Tips needed for taking shots at Georgia Aquarium

[jwheeler]

I have a Nikon D50, and I'm going to go Tuesday to the Newport Aquarium near Cinncinati to take some practice shots, as I've only had this camera for a few weeks and its my first SLR. In two weeks I'm going to the Georgia Aquarium. I was wondering if anyone had any pointers for me. I have 2 lenses, the 18-55 and the 55-200. Any way to take pictures through glass without getting reflection of me in it? I've had this problem at home, and not using flash.

Thanks, and I'll try posting some pics if any turn out worthy

 

[astrogazer]

A polarizing filter will help eliminate the reflection, they aren't cheap. Each lens will will be of a different diameter and would require it's own filter. The only polarizing filter I own is for my 105mm macro, as that's what I use mostly in my reef shooting. You will lose as much as 1 stop in exposure due to the way the filter works.

As far as other tidbits, the flash won't be of much help shooting shots of large tanks. You could increase your ISO to 400-800, 800 will be kind of grainy but it will give you some exposure latitude, check out the test shots you'll be taking at different ISO settings. I wouldn't screw around with the mid settings, if you can deal with the grain, 800 will give you the most control of indoor tank shooting.
A tripod won't help much unless you're interested in tank panoramas, the fish will move too fast to be able to capture them with speeds slow enough to require a tripod.

As far as lenses go, the 55-200 is probably slower than the 18-55 but will probably give you more control over composition, the subject matter will probably control the lens choice.

One final word of warning, if you do shoot with an ISO of 800 you WILL NOT be able to make images much larger than 5 x 7 without noticeable grain.

Hope this helps, and you will, of course share images with us after you go ...

 

[jwedehase]

You may recall the Goergia Aquarium thread from a couple months ago. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=739892

I didn't use a polarizing filter. It's simply too dark to be stopping down any further. I shot mostly ISO-1600, and it shows when the photos are blown up. I have some ISO-800 in a couple of spots. I was forced to shoot between "high-quality" blurry shots (slow shutter speeds) or "low-quality" shots I could keep. I never had a problem with reflections in the glass. Simply shoot just off square, and you'll never see your flash or yourself. The other thing I did was simply hold the end of my lens with my hand, and place my hand directly against the acrylic. This way, your lens is only a centimeter away from the reflection surface, and you can't get any reflections.

The flash is usable, but not all the time. If you have an off-camera flash, that will help tremendously. There's great benefit to being able to bounce the light off of another surface versus blasting something directly head-on, like the built in flash does. I also used a diffuser (www.sto-fen.com) which helped more than you'd think.

To get the good shots, act like you're some sort of professional, and simply walk up close, as if you expect to get to the front of the tank. It's a very mental battle, honestly. You act like you're supposed to be there, don't make apologies for the slight inconvenience, and most people see the SLR and honestly think you're some sort of pro who needs to get that shot for work. It works for me all the time.

I used a Canon 20D and the 28-135mm IS. I rarely zoomed in much, and very often wished I could zoom out further than the 28mm. I'd bet you use the 18-55 at least 90% of the time.

 

[VoidRaven]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7672496#post7672496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jwedehase

To get the good shots, act like you're some sort of professional, and simply walk up close, as if you expect to get to the front of the tank. It's a very mental battle, honestly. You act like you're supposed to be there, don't make apologies for the slight inconvenience, and most people see the SLR and honestly think you're some sort of pro who needs to get that shot for work. It works for me all the time.

The ironic part is that there is some truth to this statement! I've done similar things at the local zoo and have been asked several times if I was from the newspaper or a magazine, etc etc. Look the part (dress cleanly...I always wear a nice, plain shirt and cargo shorts or pants depending on the weather, and clean boots or hiking shoes as well as my trusty leather wide-brim hat), act the part (respectful, professional, like you're supposed to be there for work or something), and be very friendly and you will be surprised at the results that you see. I've actually had parents reel in their kids when they see me setting up a shot (honey, don't get in that man's way...he's trying to take a picture)...but I ALWAYS try to make sure and give any prime spot I have to any little kids that are nearby trying to get a better look once I'm done with the shot.

 

[jwheeler]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm going to Newport Aquarium tomorrow, and going to get there as soon as they open. Hopefully they won't be that busy at 9am.
I'll let ya know how it goes

 

[lifestudent]

BTW, when you go the the Georgia Aquarium, try to get there within the 1st hour of when they open or close to avoid the crowds. I find its better when I get there as soon as they open because it's not very crowded then.

Enjoy!

 

[jeffbrig]

Light levels are low in many of the tanks. To avoid slow shutter speeds and blurry photos, use a fast lens (at its widest aperture setting) and a high ISO. Image stabilization would be a nice plus to combat camera shake. I'd skip the polarizer if possible, you don't want to give up the 1-2 stops of light when using one. If you can get your lens right up to the glass, reflections should be minimal.

Try to shoot straight into the tank rather than at angles. You'll get less distortion that way. Manual focus may be important in some of the dimmer tanks.

Your 18-55 is faster than the 55-200 (f3.5 vs. f4) but not significantly. A 2.8 zoom would be better, and a fast prime lens would be best for picking up available light (e.g. 50mm f1.8 or f1.4). Still, you can't beat the versatility of a zoom lens.

Hope that helps....

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7672496#post7672496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jwedehase
To get the good shots, act like you're some sort of professional, and simply walk up close, as if you expect to get to the front of the tank.

Easier to pull off when you're carrying a big white lens. Not sure those would be much use at the aquarium, though.

 

[jwedehase]

I didn't have a big white lens . Oh... someday....

Anyway, all my shots were shot with Image Stabilization, and still required ISO-800 minimum. As for shooting at angles, I recognize this distorts the image, but may be considered a necessary evil here. At the same time, I don't recall ever having any issues with reflections. Furthermore, a polarizer isn't going to reduce direct reflections, so I can't imagine it having any benefit here.