angle to allow for a little play}
4: Turned Flash off
5: Turned Dial to Manual (M)
6: Also turned the Lens to Manual {Only for lenses that have the AF motor built into them}
7: Zoomed in as far as I could (300mm)
8: Manually focused until clear
9: Moved the tripod back if I couldn't get it 100% (Based on looking through the eyepiece)
10: Re-focused if necessary and SHOT AWAY!

Last week I learned about Lighting and my Lens;

Firstly, I learned that you really need to know the lens that you have. The sigma that I have been using has two important features...

These are important because in the first respect (A) my Nikon {Nikkor} Lens needs more space before the actual tank before it can actually focus, no matter if it's Manual or Automatic. My Sigma Lens needs only 19.7" according to the specs. I was able to get a pretty decent focus ~5" or more from the actual glass. Basically, this minimum spec is fine unless you have your rock work right up against the front glass The Nikon lens specs say min. focus distance is 3'6"!

In the case of the second feature (B); both have a second rotational piece that is a Manual Focus Adjustment which my Nikon lens does not have. It's the second set of ribbing you can see in this pic on the farther right side... Some of the cheaper lenses do not have this 'Crucial' feature.

a; Minimum focus length
b; Manual Focus Adjustment

This article was really helpful with the suggestions of 'Where' to focus when shooting fish and also understanding lighting.
Macro underwater photography tips and tutorial|Underwater Photography Guide

Because of these considerations, and the lack of funds to buy a "True Macro" lens, which is different in design than a lens that just has Zoom... {We'll learn about that if I have $$$ after the tank upgrade } Here's a link to a review of the 105mm Nikkor Macro lens ~600 USD that some local folks highly recommend. Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR


As far as lighting... I initially thought of it as an adversary in this context. Which was a really odd feeling since I try to get as much as possible in my tank... But, I digress... in reality, it's like the big angry dog in your neighbor's yard. You've just got to get to know it... It's just doing what it's supposed to do and you can actually befriend it, if you understand it.

For our reef pictures, we want the pics to show "What we see" right? Well, I stopped fighting it and decided to learn it.
I'm absolutely not ready for the 'Advanced Techniques' mentioned above. So, for now I'm adjusting the ISO to a lower setting (100) and adjusting the White Balance in Photoshop. Again, DO NOT USE FLASH! It'll wash out the colors you see... That is unless you're taking a pic of your refugium :tongue:

OK, Enough with the talk. Here are the latest shots!

Figured, I was already in Photoshop... So, what the heck right?!

 

[IamRit]

I'm very envy of your skills. Thanks for sharing the info. Great shots.

 

[MAKcorals]

Thanks for the info. I am currently saving up for a DSlR and have messed around with some of my friends camera's recently, it really is like learning a new language and it is good to see your progress. It lets me know that there is hope and like all things it will just take time to master. Keep it up, and keep the pictures and note of your progress comin.

 

[cherokee_dude]

Thanks Guys! I'd love some more suggestions from the Pros here as well! TEACH US, O' WISE ONES! :tongue:

 

[125tank]

Leopard looking good..one of my favorite fish....nice pix