GroYurOwn
New member
I have gotten a lot of questions in regards to how to take good pics of tanks. So I wanted to post a few tips here. The pics I have taken of my most recent tank (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2135317) arent as good as they could be IMO simply because I dont have the lens I really need, so they can be much better.
-First I recommend preparing to shoot the tank. To this effect ambient light is your enemy. I prefer to wait until the sun goes down so that no light is shining through windows, and turning off all lights so there is no reflection on the glass. Turn off your TV too.
I have a Nikon D700, which excels in low light, but you dont need an expensive camera to shoot good pics.
-If you have a point and shoot look for a macro setting, usually this is a flower symbol. This allows the camera to focus closer than normal.
-If you use a DSLR check your lenses, many telephoto lenses have a macro switch on them. This switch locks the focus mechanism in to the best range for macro shooting. Many DSLRs bodies have macro settings as well, check your manual.
-In either case get in to your settings and find your white balance. This is EXTREMELY important. This tells your camera what "white" should look like. In general aquarium lighting is very blue, especially LED. So start by choosing fluorescent, see how that looks. If you can choose a kelvin value, choose whatever is closest to your light temp (ie 20000k, 14000k, 6500k).
-If your camera is able to shoot in RAW (most DSLRs can) DO IT. This type of file stores much more information than even the highest quality jpeg. It will allow you to tweak the white balance, exposure, hue, and many other values without losing quality or detail. I use Photoshop to open my RAW files. Upon opening the RAW file a box pops up that allows me to adjust those settings, and then open the file. I can then save as a high-res jpeg. I am not sure what other editing software allows, but if it can open RAW files you should be able to make those adjustments, since that is really the point of RAW files.
-If you can set your aperture (this is how much light your lens lets in) set it to the lowest number possible, the lower the number, the more light is let in. This does reduce your depth of field, which means backgrounds will be blurred, which makes your subject pop. Play with this setting to see if you can get a look you like. As you let less light in the lens your shutter speed goes up, which means the shutter stays open longer, which will cause motion blur if something moves, including your hand. So if you want more stuff in focus you need a higher aperature value, and probably a higher ISO, which is how fast your camera records the image (this is the same as film speed), the higher this number, the grainier your images will be. As you can see this is a balancing act!
- I always turn off my flash, it is difficult to keep the flash from bouncing of the tank. And the colors are usually not a vibrant. This is another reason to open the aperture all the way, to let in more light from the tank.
-Once your WB is set, your aperture is set, and you have all your lights off its time to take the picture. My recommendation is to try to get your lens flat against the glass. If you take the picture at an angle it will likely not be very sharp because the glass and water will distort the image, aslo if you are flat on the glass it reduces ambient light and reflections. Be careful though, I scratched my acrylic because my lens filter was turning as it was focusing and scratching. So now I keep a pinky between lens and tank. If glass you shouldnt have a problem.
-I shoot straight on, like I said, I dont like to shoot at an angle. So that means my camera lens is right on the glass and I physically move myself in front of what I am taking a picture of. Remeber you probably can zoom also, use that feature!
-One thing I notice a lot is that people do not properly focus their camera before taking the picture. On pretty much all digital cameras you must push the shutter button half way down to allow the camera to focus, most make a noise, or display something on the screen/viewfinder that indicates it has locked on (usually a small box that changes from red to green when focused). This is extremely important, do not just point the camera a mash the button. Most likely you will not be focused on your target. If you notice that the box is focusing in a different spot than you would like to you may be able to move it using the controls on the back of the camera to move the focusign area to where you need it.
-Compose your shot. I think one thing that is often missing is some composition. Even if you are artistically challenged there is a simple rule to making a shot more interesting: DONT PUT EVERYTHING IN THE MIDDLE!!! Go look at your favorite pictures that artists you admire have taken. Look at where the interesting stuff is. More often than not you will notice that the subject is often off-center. This makes the picture more interesting. If you want to learn a bit more Google "rule of thirds" and do that.
Once you have composed and properly focused, push the shutter and admire your work!
I hope this helps in some way. I know it is not at all a complete guide, but hopefully it will allow you to get another level of enjoyment from this hobby. In fact one of my favorite parts of the hobby is the photography aspect of it! Let me know if you have any questions, I am glad to talk about this stuff, as you can tell
-First I recommend preparing to shoot the tank. To this effect ambient light is your enemy. I prefer to wait until the sun goes down so that no light is shining through windows, and turning off all lights so there is no reflection on the glass. Turn off your TV too.
I have a Nikon D700, which excels in low light, but you dont need an expensive camera to shoot good pics.
-If you have a point and shoot look for a macro setting, usually this is a flower symbol. This allows the camera to focus closer than normal.
-If you use a DSLR check your lenses, many telephoto lenses have a macro switch on them. This switch locks the focus mechanism in to the best range for macro shooting. Many DSLRs bodies have macro settings as well, check your manual.
-In either case get in to your settings and find your white balance. This is EXTREMELY important. This tells your camera what "white" should look like. In general aquarium lighting is very blue, especially LED. So start by choosing fluorescent, see how that looks. If you can choose a kelvin value, choose whatever is closest to your light temp (ie 20000k, 14000k, 6500k).
-If your camera is able to shoot in RAW (most DSLRs can) DO IT. This type of file stores much more information than even the highest quality jpeg. It will allow you to tweak the white balance, exposure, hue, and many other values without losing quality or detail. I use Photoshop to open my RAW files. Upon opening the RAW file a box pops up that allows me to adjust those settings, and then open the file. I can then save as a high-res jpeg. I am not sure what other editing software allows, but if it can open RAW files you should be able to make those adjustments, since that is really the point of RAW files.
-If you can set your aperture (this is how much light your lens lets in) set it to the lowest number possible, the lower the number, the more light is let in. This does reduce your depth of field, which means backgrounds will be blurred, which makes your subject pop. Play with this setting to see if you can get a look you like. As you let less light in the lens your shutter speed goes up, which means the shutter stays open longer, which will cause motion blur if something moves, including your hand. So if you want more stuff in focus you need a higher aperature value, and probably a higher ISO, which is how fast your camera records the image (this is the same as film speed), the higher this number, the grainier your images will be. As you can see this is a balancing act!
- I always turn off my flash, it is difficult to keep the flash from bouncing of the tank. And the colors are usually not a vibrant. This is another reason to open the aperture all the way, to let in more light from the tank.
-Once your WB is set, your aperture is set, and you have all your lights off its time to take the picture. My recommendation is to try to get your lens flat against the glass. If you take the picture at an angle it will likely not be very sharp because the glass and water will distort the image, aslo if you are flat on the glass it reduces ambient light and reflections. Be careful though, I scratched my acrylic because my lens filter was turning as it was focusing and scratching. So now I keep a pinky between lens and tank. If glass you shouldnt have a problem.
-I shoot straight on, like I said, I dont like to shoot at an angle. So that means my camera lens is right on the glass and I physically move myself in front of what I am taking a picture of. Remeber you probably can zoom also, use that feature!
-One thing I notice a lot is that people do not properly focus their camera before taking the picture. On pretty much all digital cameras you must push the shutter button half way down to allow the camera to focus, most make a noise, or display something on the screen/viewfinder that indicates it has locked on (usually a small box that changes from red to green when focused). This is extremely important, do not just point the camera a mash the button. Most likely you will not be focused on your target. If you notice that the box is focusing in a different spot than you would like to you may be able to move it using the controls on the back of the camera to move the focusign area to where you need it.
-Compose your shot. I think one thing that is often missing is some composition. Even if you are artistically challenged there is a simple rule to making a shot more interesting: DONT PUT EVERYTHING IN THE MIDDLE!!! Go look at your favorite pictures that artists you admire have taken. Look at where the interesting stuff is. More often than not you will notice that the subject is often off-center. This makes the picture more interesting. If you want to learn a bit more Google "rule of thirds" and do that.
Once you have composed and properly focused, push the shutter and admire your work!
I hope this helps in some way. I know it is not at all a complete guide, but hopefully it will allow you to get another level of enjoyment from this hobby. In fact one of my favorite parts of the hobby is the photography aspect of it! Let me know if you have any questions, I am glad to talk about this stuff, as you can tell
