Photographing Fish With A Digital Camera.

[crimsontsavo]

Maybe it's because we just got back online and I'm a lil` rusty, but I couldnt find a search option for the forums, lol. Don't laugh at me, eventually you'll lose your mind too . lol

Camera is a, Kodak Easy Share z710.

I searched online but all I found were 35MM tutorials.

Were thinking about selling plants and fish and I'll need to be able to take some stellar shots.
That and I wanna be able to just share pics. Bragging rights and all. My tanks so big you might be able to fit your WHOLE forearm, LOL! Jealous yet? lol We'll just call it a successful FWNano, heh.

Anyway, helpful hints appreciated and sorry if this is a re-post.

Good to be back~ I'mma check my sig,
-CT

 

[andywg]

For the search button look at the top of the site:

And then look to the right of the top of the screen

 

[crimsontsavo]

geeeeeeeeeeze, I'm blind LOL... Thanks Maybe i need glasses lol

 

[Colin_T]

Set the camera on macro, use a flash, keep the camera on an angle to the tank, use a shutter speed of about 1/125sec and an aperture of about F10-12. But it depends on what your camera can do.
Make sure the glass is spotlessly clean inside and out and do a water change the day before you take pictures coz nothing ruins a shot more than dirty water.
I did an article on fish photography a while ago. I will try to find it and post it here somewhere.

 

[raptorrex]

Set the camera on macro, use a flash, keep the camera on an angle to the tank, use a shutter speed of about 1/125sec and an aperture of about F10-12. But it depends on what your camera can do.
Make sure the glass is spotlessly clean inside and out and do a water change the day before you take pictures coz nothing ruins a shot more than dirty water.
I did an article on fish photography a while ago. I will try to find it and post it here somewhere.

if you use flash i would not worry about the shutter speed, providing it is not less than 60sec, it will have no effect on the picture, flash fire at a speed of, anywhere between, 1000sec and over 100,000sec. same goes for the aperture, though that will have an effect on the picture. unless you understand how to use Guide numbers, and their relationship with the final picture. leave the camera to do all that.

use macro, set the flash on, give yourself an angle to the tank, and leave the camera to do the rest. once you have got used to the camera and how it acts when you photograph you tank, you can start to experiment with the manual settings, and the taking of photos without flash.

 

[DarkEntity]

Use a tripod and photograph after feeding that way the fish are out and about.

 

[andywg]

I always find flash washes the colours right out of a picture, especially my reef. Far easier to go without a flash if you can. Many of my better shots are taken at around 1/50 to 1/70 second exposure time. I do agree on the tripod where possible.

 

[crimsontsavo]

Thanks guys.
Soon as the baby lets me I'll try to snap some shots and UL them here.

I've had success with putting my two fingers lightly over the flash, but haven't tried it with fish yet. lol Keeps washout from ruining the pic.

 

[Dave Spencer]

If you are photographing specific fish or plant, use an F stop number that will give you a shallow depth of field. This will leave only the subject in focus, giving it greater emphasis.

Make sure that there is nothing distracting behind the subject.

The best way to do this with fish is to choose a suitable background, in an area you know the fish visits, focus manually on the part of the scene where the fish will swim by, and wait. Chasing fish around with the camera always ends in tears for me.

For razor sharp images, use a tripod with a remote shutter release. Failing that, you may have to use something like an ironing board with the shutter on a timer (I don`t know what features your camera has).

Using the flash on the camera will cause burn out of many details, plus there will be flare on the glass. I fire a remote flash pointing down on top of the tank with a light diffusion box.

Failing that, override the flash and try taking pics without it.

Tank lights can cause overexposure, so if you have the option, use the exposure compensation to close the aperture in a fraction for greater colour saturation and less burn out. To capture the colour of the Congos, I used one full stop of underexposure to compensate for the tank lights, but there is still some overexposure evident in the picture.

Don`t forget the basics of crystal clear water and glass, if you are taking specimen photographs. I use Purigen in all my tanks to keep the water absolutely crystal.

Dave.

 

[raptorrex]

Thanks guys.
Soon as the baby lets me I'll try to snap some shots and UL them here.

I've had success with putting my two fingers lightly over the flash, but haven't tried it with fish yet. lol Keeps washout from ruining the pic.

might work that, but i find a bit of tissue paper over the flash, not too thick, will diffuse the flash, giving better contrast. a bit of work with an editor like, photoshop can sort the washed or bleached effect of flash, lol, just turning the camera so the flash is at the bottom instead of the top, can change how a picture comes out.

as someone mentioned, you can use a wider, smaller number F stop to isolate your subject. but if F-stops, shutter speeds, guide numbers and the like are double Dutch to you, or you only have a rough idea what they are. give messin with them, a miss, for a bit till they make more sense. quite apart from anything else, you will need as small, bigger number, f-stop in macro mode, to get anything in deep focus.

 

[crimsontsavo]

Wow, nice photos!
Thanks so much guys. I finally got around to painting the back of the tank black.

 

[mark.w.jones]

http/www.fishforums.net/content/Tropical...-Of-Your-Fish-/

Self promotion I know but hey?!

 

[crimsontsavo]

Hehehe, I've already read your thread! It was really good, and that Amano guy does a really nice job. Tankies!!!!
I absolutely love your siggy tank.

 

[crimsontsavo]

Here's a quick attempt, poorly executed! LOL
Gotta get some plants and bogwoog next.

 

[crimsontsavo]

I must say I know nothing about photography, I just aim the camera and take a zillion pictures, eventually one comes out great. I just can't find the time to do it with the baby pulling on my arm! LOL

Does anyone here use a kodak easy share z710 to shoot their fish?