# [Wet Thumb Forum]-photography tips



## ekim

Anyone want to share some of there digital photography tips and / or camera settings?

I'm specifically looking for tips on full tank shots.

I plan to take pics once the room is dark enough, but not so late in the evening that i'm taking picture of a champaign glass!

2 questions off the top of my head would be,








would you zoom in at all for a full tank shot or just get close enough so there is no need?







another question is what ISO speed would you chose (50, 100, 200, 400)

Thanks for sharing


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## Alex

My biggest suggestion would be to get a tripod or something that you can rest the camera on. I usually zoom out and then move the camera to right distance. Have a good photo editing program to crop and adjust the levels helps a lot. I also find taking the pictures at night with the house lights off seems to work best.

Alex


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## António Vitor1

iso speed?

is that for some control of the shutter speed?
... if that is the case then put it at the fastest speed... don't know if that is at iso 50 or at iso 400

my camera have some "manual" control of that:
night scene
sport
scene
portrait

don't know if that is the same thing...

faster shutter speed need a lot more light into the aquarium, or image noise might appear.

of course if auto mode is on then the camera tries to produce the "right" shutter speed to the photo (more light -> more shutter speed).

my room is not big enough... I have to take the zoom all the way out (macro mode)
that is not good... it can give some distortion to the photo... the best zoom is when there isn't any distortion on the pictures, a little "zoom in" can produce disortion free photos.


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## EDGE

iso is similar to the different number on film for regular camera.

100 film, 200 film, 400 film etc..

200 is usually what we used when we take pictures with the regular camera. I am guessing iso 200 should be a good place to start for taking digital photography.

I asked a camera store last weekend about aquarium photography. They suggest I should try iso 800 before consider getting a flash.

Of course, this is probably for a moderatly lid fish tank (not a well lid planted tank)

I think there is a different between shutter and aperture priority. I haven't reading into the difference yet, but reading this link, he set it to aperture priority and not shutter. On his camera (nikon 990), aperture and shutter priority is a different thing.

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## captain

ISO is a rating of how fast the film reacts to light. The higher the number the less light is needed for the exposure.

There is a difference between aperture and shutter speed. Aperture is the opening that lets light in to expose the "film" (in this case an electronic detector). The smaller the f stop (aperture setting) the larger the aperture is. So a small f stop means that more light will get in. A large f stop means a smaller aperture and less light gets in. In general when you use a large f stop all objects in the shot should come out in focus in the picture. With a small f stop only the objects in the plane of focus will be in focus in the picture. The rest will be fuzzy.

The shutter speed is just how long the shutter stays open. Longer its open the more light that is let in. So for action shots you want a small shutter speed so there is less blurring.

Aperture priority just means that the camera will use the aperture setting that you choose and adjust the shutter speed to match the brightness of the scene

Shutter speed priority means the camera will use the shutter speed you select and adjust the aperture to match the brightness of the scene.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Guest

As for as full tank shots there is not that much to get into details.

- Lots of light over the tank. You can even increase the amount just for the picture session.
- Tripod (to prevent shakes)
- Play around with aperture vs. shutter speed and find equilibrium in your case. 
- You will want faster shutter speed to "freeze" the fish but at the same time you need to increase your aperture to F2 levels where you will have enough room for the light to enter.
- Manual Focus

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## António Vitor1

I have only 4 aperture settings (3 manual)
F2.8
F4.8
F8.2
and auto

what that means?
F2.8 is better?

the only way I can get "forced" faster shutter speeds (with low lights) is with the manual-sport settings...

Powerfull lights above the tank can also provide these faster shutter speed (in automatic mode)... I must say that with my Metal Halide there is no need to force faster shutter speeds...


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## captain

Your camera just has three aperture settings. One setting being better than another depends on the lighting conditions, shutter speed, flash,..., and other stuff. 

F2.8 is your largest aperture setting and F8.2 is your smallest.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> what that means?
> F2.8 is better?


Here is an example of F8 aperture. Large depth of field. Everything is in focus.










Here is an example of F2.5 aperture. Small depth of field. Only close portion of plant is in focus.










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## ekim

Thanks for all the advice. Just got my camera (A70) a few hours ago. Here's one of the first 10 pics i took. not the greatest, but i have a lot to learn. if i had to repeat the settings i wouldn't be able to...i pressed so many different buttons


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## Guest

Good start Ekim.

- Get tripod for closeups like that. In no time you are going to be hooked and looking for macro lenses.
- Try to set your aperture higher so you get large depth of field and sharp picture
-Manual focus (move camera in and out) 
-Macro setting

This is my Java Fern shot.










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## Roger Miller

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by ekim:
> would you zoom in at all for a full tank shot or just get close enough so there is no need?
> another question is what ISO speed would you chose (50, 100, 200, 400)


I assume you mean optical zoom, not digital zoom. Digital zoom is only usefull if you don't have photo-editing software.

I always back up a little, then zoom in a bit to take full tank pictures. That is because when the lens on my camera us "out" it goes to a very wide angle and there is some fish-eye distortion. Different lenses -- different results.

My camera produces the highest quality results at the lowest ISO settings. High ISO settings produce "noisy" images. The effect is similar to graininess in high ISO films. Sometime you need to use a higher ISO setting to get a low-light picture that isn't blurred by motion.

I have always found that when I let my camera set the exposure on a full-tank picture that the most brightly-lit areas are over-exposed. From comparing notes with other people, that seems to be common. There are a number of ways around the problem. The best solution I've found is to adjust the exposure downward so the entire image is a little underexposed. If the result is too dim then you can use a photo editor to brighten the image without over exposing the brightest areas. Experiment to find out just how much underexposure you need.

One of the really neat things about digital cameras is that you can experiment a lot in a short amount of time at essentially no cost.

Like other people have said, get a tripod. It doesn't even need to be a great tripod.

Roger Miller


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## ekim

Thanks guys this is helping!

Dr.Jay, in your java photo, the aperture would have been set large/big (F2ish) right?

Roger, I also noticed in my manual about the higher the ISO setting the "noisier" the image will be.
What ISO speed do you find yourself using most often for tank shots?
By choosing a lower ISO (50) that would help with overexposure right? I guess you don't want to go to low though so that you have to lower the shutter speed to get enough light and have "blurrier" photos.

Am I making sense, or way off track?
Sorry big newbie









[This message was edited by ekim on Thu April 24 2003 at 05:47 AM.]


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## Roger Miller

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by ekim: By choosing a lower ISO (50) that would help with overexposure right? I guess you don't want to go to low though so that you have to lower the shutter speed to get enough light and have "blurrier" photos.


If you use any autoexposure system the exposure should come out about the same regardless of what the ISO setting is. Aperture and shutter speed are related to ISO. So the ISO setting won't help with overexposure.

If you aren't using autoexposure then the over exposure on auto settings isn't a problem.

My camera powers on at ISO 100 and I usually leave it there.

Roger


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> Dr.Jay, in your java photo, the aperture would have been set large/big (F2ish) right?.


Ekim,

Looks like you are getting this.

As for as my picture. Yes it was taken with F2.5

If I want to take a picture of specific object and don't care about surroundings then I set my aperture to ~F2 levels. This will make background blurry and at the same time desired spot in focus.

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## António Vitor1

Great topic.. and great tips
I want more more!!!


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## ekim

Thanks guys, slowly but surely i will get it!

Here is a two more,

My camera has these type of focus, Evaluative Light Metering, Center-Weighted Averaging, and Spot AE Point.

So for a tank shots i'm thinking "Evaluative Light Metering", for a perticular area "Center-Weighted Averaging" and for something specific "Spot AE Point".

I'm not sure if these are standard terms for focusing, if not don't worry about it!

Do you notice a huge difference by setting a custome white balanace over choosing one of the preset ones?

I'm sure every camera is different, so if you think i'm asking to much camera specific stuff just tell me!









As always.... Thanks


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## captain

Maybe we should have a photography forum for discussing photography issues. I have seen them on other boards. Do you think it will get enough traffic to warrant or is it best just brought up in other forums?

Since I have bought my camera I have been taking pictures of everything. My daughter must think I have a tumor on my hand.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Roger Miller

> quote:
> 
> So for a tank shots i'm thinking "Evaluative Light Metering", for a perticular area "Center-Weighted Averaging" and for something specific "Spot AE Point".


ekim,

These actually sound like different type of autoexposure, not different types of focus. The terms are specific to your camera, but from their names I would guess that they provide a range in how much weight is placed on the brightness at the center of the image when determining the exposure. The least weight is given in the "Evaluative Light Metering" method and the most weight given in the "Spot AE Point" method.

You will need to work with the options to find out how they work for you.



> quote:
> 
> Do you notice a huge difference by setting a custome white balanace over choosing one of the preset ones?


My camera doesn't provide manual white balance, so I can't help much. I find that the presets are pretty good. I have gotten my best full-tank photos using the preset white balance for standard fluorescent lights, then using a photo editor to dial in the right balance between green and red. If your camera has a preset for "high quality" fluorescents that may do away with the need to adjust the white balance.

I'm not real keen on auto white balance.

Roger


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## Hawkeye

I have 7 setting for white balance settings with my FinPix 2800zoom. They make color changes in the picture. I have one for incandescent light, three for fluorescent light (daylight,warm white,cool white),shade, fine weather, and Auto. When I take pictures of my aquarium, I take shots with all three fluorescent setting. You can get different effects by changing the white balance. When you are in the auto mode, watch out that you don't AF on a bright spot in the Aquarium. This will overexpose the shot. 

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®


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## ekim

Thanks guys, i'm catching on!

I did a custom white balance by putting a white plastic lid in the tank, it looks a little better than the preset fluorescent settings.

One last trim and i'm good to go!

I really need to work on my macros though!










<a href="http://members.rogers.com/morrisseylee/102_0239.JPG">full size 2048x1536
</a


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## EDGE

Almost there Ekim. looking great. just have to reduce the glare/reflection







. I hope I can be as quick as u figuring out the camera.

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## Guest

Very nice.

Did you zoom out when finishing the picture ?. I see some pixelation problems on leave edges.

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## ekim

Dr.Jay, that's my next question!

I resized the pic down to 30% using "microsoft photo editor" and I see the pixelation problem also! If you look at the full size pic (see link) I don't see it though!

Here is the question, how do you make the pics viewable for pc's, like for the contest (max size 350kb)? I have adobe photoshop 6, I might try that, but what is your advice?

full size 2048x1536


Thanks


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> Here is the question, how do you make the pics viewable for pc's, like for the contest (max size 350kb)? I have adobe photoshop 6, I might try that, but what is your advice?


Use Adobe, "the best" editing tool on the planet.

Right click on top of the picture and click resize. This option should be also available in Edit tab.

Resize the pictures to desire size in pixels or %. DO NOT ZOOM in or out. You will loose clarity, sharpness of the picture and have pixelation problems.

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## ekim

OK, I tried it, your right.... big difference!

Dr.Jay or anyone else, in your opinion what is a good size length(pixels)for the contest photos? I don't know what screen resolutions everyone has!

Should I make them only 800pixels in length for judges with lower res?

PS I made one photo 1024 but it's still 460KB!


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## António Vitor1

Ekim, if you increase the compression of the JPEG algorithm, you can decrease the size of the picture, losing a little quality in the process, but not losing resolution...

thanks for the tips on some of the settings...
because of this topic I am now able to produce reasonably macro photos...

my only amano shrimp:









One of my cardinals:









[This message was edited by António Vitor on Fri April 25 2003 at 03:19 PM.]


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> Should I make them only 800pixels in length for judges with lower res?


I would imagine that 800 is fine. Talk to Phil, he is in charge of submission.

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## Hawkeye

The pictures I sent in for the AB contest, I left in a large size jpg. I didn't want to loose any detail. After the judges look at them they can reduce the size for posting. I think the detail that a large format offers is a plus for the judging.

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®


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## 2la

I posted some photography tips in another forum; I'll reprint them here in case any of it is applicable. Bear in mind that I was answering some very basic questions before I delved into more advanced techniques, so some of it may be a little tedious. I'll post some of my better photos at the end later on as a sample. At this point I think I'm limited more by my camera rather than my technique, and I hope to be upgrading within a year or two...
-----
First, look for a macro setting on your camera. This allows focusing on nearby objects. Adjust the exposure as necessary to allow adequate lighting while keeping the background dark (i.e., black background looks black rather than hazy). Set the camera to the highest resolution possible. Keep the zoom in pan or wide mode--pictures taken with the zoom activated are less focused and are subject to your own shaking, further inviting blurring. Now, with the macro setting on and the exposure and zoom settings adjusted, focus the camera (the camera does it for you) on an object in the foreground with the lens about 6 to 12 inches away. I usually use a foreground plant, a rock or piece of driftwood, or the substrate. Focus on different objects until you find one that gives you a nice color rendering and white balance. Don't be too concerned if the image appears darker than you want it: You can add back contrast with a photo editing program. But, it shouldn't be _too_ dark, as no amount of editing will compensate for it. Once you find a good object, depress the capture button to the first level--not sure if this is present on all models and brands, but this generally holds the focus and color/contrast balance until such time that the capture button is depressed all the way.

Now look for your object of interest--a fish or a plant or whatever. Situate your body and the camera so that the lens is the same distance from the object as it was from the first 'calibrating' object. This is tough, as Shawna's mentioned, so don't be discouraged if the animal of interest doesn't always cooperate. Sooner or later you'll get a good shot with the fish at a good distance and relatively still, and that's the benefit of digital cameras: You can click away without having to worry about wasting film. If the fish is in constant motion, you can try moving _with_ the fish while trying your best to keep the camera at the same distance. It's a harder shot to get, but worth a try when the fish just won't cooperate. For every shot, repeat the process of 'calibrating' the camera on a foreground object (once you've found a good one, use it every time as needed), holding the focus, and getting the shot. Get something to prop your arms on to keep the camera steady. Be patient.

Once you've used up the memory on your storage medium, display your photos on your computer. I use ACDSee Classic as a browser to scroll through the photos and delete the ones I know I can't work with due to darkness, blurring, being too far out of focus or off-center, etc. I then transfer the remaining ones to my hard drive in a dedicated folder. Then I use IrfanView (both this program and ACDSee Classic should be available for free at Download.com) to crop photos with dimensions at a ratio of 1 to 0.75 (e.g., 640 pixels by 480 pixels or vice versa) since most computer screen resolutions are set to this ratio. Since the size of the pictures will be immense to maximize resolution (my camera has a max of 2048x1536), you won't be able to fit it onto your screen in its entirety. If the object of focus is small, all you need to do is use the scroll bars to center the object on your computer screen. Then drag your arrow to create a selection box with the desired long dimension, e.g., 800 pixels horizontal. Using the ratio above, you'll want the vertical dimension to be 800x0.75 = 600 pixels high. IrfanView allows you to move each side of the crop box independently until the desired position is reached. Keep moving them around until the target object appears centered to you. Keep in mind that for fish with clear fins, you may find that the _body_ of the fish rather than the _whole_ fish will need to be centered in order for the picture to look balanced. If you instead center the _whole_ fish, you may find that the cropped picture looks heavier toward the head because the clear tail fin hardly makes a visual impact on the viewer. Make sense so far?

Now, another consideration to think about is how much space should be between the target object and the borders of the box. For objects that are already actually small, you won't want to create a crop box 1200x900 around it since you're eventually going to reduce the size of the cropped image (I usually reduce my cropped images to 640x480), and this will further reduce the size of your target object while leaving a lot of dead space around it.

For objects that are large but slightly out of focus, you'll want a large crop box around it: The more you can reduce the image, the sharper the image will become. As you might imagine, this involves a compromise between how focused you can get the object and how much surrounding dead space you want to allow. Photos with small, poorly focused objects are better off deleted at the screening stage even before being transferred to your hard drive. They're just not worth dealing with--there will be plenty more raw pictures to come!

Large yet in-focus objects are obviously the best, since you can create a large crop box with minimal dead space and the reduced-size image will be even sharper than the original. If the target object is too large to allow you to crop it properly, use the 'Zoom Out' function until there's enough room to work with. Then create your crop box as usual.

After you've cropped the image, the next step is to optimize the contrast. Some people will also optimize the color, but I stay away from this as much as possible as a matter of principle: If I didn't see a certain degree of coloration in a fish or plant (particularly red fish or plants) in real life, how could I pass on a color-edited photo knowing that it doesn't reflect reality at all? Only in rare situations where the lighting over the tank isn't of a color temperature that I want and that is creating what I feel to be too artificial a hue do I try to optimize the color. That said, contrast editing is a much more neutral adjustment that keeps colors based in actuality while simultaneously brightening the image and advancing the target object from the background. Adobe Photoshop has a great 'Auto Contrast' feature that does this automatically, and if it does it to too great a degree, you can edit the degree to which the program applies contrast.

There are also 'Auto Levels' and 'Auto Color' commands. The first one does a combination of 'Auto Contrast' and 'Auto Color' but also seems to add in an additional modifying element to the photo at times. It can help or hurt, and I use it very judiciously and only after comparing how the photo looks under 'Auto Contrast' and 'Auto Color' separately and/or sequentially (since as I said before there sometimes seems to be an additional adjustment beyond 'Auto Contrast' and 'Auto Color' that 'Auto Levels' introduces). Again, I'll use whatever setting gives me the truest-to-life colors, and usually this is the 'Auto Contrast' feature. Remember that the photo editing program should be used to compensate for the shortcomings of the _camera_, not for those of real-life!

Experimentation is the key. What works for me and my camera may not work for you and yours if they are different from mine. I ask only that you resist the tempation to doctor or enhance photos beyond reality, except in cases where you are going for some artistic effect and state so explicitly. And on that final moral note (sorry), I wish you all the best with your photographing endeavors. Hope this helped!

2la
-----



























































































[This message was edited by 2la on Fri April 25 2003 at 11:46 PM.]

[This message was edited by 2la on Fri April 25 2003 at 11:50 PM.]


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## ekim

Hawkeye, I though there was a size limit for the photos(350KB), I just posted a question to Robert & Phil, hopefully i'll get an answer soon!

2la, wow, great info and great pics!








i'm going to try the "calibration" technique, it seems to work great for you!

Thanks


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## EDGE

I can't find the right flash level.

When I was using iso 200, the lighting was right, but the picture seems a little blurry.

I switch to iso 100, the picture was way dark.

Which flash setting do you guys use for iso 100?

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## ekim

For aquariums? I don't use the flash for anything inside the tank!


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## ekim

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by 2la:
> Once you find a good object, depress the capture button to the first level,
> Now look for your object of interest--a fish or a plant or whatever. Situate your body and the camera so that the lens is the same distance from the object as it was from the first 'calibrating' object.


Thanks 2la, here is some shots using your above mentioned tip! I posted the data, fell free to comment on it!

Camera Model Name = Canon PowerShot A70
Shooting Date/Time = 4/26/2003 1:24:51 PM
Shooting Mode = Manual
Photo Effect Mode = Off
Tv( Shutter Speed ) = 1/30
Av( Aperture Value ) = 4.8
Metering Mode = Spot
ISO Speed = 100
Lens = 5.4 - 16.2mm
Focal Length = 16.2mm
Digital Zoom = x 1.3
Image Size = 2048x1536
Image Quality = Superfine
Flash = Off
White Balance = Custom
AF Mode = Single AF
AF Range Mode = Macro
File Size = 965KB
Drive Mode = Single-frame shooting










Camera Model Name = Canon PowerShot A70
Shooting Date/Time = 4/26/2003 1:13:07 PM
Shooting Mode = Manual
Photo Effect Mode = Off
Tv( Shutter Speed ) = 1/40
Av( Aperture Value ) = 4.8
Metering Mode = Spot
ISO Speed = 100
Lens = 5.4 - 16.2mm
Focal Length = 16.2mm
Digital Zoom = x 2.5
Image Size = 2048x1536
Image Quality = Superfine
Flash = Off
White Balance = Custom
AF Mode = Single AF
AF Range Mode = Macro
File Size = 508KB
Drive Mode = Single-frame shooting










Camera Model Name = Canon PowerShot A70
Shooting Date/Time = 4/26/2003 1:29:14 PM
Shooting Mode = Manual
Photo Effect Mode = Off
Tv( Shutter Speed )= 1/25
Av( Aperture Value ) = 4.8
Metering Mode = Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed = 100
Lens = 5.4 - 16.2mm
Focal Length = 16.2mm
Digital Zoom = None
Image Size = 2048x1536
Image Quality = Superfine
Flash = Off
White Balance = Custom
AF Mode = Single AF
AF Range Mode = Macro
File Size = 1043KB
Drive Mode = Single-frame shooting










[This message was edited by ekim on Sat April 26 2003 at 11:13 AM.]

[This message was edited by ekim on Sat April 26 2003 at 11:20 AM.]


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## 2la

Mike, your next step is to add back some contrast. Do you have a photo editor like Photoshop? The middle photo looks like it might turn out grainy with the adjustment, but the first and last should produce good results. Keep experimenting!


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## ekim

Yeah photoshop 6, check em now!









too much digital zoom on the middle one!


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## EDGE

I have a lot of glare from the glass in the photo. It is probably cause by a lot of light release into the room from the pedant style setup. Anyway to go around all the glare?

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by EDGE:
> I have a lot of glare from the glass in the photo. It is probably cause by a lot of light release into the room from the pedant style setup. Anyway to go around all the glare?


Glare on the glass ?. When taking pictures of whole setup or close ups ?.

If close ups then get as close to the glass as you can and position your camera at the angle.

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## EDGE

in any type of setup. No matter how far or how close I stand, I still have a nasty relection of me or the white color wall (wall is about a meter away from the aquarium)

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## Guest

Are you using internal flash when taking photos ?. If so turn it off.

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## EDGE

It is off and it still have a bad reflection.

75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
Mike's Canadian Aquatic Plant Page
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## 2la

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by EDGE:
> in any type of setup. No matter how far or how close I stand, I still have a nasty relection of me or the white color wall (wall is about a meter away from the aquarium)


A few things you can do depending on your setup. First thing is to somehow shield yourself and the opposing wall from the light with a thick, dark towel. Not sure how that would work with a pendant system, though. The second thing is to wear black and hope that you hide enough of the wall behind you in your shot. Third thing is to take your pictures down at an angle so that any glare comes from the floor, which usually does a better job than the wall of not reflecting the light. You can also try taking pics slightly from the right or left and hope the wall isn't large enough to still produce a glare.


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## Hawkeye

I e-mailed Phil before I sent in my photos and asked about the size and format. It was ok with him to send the large format. I hope I under stood him. The photos where kind a large. I keep my monitor on high resolution (1152x864) so I don't realize how large they are on a low resolution monitor. You can't seen the detail with low resolution jpgs on a high resolution monitor.

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®


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## ekim

Thanks Hawkeye, Robert mensioned to me he though it was alright, but he said check with Phil! I think i'll resize them a little, maybe down to 740x555 so someone with 800x600 res can see them alright, but they are still 500KB!


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## António Vitor1

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by ekim:
> Thanks Hawkeye, Robert mensioned to me he though it was alright, but he said check with Phil! I think i'll resize them a little, maybe down to 740x555 so someone with 800x600 res can see them alright, but they are still 500KB!


Ekim what is the problem to save it in a more compressed jpeg?
you can use adobe for that

those last photos that I post were 640x480 ...
and look my shrimp photo has only 14 kb ...

It's a ompromise, too much compression you lose quality...less compression huge files...


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## ekim

Well if file size is not an issue, I would like to send the best quality photos, right!


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## António Vitor1

like I said it's a compromise...

jpeg can compress(to a certain point) without any discernable loss in quality...

there are others compression algorithms that can compress with good results without any drop in quality...

but are not in common use...


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## EDGE

Here is a recent pic from new camera.



















75 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
A Canadian's Plant Traders website

[This message was edited by ekim on Mon April 28 2003 at 05:15 PM.]


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## ekim

still practising... 2 more,


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## Guest

I really like the SAE picture. Excellen contrast between fish and black background.

Did you use tripod on the second picture ?. It looks a bit blurry and out of focus.

Getting better









Join as at www.njas.net


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## ekim

hey Jay, 
yeah I was using a tripod, but moving it around allot to catch the fish! (probably still moving when i snaped it)!


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## Guest

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by ekim:
> hey Jay,
> yeah I was using a tripod, but moving it around allot to catch the fish! (probably still moving when i snaped it)!


When taking close up pictures of fish do not use your tripod. Focus your camera on a rock or wood (Close to front glass), press the button half way and hold it. Focus should lock and now follow the fish moving your camera in and out not left and right. YOu will get few good ones with many tries but those would be in perfect focus.

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## imported_Ghazanfar Ghori

I'm beginning to prefer taking fish pics using
a flash. I can use much higher shutter speeds
and the flash really shows off the color of the fish. It takes a little getting used to but
it works well. With the flash, I can use
a fast shutter speed, with a reasonable
field of depth and still have enough light
to take a decent picture.

Read Randy Careys article on photography at www.characin.com. Check out that picture
on the main page - SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

Here's a couple with the flash, F 4.0,
shutter speed 1/160




























Notice that the pectoral fins are not blurry.
-
Ghazanfar Ghori


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## 2la

EXCELLENT photos, Ghazanfar, especially of that Laetacara! Unfortunately few of my flash shots seem to work well with my 3-year-old Sony...will have to upgrade much sooner than I expected if these are the kind of results I can expect! Randy Carey uses an accessory flash--did you do the same, or is that the built-in flash?

2la


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## Guest

G,

Can you tell us a bit more details on external flash you are using and how you are using it.

I know few people who are placing External flash in some type of container on the top of the tank and get spot light from the top.

I'm thinking about flash addition.

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## imported_Ghazanfar Ghori

Thanks! I've been trying to get better and
I think I'm getting the hang of it. That
picture of the subocellata male above, beleive
it or not, wasn't planned. I was trying to take
a picture of the dicrossus and this guy kept
coming in between - so I took his pic too. Just
one pic - and it came out pretty good.

I'm using an external flash, the one that
Sony makes for the DSC F707. I had to make
my own extension cable for it so that I could
place it whereever. In the shots above,
the flash was placed slightly above and to the left of the camera. I've taken pictures with
the flash positioned so that light enters from the top of the tank.
This shot were taken like that. Notice
the shadow from the leaf.









However, since I don't have a phototank,
placing the flash to the side works better for me for my show tanks. For the 10Gs in the fish
room - placing the flash above works better.

-
Ghazanfar Ghori


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## Birgit & Wolfgang

Oh, my god. this topic is allready too long. I couldn´t read everything, so I just start at the top. Please, don´t blame me, if some questions are allready answered.

For taking those pics in the dark: there is no need for that. I take many pics in the morning, before pearling starts. I put the camera on a tripod and use a black piece of cloth (very cheap), hang it in front of the tank, and make a hole for the lens to show through. Voila, no reflections. And if you do this in summer, the plants will have opened their leafs before the lights come on.

Next thing: ISO settings. You will find that the higher the ISO setting, the bigger the grain. I allways try different settings, but only 50 and 100. 200 is much to high, and the loss of picture quality is beyond something I want to bear.

Shutter speeds: I allways head for 1/60. If you get that, try to increase the aperture. You don´t need faster speeds than 1/60, and it will give you more depth of field. If you don´t get that shutter speed, set the aperture as low as you can for full tank shots. That is different with macros, cause there you need the depth.

When taking close ups of plants: put the cam on a tripod, unplug the filter to avoid the plants moving in the current, and then increase the aperture to the highes number. To avoid shaking the camera during shutter release, use the self timer (if you have one). And then make at least three pictures using the exposure compensation. Afterwards you choose the best.

About choosing the light metering: that is quite useless. You simply take more shots, and then you will have at least one picture, where the metering was perfect. So start with Exposure compensation -1.5, then you increase it every single stop (either 1/3, or 1/5, not every camera is the same) until you reach + 1.5. In time you get used to your camera, and you know that you don´t need to take every step. For me, there is no need to compensate +!

Well, that´s it for now. There will be more, when I read the whole thread.

www.naturaquarium.at
view some of our pictures


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## Birgit & Wolfgang

Edge,
you wrote:


> quote:
> 
> Which flash setting do you guys use for iso 100?


Just set the aperture as high as possible. This usually does the job, if there ever needs to be a flash.

Mike,
just open photoshop and save the file with a compression of about 80%. You won´t be able to see much difference in quality, but filesize goes wayyyyy down. 
I also don´t use a tripod when taking pics of moving fish. Just snap, snap, snap, snap. Sooner or later you get a perfect picture. I have made some rasbora hunts. About 1 out of 100 pics is superb. But it is worth the time.

Ghazanfar, that first pic is world class!!!

www.naturaquarium.at
view some of our pictures


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## ekim

B&W, 
Thanks for sharing your tips, much appreciated!
I'm really new to manual settings so all these tips and tricks really help!

Thanks


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## 2la

Well, I tried sharpening some pictures and the problem I kept running into was augmentation of any graininess or horizontal noise in the background. Ironically, I think the effect is best utilized with pictures that are already well-focused! My own personal decision, but I'll probably use the feature only sparingly. For me, there's something rewarding in getting a picture in good focus at the moment of capture.


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## Madpiano

try and use "unsharp Mask" instead of "Sharpening". You will have to play around with the settings a bit, but it works much better and subtle. 

My most common setting is:
Radius 0.7
Strength 100
Clipping 5

But it is different for different pictures and picture sizes.


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