Photographing in Aquarium

[kim]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Help.
I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
as focusing.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
Kim

 

[BobS]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

It's late but....

1. Use circular polarizing filter (not linear)
2. Try to shoot glass at an angle
3. Avoid using on camera flash

Bob S.

"Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%Zvsd.436187$%k.3408@pd7tw2no...
> Help.
> I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
> as focusing.
> Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
> I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
> Kim
>
>

 

[Charles]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 04:18:03 GMT, "Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote:

>Help.
>I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
>as focusing.
>Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
>I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
>Kim
>


A large institutional aquarium? Use a rubber lens shade and put the
lens shade right against the glass.


--

- Charles
-
-does not play well with others

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Make sure aquarium light levels are really high and lit from inside the
aquarium and block off external light sources if possible. You need a fast
speed as well, for most aquarium fish at least 125th. However, some
compromise may be required between freezing the movement of the fish and a
low enough ISO so you don't end up with unacceptably high noise levels in
your photos. Use the highest possible ISO that will produce barely
acceptable noise levels and clean the noise up using noise Ninja or similar
program. Try and use a fast lens without flash. Maybe a 50mm f1.8 can be
found as that is a very common and inexpensive lens.

I never had a lot of luck using a flash but with the right set up of strobes
bouncing light a various angles into the aquarium you can also get very good
results. Strobes will actually freeze the movement of the fishies fins but
the photos look a little unnatural to me. Make sure the water is perfectly
clean and filtered of any tiny little particles. Any specks of debris will
show up really clearly and will have to be removed with a photo editing
program. Take lots and lots and lots of pictures as most will not turn out
very well.

Wayne

 

[Gadgets]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

> 1. Use circular polarizing filter (not linear)
As long as it is thru glass - if it is perspex, you would probably get some
pretty colours from the stresses showing up (bi-refringence)

> 2. Try to shoot glass at an angle
That, and also get close to the glass or against it if possible.

> 3. Avoid using on camera flash
Can be used for a very close subject if you're up against the glass (no
bounce into lens) - most of the flash will not pass through the tank wall
though.

4. Manual focus!

5. High ISO as required

6. White balance set to Auto or daylight possibly - may help reduce
excessive blueness of the water compared to other settings.

But... it's a tough subject and the shots won't look like the ones taken
with an underwater camera with huge strobes!

Cheers, Jason (remove ... to reply)
Video & Gaming: http/gadgetaus.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Charles wrote:
> On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 04:18:03 GMT, "Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Help.
>>I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
>>as focusing.
>>Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
>>I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
>>Kim
>>
>
>
>
> A large institutional aquarium? Use a rubber lens shade and put the
> lens shade right against the glass.
>
>

or a large box or whatever but there should be no light
between the lens and the glass. A detached flash might be
nice.

 

[Charles]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Sun, 5 Dec 2004 05:54:00 -0500, "Wayne J" <w.jones@sympatico.ca>
wrote:

>
>Make sure aquarium light levels are really high and lit from inside the
>aquarium and block off external light sources if possible. You need a fast
>speed as well, for most aquarium fish at least 125th. However, some
>compromise may be required between freezing the movement of the fish and a
>low enough ISO so you don't end up with unacceptably high noise levels in
>your photos. Use the highest possible ISO that will produce barely
>acceptable noise levels and clean the noise up using noise Ninja or similar
>program. Try and use a fast lens without flash. Maybe a 50mm f1.8 can be
>found as that is a very common and inexpensive lens.
>
>I never had a lot of luck using a flash but with the right set up of strobes
>bouncing light a various angles into the aquarium you can also get very good
>results. Strobes will actually freeze the movement of the fishies fins but
>the photos look a little unnatural to me. Make sure the water is perfectly
>clean and filtered of any tiny little particles. Any specks of debris will
>show up really clearly and will have to be removed with a photo editing
>program. Take lots and lots and lots of pictures as most will not turn out
>very well.
>
>Wayne
>


Anything that can be done can be overdone.

I can't find it now, but in one of my books around here are some
superb pictures of planted tanks. the camera used was large format,
larger than 8X10, but I don't remember exactly what it was.
--

- Charles
-
-does not play well with others

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I always have good luck using off-camera flash held over the top of my
55-gal tank in a dark room (eliminates reflections). I've also had some
luck putting the camera on a tripod and positioning it in a spot where the
fish usually hang out. This helps prevent fatigue from the inevitable
waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the fish to get in the right position,
etc. I move the flash around the top of the tank as necessary to get the
lighting right.

Good shooting,
Bob Scott

"Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%Zvsd.436187$%k.3408@pd7tw2no...
> Help.
> I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
> as focusing.
> Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
> I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
> Kim
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I took a sheet of black poster board and glued black fabric on it. I folded
it up to carry in the large rear pocket of my camera case. I can hold it up
against the glass walls of cages and aquariums to block offending
reflections.
John

"Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%Zvsd.436187$%k.3408@pd7tw2no...
> Help.
> I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
> as focusing.
> Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
> I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
> Kim
>
>

 

[kim]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Thank you so much for your help, and for sharing info with me .

Ready for another total newbie question?

What is white balance?
I have found it in my menu and in the online manual but I would still
appreciate a description of what it is and what its for and when I need it .

TYTYTYTY
in advance.

Kim


"Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%Zvsd.436187$%k.3408@pd7tw2no...
: Help.
: I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as well
: as focusing.
: Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
: I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
: Kim
:
:

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 16:27:45 GMT, "Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote:

>Thank you so much for your help, and for sharing info with me .
>
>Ready for another total newbie question?
>
>What is white balance?
>I have found it in my menu and in the online manual but I would still
>appreciate a description of what it is and what its for and when I need it .
>
>TYTYTYTY
>in advance.
>
>Kim

In quick & dirty simplicity...
When you look at a white piece of paper, it looks white becaue your
brain makes it look white, even in different lighting.
For example, if you ronly source of light is the sun, the paper will
look white. If your light source is, instead, flourescent or tungsten
(normal light bulb) the paper will still look white, even though the
light source is a differnt color, and the white paper only reflects
the light that falls on it. The brain does automatic white balance to
make it look white.
The camera uses intelligence to see the image and recognize what color
white (or other colors) *should* be; and it corrects the color balance
to make white, white.
There are presets, which lets the photographer make the decisions, or
auto white balance, where the camera will take clues from the overall
color cast to make a (usually pretty good) guess at what the light
source is, and correct accordingly.
Does that help?
--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Light has a color to it. Florescent, Incandescent, Tungsten, Sunlight...the
color is related to the temperature of the heat that makes the light. Other
factors effect it too....like a person in shadow lit by a bright sky will
look grey-blue. Our eyes adjust to this sort of thing....your camera will
too. It has an auto white balancing inside. But, it can guess wrongly. So
you set it...but sometimes you can guess wrongly. For these situations you
can set a custom white balance from a known white object. Here is something
that confuses people...you can set white balance from a non-white object
too! A Kodak Grey card has a neutral color...so you can set WB from that.
You can also throw off the white balance purposely for a warming effect like
you get during the golden hours of early morning or late afternoon. For more
on this see www.warmcards.com


"Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:5GGsd.415162$Pl.262858@pd7tw1no...
> Thank you so much for your help, and for sharing info with me .
>
> Ready for another total newbie question?
>
> What is white balance?
> I have found it in my menu and in the online manual but I would still
> appreciate a description of what it is and what its for and when I need it
..
>
> TYTYTYTY
> in advance.
>
> Kim
>
>
> "Kim" <Kim@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:%Zvsd.436187$%k.3408@pd7tw2no...
> : Help.
> : I am using a cannon d30 and had big trouble dealing with the glare as
well
> : as focusing.
> : Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
> : I am a newbie to this so speak very slowly and use small words please
> : Kim
> :
> :
>
>