Acronics Statement of the Art
- Thread starter Acronic
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watchguy123
New member
Wow, I missed this thread somehow. Some of the best looking coral
I have ever seen. And I'd like to think I've seen many. Is it the water in Canada or just a combination of awesome coral and very talented reefers. Stunning, shockingly beautiful colors and exquisite photos. You raised the possibilities greatly of what one can see and grow in fabulously colored sps. I want to try harder but not sure I could ever locate the number of beautiful rare coral you maintain. I need to plan a trip to Canada
I have ever seen. And I'd like to think I've seen many. Is it the water in Canada or just a combination of awesome coral and very talented reefers. Stunning, shockingly beautiful colors and exquisite photos. You raised the possibilities greatly of what one can see and grow in fabulously colored sps. I want to try harder but not sure I could ever locate the number of beautiful rare coral you maintain. I need to plan a trip to Canada
jroovers
New member
Reaching total Acronica :celeb1:
This guys has just exploded in the last month
Full shot
Love the contrast of colour and white growth tips against the dark substrate with nice bokeh, fantastic shots and coral. :thumbsup:
reefmutt
Active member
Been wondering about your awesome photos and skills...
You say you have a small 1x1 bin with black sand for taking shots.. Is this bin plumbed into your system? Or do remove the corals from the system and let them rest for a bit in the bin before shooting? I ask because I noticed some bubbles in one acro in the last group off shots.. Like it has been out of water a bit and began to slime up and trapped some bubbles..
Also, if it's a separate bin, what lighting are you using when you shoot the corals?
I guess I'm just interested in your whole process when it comes to preparing to shoot, shooting and post production...... If you don't mind..
Thanks!
You say you have a small 1x1 bin with black sand for taking shots.. Is this bin plumbed into your system? Or do remove the corals from the system and let them rest for a bit in the bin before shooting? I ask because I noticed some bubbles in one acro in the last group off shots.. Like it has been out of water a bit and began to slime up and trapped some bubbles..
Also, if it's a separate bin, what lighting are you using when you shoot the corals?
I guess I'm just interested in your whole process when it comes to preparing to shoot, shooting and post production...... If you don't mind..
Thanks!
Acronic
The Fifth Master
Thank you everyone for taking the time to drop in. Apologies for the tardy posting. I am lurking but only briefly on the iphone lately. Sophia said her first word yesterday! "Dada" :love1: thats ma girl.
I am in no rush to set up so I embrace the hindsight and have already taken advantage of many changes to the system. Spoiler; I have decided to use a MH pendant along with the LED's. I love leds but have never used MH. I keep hearing its the bees knees so I thought I would give it a whirl.
This weekend is totally clear and I have all the pieces to get the build much closer to water.
I am deeply humbled. Thank you. Suppose it is a mix of awesome coral, talent AND the water. Though, my TDS has doubled since moving to Toronto... Oh well, the espresso tastes just as good.
Thanks for stopping in
I take my pics under a 14k (ish) light. I will lower the blues for certain corals. FTS will come in due time.Been wondering about your awesome photos and skills...
You say you have a small 1x1 bin with black sand for taking shots.. Is this bin plumbed into your system? Or do remove the corals from the system and let them rest for a bit in the bin before shooting? I ask because I noticed some bubbles in one acro in the last group off shots.. Like it has been out of water a bit and began to slime up and trapped some bubbles..
Also, if it's a separate bin, what lighting are you using when you shoot the corals?
I guess I'm just interested in your whole process when it comes to preparing to shoot, shooting and post production...... If you don't mind..
Thanks!
Its just a little dollar store bin with gravel that sits on the eggcrate. Good eye and spot on, its a nice effect, the bubbles. The slime can get in the way though if I am not paying attention.
Canon 60D with Tamron 90mil goes on a manfrotto pod set to full manual, iso 100-400 - aperture varies usually 9-16, lower for polyp shots, focus and metering takes place, mirror locked with a 10 second shutter to reduce vibrations. PP is done in lightroom 4. The usual suspects like temp, exposure and contrast get adjusted to further correct the cameras WB. If I am feeling saucy, I will play with the shadows and highlights but any further than that and you can easily lose focus of the piece and have to start over.
reefmutt
Active member
Thanks for the details!
If it's the sump, how do light your corals for shooting?
How long does it take to produce a shot that you post on RC??
I'm always impressed by - and very appreciative of - the amount of time and care the top photogs (like yourself, Kevin) take to produce shots for posting here..
Thanks again!
If it's the sump, how do light your corals for shooting?
How long does it take to produce a shot that you post on RC??
I'm always impressed by - and very appreciative of - the amount of time and care the top photogs (like yourself, Kevin) take to produce shots for posting here..
Thanks again!
Acronic
The Fifth Master
aaah..welldone for sophia....she made her "dada" happy,i can see:beer:
happy for you kevin
go with the MH's,always a sure bet
She makes me very happy. :love2:
I have proven to myself that LED works, I have proven to myself that T5 works. Now I will prove to myself that MH works. I am very excited for the MH. I will use the reef brite MH pendant with 250w ballast. It has superior heat dissipation and I hear the twin arc bulb was formulated after the radium bulb.
They are in a holding tank lit with LED. For one photo, I could probably have it posted within 20 mins. Though, I rarely take photos from conception to post in one sitting. This also doesn't take into account the photos that I take and process that do not end up getting posted for one reason or another. I also forgot to mention that I shoot in RAW.
I have looked into HDR for my coral pics. The 60D has the exposure bracketing capabilities but I lack the tonemapping software. I cant justify the $100 for it ATM but maybe I can find another way. There is a way to make HDR-esk photos in lightroom by lowering highlights, raising shadows and adding clarity and vibrance. Dodge and burn effects can be added aswell for a hard lighting affect but it just isn't the same. In the end its a lot more work for a photo that is maybe better.
An interesting concept that I have been playing with is layering three photos of a subject at different focal points to create a DOF parallel. It makes for some stunning photos. The downside is the amount of work involved and the limits of the subject used. For example, soft corals would not be suitable in this application since the frame must be identical for all three photos.
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reefmutt
Active member
Yes! Imagine a macro of multiple acro heads all in perfect focus. That would be very nice.
I think there are some pretty decent free HDR programs running around the net.. But I guess with the results you get with your photos, I'm not sure an HDR photo would look any better..
You must spend as much time on preparing a photo as you do on your tank! And you have a baby.. I applaud and am secretly jealous of your energy levels... When do you sleep?
I think there are some pretty decent free HDR programs running around the net.. But I guess with the results you get with your photos, I'm not sure an HDR photo would look any better..
You must spend as much time on preparing a photo as you do on your tank! And you have a baby.. I applaud and am secretly jealous of your energy levels... When do you sleep?
Acronic
The Fifth Master
I read there was a patch for lightroom that is only $40 but I am still unsure if that requires Photomatix or not... I think ill just save my pennies for Photoshop.
Sleep? I just googled it and it sounds really nice! Ill try that some day.
Thanks Andreas :wave:
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