A few shots

[FATDUBS]

Took a few shots this weekend and wanted to know what you guys think

this one i have been trying to get a photo of for a long time, Witch one of the tanks should I focus on to get a clear shot of both together or can you only get one be in focus at a time

What is a good technique for getting a good photo of your fish without it been burly?

My 120 is in the entrance way so I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get a full shot tank from directly in front but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m working on different angles

 

[FATDUBS]

a few shots from top down

Any advice on taking better shots is welcome; camera is a Minolta Dimage 7

 

[jjj1100]

great pics....love the 3rd pic in the first post!!!

 

[gregr]

You have some spectacular tanks
You can indeed get both tanks in focus- however you'll need a tripod (or something solid to support the camera). Take a look at this Reefkeeping Magazine article-- it explains what settings to use to get the depth of field you need to get both tanks sharp.
It also explains how you can get sharper fish pics.
With fish pics you need fast shutter speeds because the subject is moving, and with the two tanks you need tons of depth of field because they're so far apart- two completely different shots. If you'd like I can just suggest some settings to try- but if you read that article (and of course practice with the camera a lot) you'll be able to get any kind of shot you want at all.
Just holler if you want suggestions for camera settings-
Greg

 

[wetWolger]

Re: A few shots

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7104559#post7104559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FATDUBS
this one i have been trying to get a photo of for a long time, Witch one of the tanks should I focus on to get a clear shot of both together or can you only get one be in focus at a time
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g128/dubsmk2/PICT00411.jpg
What is a good technique for getting a good photo of your fish without it been burly?
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g128/dubsmk2/PICT0091.jpg

Tanks look awesome. But I figured I would anwser your photography questions.

First question about getting good depth of field (have both tanks in focus). This is determined by your f-stop. If you want a larger dof (depth of field) you need to stop down (like F-11 or even larger depending on the distance). The poblem is the smaller you fstop (which equals a larger number so f22 is smaller than f11), the less light you are letting hit your CCD (the device which takes light and transforms it into an image). So to combat this you need to ether increase your exposure time (which can blur things that are moving and may require a tripod). Or increase your ISO (the setting of how sensitive your CCD is). If you increase your ISO you will get more noise in your photos though, this problem can be worse on some cameras than others. For example with my 10D I never take photos above 800 iso, (i will do 1600 if it is for the web and I HAVE to). But I prefer to take photos at 100 or 200 iso. Where my friend with his 5D he has no problem hitting 400ISO for just regular everyday shots. There is a lot of info online about this, but long story short you need a smaller apature (try f11 but you may take a few at f22 or even higher just to test it out).

For your second question it kind of bridges into the first. The reason fish and things that move are blury is because your exposure time is too long. You can again reduce the exposure time but that will reduce the light getting to the CCD. So as you reduce exposure time you will need to ether open your apture more (losing dof) or increase your ISO (which will increase noise).

Photography is all about compromisies, you just can't get it all. So for what shots do you want more DOF and what shots require a shorter exposure time? Well that is one of the harder questions for most photographers.

 

[FATDUBS]

Gregr and jent46bow thanks for the info I will read the article first try it all out this weekend before I pick your brain, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m in the process of plumbing my auto top off for both tanks, just did a water change on both of them too looking nice and clean
I do have a tripod but itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s old and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get the angles I want without moving the tripod itself, something to buy this weekend

Here is another shot I like

 

[wetWolger]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7111232#post7111232 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FATDUBS
Gregr and jent46bow thanks for the info I will read the article first try it all out this weekend before I pick your brain, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m in the process of plumbing my auto top off for both tanks, just did a water change on both of them too looking nice and clean
I do have a tripod but itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s old and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get the angles I want without moving the tripod itself, something to buy this weekend

Here is another shot I like

if you need a tripod look at the manfrotto (it is called bogen in america i think). I have a manfrotto 3001PRO and love it. Very stable, very well built. And if you love macro photography it is a must, it will let you do angles you have never seen a tripod do before. My only complaint is it's weight but what can you do. Just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[FATDUBS]

That is some nice tripods didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t see your exact model but I see what you mean with the different angles