# [Wet Thumb Forum]-External flash for hole tank shots



## Gian (Feb 12, 2004)

Brazilian greetings!!

Has anyone ever tried using external flashes/speedlights to capture hole tank images instead of the own tank lighting?

I know that this is the way that Amano goes for his wonderful pictures and I do know that he has equipments in his studio that are far beyond our dreams of purchase, but I´ve seen in the latest AquaJournal issues hobbysts like us trying this approach with the equipments we can have. There´s even one AJ issue dedicated to photography stuff (#77) where this tecnique is shown, but my Japanese does not give much info except for the pics









As my english is a bit better than my Japanese, I ask you guys then, can anyone give a good light about it? Is it worth the extra work and upgrades in speedlights?

thanks

[This message was edited by Gian on Mon June 09 2003 at 12:53 PM.]


----------



## Gian (Feb 12, 2004)

Brazilian greetings!!

Has anyone ever tried using external flashes/speedlights to capture hole tank images instead of the own tank lighting?

I know that this is the way that Amano goes for his wonderful pictures and I do know that he has equipments in his studio that are far beyond our dreams of purchase, but I´ve seen in the latest AquaJournal issues hobbysts like us trying this approach with the equipments we can have. There´s even one AJ issue dedicated to photography stuff (#77) where this tecnique is shown, but my Japanese does not give much info except for the pics









As my english is a bit better than my Japanese, I ask you guys then, can anyone give a good light about it? Is it worth the extra work and upgrades in speedlights?

thanks

[This message was edited by Gian on Mon June 09 2003 at 12:53 PM.]


----------



## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

With the light that digital cameras will catch, I'm not sure if external flashes aer really needed. All of my picture have been taken without external flashes.

If you use a flash monted on the camera your only option is to take the picture at an angle. In most cases this is an odd perspective which never shows the whole tank properly.

To use flashes properly you would need two external flashes. You would center the camera and put ine flash to either side. This doesn't have to be too expensive, but even then one of the more experienced people on the board would have to tell you if it is worth the money.

In my opinion take a look at your pictures without flash and see if they are accurate and to your liking. Only if you feelthere is something missing would I spend the extra money.

My next purchase will not be for flashes but for filters (and a better camera which can use them). I think a good polarizing filter will have a larger on my pictures than flashes.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


----------



## Guest (Jun 10, 2003)

I never worked with external flashes but plan on doing so in near future. It's definitely doable, but you need to move your light sources to the side.

Here is the picture of similar setup proposed by Birgit.










Join as at www.njas.net


----------



## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

I have a Metz flash here which I plan on using for some aquarium photos at some stage. The beauty of the Metz flash is that I can mount it on a tripod away from the camera. Flash positioning would be elevated at a 45 degree angle to the tank.

As the tank I will be photographing is only a 20g long, one flash should be adequate to illuminate the tank, however I'm unsure if strong shadows will pose a big problem. Using something to diffuse the flash (such as a styrofoam cup placed over it) would help soften the light.

One other possibility is using the Metz as a Fill Flash, and the aquarium lights as the key light. If I close down one or two f-stops (e.g. have the metz set on f8 and the camera set on f11), the flash would work to lighten up any shadow areas. I'm not sure how well this work, but I'll give it a shot!

When I get around to taking the photos I will do some experimentation and post the results here.

Does anyone out there have a pair of Elinchrom or similar studio lights? They would work a treat! I really think two light sources is the way to go...


----------



## Guest (Jun 10, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> one flash should be adequate to illuminate the tank, however I'm unsure if strong shadows will pose a big problem. Using something to diffuse the flash (such as a styrofoam cup placed over it) would help soften the light


Here is something to invest in. I know I will once I get my external flash.

bounce and diffusion devices 

Bounce Flash Specialists

Join as at www.njas.net


----------



## Gian (Feb 12, 2004)

Thank you guys, I knew I could get some help with you.

I didn´t know the possibility of coming with the flashes from the sides, what I see there is to place them above the aquarium, replacing the aquarium lighting for the shots, but this is a field where experimentation has be done anyway to see what works better....

I never worked with flashes before, so I´m totally new to this. If there´s more useful links out there that you could show me, I´d be appreciate, specially those ones that shows how flashes work when away from the camera.

Thanks a lot again!!


----------

