How do you guys adjust white balance when photographing your tanks

[dpmatty]

I see some great tank photos on here and, even though I'm a photographer, I'm having a bit of a hard time getting the look right.

I have two T5 actinics and two 250w, 20,000k MH lights. I can't seem to find the right white balance setting for shooting these digitally. If I balance to 20,000k it doesn't look right. I have been able to get a close approximation in post, however I'd like to pin down a formula for producing these shots.

Also, if there are any other photographers here, do any of you use studio strobes when shooting? I read an article on this in one of the Reefing magazines and I was surprised. I have some pretty powerful studio strobes and would think that might mess with the fish, but apparently not?

For digital I'm shooting a D2x but I also shoot a lot of MF with a Mamiya RZ Pro II and either film or a rental back.

Has anyone tried putting a Color Checker Chart in the tank? I don't know if I want to put my Gretag in there or not, but I might risk it to establish a baseline.

 

[Misled]

Take the pics in RAW and adjust the WB in Photoshop after.

 

[dendronepthya]

I agree. Shooting in RAW and editing the photo in something like Aperture or Lightroom is by far the easiest way to deal with white balance.

 

[dpmatty]

I agree. Shooting in RAW and editing the photo in something like Aperture or Lightroom is by far the easiest way to deal with white balance.

I use both Aperture and Lightroom, but more Aperture. But what are you balancing to, ie, what's your reference point, or are you simply doing it by eye? Have you found a particular color temp that works as a good starting point?

I think that based on what I'm seeing, and I'll test more this weekend, to get a really good tank shot is going to require a fair bit of post since it's hard to control the dynamic range from the sand bed up through the reef. And of course then there's the color issues.

I'm seeing lots of adjustment layers and layer masks....

 

[luisgo]

I also use Photoshop to fix the color balance but there is something that we have to keep in mind.

I have been taking photos of a lot of reef aquariums and the success with Photoshop will also depend on the color of the lights. Some tanks with T5 with a lot of blue are very difficult to adjust the color even with Photoshop. Tanks with 10K metal halide in combination with actinics produce the best colors after processing with Photoshop.

The whiter the color the better.