beefytang Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I found this great link that describes some inexpensive tricks you can use to enhance your photos. Relative to aquarium photography, I like the flash diffuser idea. Visit Gizmodo's camera tricks on the cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Cool tips.....like the ringflash/ringlight. My husband was thinking of making a ringlight out of bright white LED lights. I'm having trouble capturing the harlequin shrimp, because he's so reclusive and of course....he's always in cave or way in the back. Plus, I've notice that the thickness of the glass makes it hard to focus unless you're align straight w/the object. The slightest angle makes your pics come out a unfocused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefytang Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Yes, it is really tricky shooting through glass. I too have noticed distortion if I deviate at an angle. Often, I think aquarium photography is a game of chance. By that I mean having your subject matter come into a desirable view, then having your light and aperture/fstop just right at that exact moment, and finally, having it all in focus. All these things and more come together in a photo that is above average. Often, I'll bracket my shots so I can increase my chances of having a decent exposure. And of course, keeping the camera steady on a tripod, sometimes using an infrared remote control. I'm finding most of my pictures are bad because my camera is old, the lens is weak, and I'm usually unable to tell if I really have things in sharp focus. So I'll lean on photoshop to get things looking more how I see the subject matter with my eyes. My camera and I don't always agree. I'll use these PS filters & routines often: Unsharp mask (when scaling down an image), Reduce noise (if my ISO speed is too high) and Shadows/Highlights (if my shot is under exposed). Sometimes I will jack up the saturation just a tad because I notice the "Save for web" jpeg compressor will desaturate my photos for some reason. Personally, I have no aversion to post-production touch ups with photos. I did all kinds of experiments in real dark rooms in the past so it's quite natural for me to carry on with digital tricks. Healing brushes, etc. The ring light idea in the article is kind of interesting. Might be really useful for macro shots. Anyway, looking forward to more shots from you. I'm off to the Gallery to see your new stuff. Good luck capturing that perfect harlequin shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 When I was trying to take shots of my tank I experimented with different colors of printer paper to help diffuse the flash so as not to white out my pics. My halides always ruin my pictures. I didn't read all of the article but another nice cheap trick on the tank photography I used was to make a picture periscope. Basically an acrylic box that I could place down into the water and take pictures through it. One box I had was really long with a divider in the middle instead of on one end. This was then placed over the coral through the water. The box would surround the coral and prevent currents from disrupting the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 When I was trying to take shots of my tank I experimented with different colors of printer paper to help diffuse the flash so as not to white out my pics. My halides always ruin my pictures. I didn't read all of the article but another nice cheap trick on the tank photography I used was to make a picture periscope. Basically an acrylic box that I could place down into the water and take pictures through it. One box I had was really long with a divider in the middle instead of on one end. This was then placed over the coral through the water. The box would surround the coral and prevent currents from disrupting the picture. I'm assuming this is a very dark color acrylic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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