Looking for tips on how to make this image better

[TitusvileSurfer]

Now I have had a little to drink so it might be me but the fish head in #2 seems a little blurred? Otherwise I see nothing to nitpick about (and the fish head is totally nit-picking). Looking good!

 

[laud]

I know nothing, to start off.

I do have a good artistic eye, though, and think you may be focusing the box on a coral head instead of the fish head. If you get the fish in focus with a solid macro shot, the closer corals will be in focus too. You can always crop your pic to get the 1/3 or 1/9 final grid look to your liking.

*edit Sorry, I only saw page one. It looks awesome. The final pics look amazing too.

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13730026#post13730026 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitusvileSurfer
Now I have had a little to drink so it might be me but the fish head in #2 seems a little blurred? Otherwise I see nothing to nitpick about (and the fish head is totally nit-picking). Looking good!

Hey thanks for the input. I will go back and actually look to see if I blurred the head a bit. It looked to pixelated when I was editing at first but maybe it wasn't. The tail is out of focus because it is in a different plane.

Laud, thanks for the critique.

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13540520#post13540520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nickb
Amazing how much the image has improved with all your hard work. That last one looks really nice! And the fish is still in the same place - amazing

What processing did you do with the RAW version of the photo?

Sorry missed your post. I used a nikon extension to edit in photoshop CS. I know I'm two steps behind on the latest and greatest CS3. The RAW allowed me to color correct by moving to 12k instead of white balancing on the sand. From there I went with only curve balancing within the photoshop to keep details. I bumped up the sharpness and a bit on the contrast prior to importing.

 

[Genetics]

So the progression on this picture. Turns out my nikon has a lot of background issues shooting with ISO 250 and above. Also, trying out CS4 vs CS in photoshop. The difference is rather amazing. The JPEG compression is about 4x better too!

With CS4...

 

[gkyle]

I guess it all depends on what you find pleasing. I personally like the very first shot on page 1 - if I saw it on a wall somewhere I would assume the focus is what was intended. I really like a super-shallow DOF for close shots.

What kind of fish is that?

 

[Genetics]

Yellow Goby. I find its rather difficult to take macro shots. Had a steep learning curve with the first picture. Now it comes down to getting some better equipment.

 

[gkyle]

Same here. I've been really interested on photography for 20 years, but just bought my first dSLR last week - the Nikon D90 with kit 18-105mm lens. I added a SB-600 flash and bought some cheap magnifier lenses, but I don't own a real macro lens yet. I also bought an acrylic top-down photo box, but haven't really learned how to get the lighting right.

Your pictures are beautiful, but then so are your corals.

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13987221#post13987221 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gkyle
but then so are your corals.

That's where the cheating comes in .

I still have a lot to learn. I'm curious to see what either a polarized filter or a negative density filter does on some of these pictures. Find out next week I guess.

 

[gkyle]

I didn't notice any effect with the polarizing filter I have, but it might help cut reflections. I think the neutral density filter just cuts the amount of light you get, allowing you to shoot straight into a sunset, etc.

BTW - does the yellow goby require a sandbed?

 

[Genetics]

Sorry, yellow clown goby. I have a yellow goby that lives on the sandbed. Your right about the negative density, maybe I was hoping the polarizer would help filter some of the noise coming for the underwater box.

 

[Genetics]

What to recommend on macro shots? Working on this guy and can't seem to get a very clear shot. Pumps are off but still seems to be vibration...

 

[gkyle]

Only thing I can think of is to bump up the shutter speed if you have enough light. I read another thread where they added additional light to fill in shadows, but that would also allow a faster shutter. My camera will shoot up to 1600 or even 3200 ISO without any noticeable grain, you might try bumping that up if you haven't already. The only other thing I can think of is to make sure you're using a pretty sturdy tripod.

Keep them coming, I learn something on each one...

 

[Genetics]

Yep, I bought a sturdy tripod and a remote. Still might be the problem but no where near the shake I got with the $40 cheapo.

 

[Genetics]

Question on lens quality? I bought a Tamron 300mm lens a few years back. Besides a good fall onto a stone floor in a church it has been well cared for. But in my mind the images always seem a bit duller than with the stock lens that came with my Nikon. Does this make sense or is it all in my head?

 

[gkyle]

I think there's a big difference in sharpness between the higher quality lenses and the cheaper ones. I'm amazed at how crisp the images are with the Nikon 18-105 VR lens that came with my camera.

 

[superfirefly]

I just wanted to say cheers to Genetics and everyone in this thread. I saw that first pic and saw nothing wrong with it. Then everyone added little hints and he ran with it. Looking at the first pic then comparing it to the last pic the difference is amazing. I will definitely refer back to this thread when I can afford a nice camera.