going to the aquarium--help!

dugrant153 · 03-01-2008, 01:20 PM

I'm going to try the diffuser trick. I've been trying to shoot a flash into an umbrella, but I get a lot of flash reflection from my tank glass.

Maybe umbrella flash and a polarizer? or ND filter?

christinelandon · 03-02-2008, 03:03 AM

Dugrant, I wouldn't recommend the umbrella-mounted flash, because you'd be spreading a lot of light over a large glass area, increasing the potential for reflection problems. Remember that light reflects off both surfaces of a glass pane as it travels through. Try a small, on-flash diffuser, such as a Sto-fen or Lumiquest (I use the former). Another problem with the umbrella units is competing for space at the window, which will tick off other aquarium visitors unless you get private access or it's a real low-attendance day.

Also, unless you're shooting in very shallow tanks, I don't think an ND will help much. Water rapidly reduces light transmission with depth. If you're trying to reduce artificial lighting hot spots with an ND, I think using masking with exposure controls in pp will serve the purpose better. I've never shot with NDs at an aquarium, myself.

Finally, kudos to Max on his cichlid photos; my dad keeps several species and I've learned a bit about them while trying to photograph his tanks. Tricky, as they'll get up real close to your lens out of curiosity, then hide on you in a flash if you do anything that spooks them. Either way, you shoot a lot trying to get good focus and composition!

maxwell1295 · 03-02-2008, 07:09 AM

Originally posted by jgredline

Max
Very nice indeed...I have a couple of tanks with Oscars in them..They do make for good practice but more they make great pets.

Anyway, I love the bokeh in your photos. What lens did you use?

I use my A35-70 for aquarium shots. At 70mm, the macro allows me to get close enough to pretty much fill the frame with a fish. I can't get close enough with the A50/1.7 to do that...

code4code5 · 03-02-2008, 09:00 AM

I had a similar experience at the Denver Zoo this weekend and "winged it." I cranked up the ISO on my K100D to 3200, figuring that the noise could be dealt with later, just so long as I got the shot. No flash. The only one that was presentable without a whole lot of PP was this one...

Last edited by code4code5; 06-08-2008 at 11:17 PM.

maxwell1295 · 03-02-2008, 10:43 AM

That's pretty good for 3200...

03-02-2008, 03:03 AM	#32
christinelandon Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Seattle, Washington, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 812	Dugrant, I wouldn't recommend the umbrella-mounted flash, because you'd be spreading a lot of light over a large glass area, increasing the potential for reflection problems. Remember that light reflects off both surfaces of a glass pane as it travels through. Try a small, on-flash diffuser, such as a Sto-fen or Lumiquest (I use the former). Another problem with the umbrella units is competing for space at the window, which will tick off other aquarium visitors unless you get private access or it's a real low-attendance day. Also, unless you're shooting in very shallow tanks, I don't think an ND will help much. Water rapidly reduces light transmission with depth. If you're trying to reduce artificial lighting hot spots with an ND, I think using masking with exposure controls in pp will serve the purpose better. I've never shot with NDs at an aquarium, myself. Finally, kudos to Max on his cichlid photos; my dad keeps several species and I've learned a bit about them while trying to photograph his tanks. Tricky, as they'll get up real close to your lens out of curiosity, then hide on you in a flash if you do anything that spooks them. Either way, you shoot a lot trying to get good focus and composition! Last edited by christinelandon; 03-02-2008 at 03:04 AM. Reason: small technical addition

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03-01-2008, 01:20 PM	#31
dugrant153 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,059	I'm going to try the diffuser trick. I've been trying to shoot a flash into an umbrella, but I get a lot of flash reflection from my tank glass. Maybe umbrella flash and a polarizer? or ND filter?

03-02-2008, 07:09 AM	#33
maxwell1295 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Long Island, New York Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,703	Originally posted by jgredline Max Very nice indeed...I have a couple of tanks with Oscars in them..They do make for good practice but more they make great pets. Anyway, I love the bokeh in your photos. What lens did you use? I use my A35-70 for aquarium shots. At 70mm, the macro allows me to get close enough to pretty much fill the frame with a fish. I can't get close enough with the A50/1.7 to do that...

03-02-2008, 09:00 AM	#34
code4code5 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 438	I had a similar experience at the Denver Zoo this weekend and "winged it." I cranked up the ISO on my K100D to 3200, figuring that the noise could be dealt with later, just so long as I got the shot. No flash. The only one that was presentable without a whole lot of PP was this one... Last edited by code4code5; 06-08-2008 at 11:17 PM.

03-02-2008, 10:43 AM	#35
maxwell1295 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Long Island, New York Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,703	That's pretty good for 3200...

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