|
Another method I used at the Ripley Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN, was to angle the camera in relation to the aquarium glass, at about a 45 degree angle. This way the reflection of the flash does not bounce straight back into the camera lens. If you play with this for a few shots, you can manage to get by if you do not have a lens hood/etc.
Posted 87 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I could use some advice too.
When I use the normal settings on my camera the shutterspeed is to slow and everything is moved/blurry like this:
But when I use the fast shutter setting to "freeze the action", so little light is let in that it comes out completely dark and I need to use the flash. Using the flash makes everything look weird though:
I'm still a beginner with photography and this is a new camera so any tips would be greatly appreciated
Posted 86 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I tend to turn off all room lights, have the tank lights on..and don't use a flash. The flash will reflect off the glass, and definitely washes color out.
Posted 86 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
Thanks for the tip, I will try it soon :)
The shark like fish was making tank maintenance a nightmare, because he kept jumping out. I actually took him to live at a zoo last friday !
We'll miss him but he shouldn't have been in the tank in the first place (it's a shoal fish and would grow even bigger) but we found him in a tiny tank on his own.
He's going to live in a huge asian river display in Blijdorp zoo in rotterdam with loads of others and room to jump :D
Good for him and also good for us cos now we can look after the aquarium properly. I will post new pics after we have redone it to our liking.
Posted 86 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I've been thinking about how to answer this question. I also try to use natural light (from the tank) and get lots of reflections unless I am right up against the glass. Most of my shots are macro for this reason.
Also, I've used flash a few times but not sure why sometimes it reflects horribly and other times it just works out perfectly! (Of course you can't use flash if you're up close in macro mode.)
Posted 86 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
To reduce the reflections in the aquarium glass, you should turn off all lights in the room. You can also stand off to one side, but this will only help with your refelction, not the reflections of furniture, for example.
With the flash, it's all aboutthe angle of the camera lens in relation to the glass of the tank.
Posted 85 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I try to not use a flash when taking pics in my tank; don't like the change in color/contrast.
Instead, try turning off all the lights and taking a pic with no flash, just the lighting in the tank.
Posted 85 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Doesn't the flash upset the fish?
Posted 85 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
From what I've read, it may stress them slightly, but not so much as it would cause health problems.
I think you'd be fine, unless you set up a strobe on the tank and let it run for hours on end - that they might not like too much. :p
Posted 84 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
I don't think our fish noticed, they certainly didn't hide or anything like that.
Posted 84 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
Good to know! Thank you!
Posted 84 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
So does anyone have suggestions for taking clear aquarium shots without the use of flash? Like Miki said at the beginning of this string, I find that my pics end up blurry without the flash.
Posted 83 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
With extra light inside the tank, you wouldn't need a flash. Problem is, standard lighting (read:that included with aquarium purchase in a 'set') is generally nowhere near enough.
Try turning all the lights in the room on and/or upgrade your tank lighting (if possible).
Turn off your HOB filter - the decreased water movement will calm the fish down, and they'll swim around less, helping you (maybe) get a nice pic.
Camera shake is usually what causes these problems, so either try a tripod or a table or such to steady the camera. Also try longer shutter settings to allow more light in, if your fish are cooperative (which they hardly ever are :lol: ).
Hope this helps!
Posted 83 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
No one has mentioned the problems with autofocus. For best results set the focus to manual or lock it and focus by moving in and out using the LCD viewer to judge when it is in focus. If you dont do this the autofocus sees only the glass and gets the fish out of focus.
Posted 80 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Just to add to the concern of flash and if it affects the fish... if you are at a public institution, pay attention to the signs. We don't allow flash photographs of our sea dragons because they are so sensitive (they practically croak when you look at them the wrong way!). If it isn't ok to take a photo with flash, there is usually some signage to that effect.
Posted 80 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Generally the easiest way to avoid reflections from the glass is to use polarisation filter. The downside is, it allows even less light through the lens.
Posted 76 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
If you shoot manual with no flash, a fast shutter speed, and open the aperature as much as possible (f4.0 or 2.8) for your chosen shutter speed. You should be able to get some decent shots without the blur factor.
Posted 76 months ago.
(permalink)
|
 |
gavnardi [deleted] says:
Just a hack at this but after heaps of fiddling I find that by adding as much extra light as possible directly into the tank has been the best for me. I have had the hood off my tank and every available lamp in the house all kinda poking into the top with all the normal lights on. Note: Dont let them fall in!!
Posted 76 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
If it's a large floor to ceiling type aquarium you can try pressing your camera and flash on the glass and creating light insulation between the lens and flash (without covering sensors) with a piece of fabric. If you have a flash sync cord it makes this much easier.
If your camera will not find or maintain focus on the fish you might be focusing on the glass instead of beyond it. That's a problem with my coolpix. I get around it by using manual focus or a scenery mode.
If you are shooting a smaller aquarium and have an off camera flash sync cord you can position the flash above the water and shoot through the glass.
I am using a different technique for my guppies. I cut a white plastic garbage bag and used it to cover a West facing window. As the sun gets lower in the sky it lights up the plastic like a soft box. I place a single fish into a squarish shaped glass and wait for it to settle down... then "it's just like shooting fish in a barrel".
Originally posted 74 months ago.
(permalink)
M4XIM4GE edited this topic 74 months ago.
|
|
Thanks for the tips!
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Id say a dark room, no flash, and a wide aperture. Try using different camera speeds if you have a manual setting on your camera.
Use a tripod or a stack of books to mount the camera in position, you can then try longer exposures. Light is the key, but if you under expose you can always brighten the image in PS.
A.
Posted 71 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Dark room. Lights on in tank.
Use a tripod if you got one.
Experiment!
Posted 71 months ago.
(permalink)
|
Would you like to comment?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).
|
Aquarium /
Discuss
Feed – Subscribe to Aquarium discussion threads
