Flash for Aquarium Macro Photography?

[ssick92]

Hey everyone,

So Christmas time is coming up, and I'm looking to buy an external flash for my T3i. My question is, how does everyone set up a flash for their aquarium? Is there a dedicated macro flash or do I get a standard flash and put it on a mount to get it closer to the lens?

If anyone can give me recommendations, or somewhere to begin looking, I would greatly appreciate it!

Do they use something like this or does this create a flash on the glass when pointed straight at the glass?: http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Includes-Diffusers-Warming-Digital/dp/B0096TO26E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1354752690&sr=8-5&keywords=macro+flash+for+canon+t3i

 

[gbru316]

I don't think people normally use flash. I know I don't.

 

[ssick92]

I normally don't either, but I want to get good macro pictures of my soft corals in the current, which requires a faster shutter. I can't seem to get the both the lighting and DOF I want unless I use a flash, but the standard flash is as good as useless.

 

[ibanezgfx]

The only way I would do it is to buy a wireless adapter or a flash cord (not sure technical term...) and put the flash above the tank pointing directly down. then set your white balance so that the colors are accurate. I've taken a few pics this way but nothing macro. I can post some of the results if you'd like. When doing fish it gives a nice effect.

 

[ibanezgfx]

I found the wireless flash adapter on eBay.

 

[IslandCrow]

There are a lot of setups you can use, including multiple flashes. In essence, it's not much different from portait lighting, except the flash(es) tend to be closer to the subject, and of course, you have to consider glare. The #1 secret is getting the flash off the camera, though. You can fire the flash through the front glass, downward into the water, or even through the side (though I usually only do this as a second fill flash, with the primary strobe either through the front glass or down from the top. If shooting a larger area of the tank, I'll fire the flash into a reflector that's angled down into the tank from above. This really helps spread out the flash for more even lighting.

As for ring lights like the one you have linked, I've never tried using mine for aquarium photography, but I can't imagine it would work effectively, as you'd get too much reflection off the glass in the area you're shooting. Just use a normal flash unit like the Canon 430EX.

 

[ssick92]

There are a lot of setups you can use, including multiple flashes. In essence, it's not much different from portait lighting, except the flash(es) tend to be closer to the subject, and of course, you have to consider glare. The #1 secret is getting the flash off the camera, though. You can fire the flash through the front glass, downward into the water, or even through the side (though I usually only do this as a second fill flash, with the primary strobe either through the front glass or down from the top. If shooting a larger area of the tank, I'll fire the flash into a reflector that's angled down into the tank from above. This really helps spread out the flash for more even lighting.

As for ring lights like the one you have linked, I've never tried using mine for aquarium photography, but I can't imagine it would work effectively, as you'd get too much reflection off the glass in the area you're shooting. Just use a normal flash unit like the Canon 430EX.

Thanks, this post had tons of useful info. After looking more into ring lights I believe I am just going to go with the Canon 430 EX II and use it as a wireless flash.

1 question though: Can I use the external feature of that flash without having the flash on the camera go off as well? I have only seen 1 demo of this flash and they had the camera flash, and external flash go off at the same time...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[mariusmeyer]

Thanks, this post had tons of useful info. After looking more into ring lights I believe I am just going to go with the Canon 430 EX II and use it as a wireless flash.

1 question though: Can I use the external feature of that flash without having the flash on the camera go off as well? I have only seen 1 demo of this flash and they had the camera flash, and external flash go off at the same time...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

The demo you saw had the 430 EX in slave mode. To trigger it without the onboard flash you will need a wireless trigger system such has a Phottix Tetra Trigger Kit or the Phottix Aster kit. They are the cheap ones. The more expensive ones are the Pocketwizards etc. Just google camera flash trigger for available option.

You could also use a cord that connects the camera with the flash.

 

[Recty]

And one tactic I've employed when I'm using a flash is keep it mounted on the camera, but place your lens directly against the tank. You wont have to deal with glare that way. Plus, you wont deal with diffraction caused by having your lens not perfectly perpendicular to the tank.

It's a "cheap" way to get rid of glare and still get to use the flash. The downside is you cant zoom in and out with a prime lens BUT that's usually not a big deal unless your coral is super close to the front glass.

 

[IslandCrow]

I don't believe you can synchronously fire both your built-in flash and an external flash, but honestly, I've never tried it, so I'm not sure. The on-camera flash is a bit close to the lens, though, so it probably wouldn't work very well for aquarium photography. For a lot of aquarium photography, you can get away with a single flash. For multiple flash, things are going to get a little more expensive. You can either get a radio trigger device like a Pocket Wizard (there are cheaper ones out there as well that I really couldn't vouch for) or upgrade to the 580 EX, which can remotely trigger other Canon flashes capable of remote triggering, like the 420 EX. A much cheaper option is some creative use of reflectors. That can get a bit trickier with aquarium photography, but it can work.

 

[ssick92]

I don't believe you can synchronously fire both your built-in flash and an external flash, but honestly, I've never tried it, so I'm not sure.

I actually did more research on this and found that the built in flash fires slightly before the shutter to tell the slave to flash, however it doesn't contribute to the exposure of the image. Although, it is possible to have them both fire simultaneously and both affect the shot as well, I will not be using this feature. This basically removes any issue I was seeing because I really didn't want my on-camera flash to affect my shots. Which apparently it doesn't

So it's looking like I'm gonna get the 430EX II and use it as a remote flash, not only for aquarium photography, but all photography. I may eventually get another flash to add to my collection but for now I think I will have all that I need. After Christmas I will take some photos with the flash so you guys can directly compare with and without flashes.

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

Keep in mind that if youre doing flash photography for your corals (and your fish for that matter) The flash will wash out the colors.

The most effective way to get quality macro shots is turn off your pumps so theres very little movement. Use a GOOD tripod and set your ISO as high as your camera can cleanly handle. I dont think Id attempt a coral shot at anything under 60/s.

If you dont have a remote shutter release, use the self timer and also use your "mirror up" mode if you have one. All these things will get you better image quality without a flash. I am probably preaching to the choir here but, if you want to capture the vivid colors of corals, a flash wont do it.