studentdriver
New member
Any pointers appreciated.
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studentdriver
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bump
Not too bad. First critique is you really don't need to bump your own thread when this forum generally only sees a few posts per day. That aside, my biggest critique would be to crop most of your photos. You need to decide what is and is not important in your photos. If you have too much of the unimportant, it detracts from the important. Also, you generally want to avoid putting your subject dead center in the photograph. Now, as you crop, remember your "subject" may not even be the whole fish. It's wherever you want the viewer's eye drawn. Maybe it's the entire animal, maybe it's just a part of it. Often times the eyes are the main subject. That's not to say you can't place the subject in the center. For example, your picture of the open brain, I think that could work. The circular shape of the coral, plus the lines leading in can pull the eye into the center and make the photograph more dynamic. I'd prefer a perspective more like your picture of the plate coral, though. The top-down perspective in this case makes the coral look flat and not as interesting as it could be. I like the compostion of your picture of the anemone crab, but as you've seen, photographing objects in the corner of your tank is tricky at best. There's usually just too much distortion, distracting reflections, etc.
The last bit of advice I have is to use Photoshop or some other editing program to clone out (or just use the healing brush in Photoshop) the random little specs you'll inevitably have (very apparent in pictures 1 & 5). But you've got some very nice image quality, so you're halfway there. Almost everything else I've said can be fixed in post processing.
The last bit of advice I have is to use Photoshop or some other editing program to clone out (or just use the healing brush in Photoshop) the random little specs you'll inevitably have (very apparent in pictures 1 & 5). But you've got some very nice image quality, so you're halfway there. Almost everything else I've said can be fixed in post processing.
studentdriver
New member
Thanks for the critique. Did not mean to bump my own thread, was trying to post pics.
I really do not have any idea about Photoshop, heard it's very difficult to master.
I will try your suggestions in future photos.
I really do not have any idea about Photoshop, heard it's very difficult to master.
I will try your suggestions in future photos.
Photoshop is difficult to "master", but most of the simpler functions are pretty easy to learn to use, and truthfully, many people don't use much more than its basic functionality. I've found Photoshop Elements is more intuitive than CS, plus it's about 1/4 the price. There are also plenty of other editing programs out there. There's even a free one called "Gimp" that seems to be pretty popular (I haven't used it myself). I'd definitely recommend picking up some sort of editing program. There's certainly a lot to be said for "getting it right in the camera", which for the most part you've done very well. Processing has always been a part of photography, though. In the film world, the average person is going to have someone else take care of that for them. In the digital world, processing your own photographs is much more viable, and you'll find it much more rewarding than allowing the camera to apply fairly generic (although you do have some basic control) processing. In aquarium photography, this is even more critical due to inherent difficulties such as white balance and floating particulates.
IPT
Active member
some good points have already been made. The suggestion I have is too watch your backgrounds. Sometimes a shift an inch or two to one side or the other (or triggering the shutter a 1/2 second later) can make a big difference. As I got more experienced I learned this. It's easy to get so excited and focused on the subject itself that we don't pay enough attention to what that subject is around, infront of, or hidden by. Pay attention to what in the background might be competing for attention or a distraction from the main subject (or what could help set it off and make it stand out even more!). For example in image # 5 with the bright yellow coral behind half of the fish. I find it draws my attention away from the fish itself. Little details like this can make a difference in the impact of an image. Nice start overall, looking good.
studentdriver
New member
It's a Helfrichi Firefish
3rdimension
New member
those shots turned out really clear! I can't wait to use my hd camera once my tank is fully setup.
studentdriver
New member
Couple more shots..
