Weekly challenge "NEW" (Photographing Fish)

[delta]

Let's try something new

I will post a weekly topic, hopefully we can get everyone to post picture of that topic. Then we can discuss technics, tips and tricks

The idea is to improve your skills with reef aquaria photography. So let keep it fun.

Anyone game?

Lets start with Fish
When I shoot fish my main gaol is to focus on the fishes eye.

One thing I look for is the light showing through the fishes eye. I use the fastest shutter speed I can without making the photo too dark.

For those of you with P&S cameras that do not have the ability to manually adjust your shutter speed choose sports mode.

Here is an example of the light shinning through the fishes eye.

 

[starrfish]

Great idea Greg. I took a photography course last year at the NESOP in Boston. One tidbit I picked up with fast moving objects (like fish) is to follow the object with the camera. I used to sit and wait until the fish swam in front of my camera. Instead, try to follow the fish with your camera. And like you said, use a fast shutter speed. Here's a pic I took with this technique.

 

[this is me]

Set the focus mode to AF-C(continous focusing). For a point and shoot camera, set it to sports mode. Open up your aperture as wide as possible to allow more light into the lens hence a faster shutter speed to freeze the fish action. The wide open aperture will create a blurred-out background and this makes the fish "pop" out of the picture. I find it distracting when the background is also in focus with the subject.
I never use flash in the aquarium unless I'm doing some extreme macro stuff.

f/1.8, 1/640 sec

 

[Bidadari]

Excellent tips & ideas! I'm bad at taking fish picture. I'll try those techniques this weekend & post the result here

 

[Gina McReeferson]

Fish pictures are definately not my strong point (if I have any strong points... ), but here is one I got a while back. Wide open as Nick mentioned, and I think I have the light through the eye that Greg always looks for. I second what Daire said too, follow the fish around, even if it takes all night, lord knows I've spent many an hour tailing that Naso like the paparazzi. What's tough for me is catching them in "display mode", patience is key.

-Dave

 

[TomD]

The way I see it is I am doomed with my camera so I am forced to get a better one.

I Challenge anyone to get a good fish pic with my Olympus Fe-100....impossible

 

[FinzAquatics]

The way I see it is I am doomed with my camera so I am forced to get a better one.

I Challenge anyone to get a good fish pic with my Olympus Fe-100....impossible

i feel the same way with my crappy digital camera

 

[Chris L]

i am not very good with manual settings on any camera :0
so i find using the flash always gives you a good clean fish shot.

 

[Moe_K]

Yeah, sounds like adjustable shutter speed is the key.
Let's see some wonderful fish pics from a point and shoot without a sports mode.
Try my Nikon CoolPix 4300.

Oh yeah, and let the tank lighting be dim, like NO flourescents.
There's a challenge.

 

[this is me]

i am not very good with manual settings on any camera :0
so i find using the flash always gives you a good clean fish shot.

It does, but look what happen to your background and the shadow.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

The way I see it is I am doomed with my camera so I am forced to get a better one.

I Challenge anyone to get a good fish pic with my Olympus Fe-100....impossible

Hang in there Tom, it can be done...

Taken with Gina's Olympus P&S..........

I think my favorite fish pics are the ones where you can see through the eye...

 

[Chris L]

Yeah, sounds like adjustable shutter speed is the key.
Let's see some wonderful fish pics from a point and shoot without a sports mode.
Try my Nikon CoolPix 4300.

Oh yeah, and let the tank lighting be dim, like NO flourescents.
There's a challenge.

moe mine is just a p&s and it was not in sports mode

 

[TomD]

Hang in there Tom, it can be done...

Taken with Gina's Olympus P&S..........

I think my favorite fish pics are the ones where you can see through the eye...

I can get ones close. The fish have to be not moving that much and I still get that bluriness from the little movement.

I only get good pics of my LM Blenny because he stares at me and will not move and my clown in the anenome.

 

[penguinsix]

I haven't had sufficient time to get good at taking pics of fish because until recently I never owned any. I don't count clowns because they are easy to photo. But here is one I took of my angel. It's ok, but I probably wouldn't post it otherwise because I don't like where I have it focused.

 

[delta]

i feel the same way with my crappy digital camera

The way I see it is I am doomed with my camera so I am forced to get a better one.

I Challenge anyone to get a good fish pic with my Olympus Fe-100....impossible

Please share everyones work has value here

 

[TomD]

Ok Greg, you asked for it

Here are my best fish pics which are like bottom of the bucket scum to many here.

 

[TomD]

More junk pics

Junk pics

 

[TomD]

last one

That's all she wrote!

 

[smcnally]

Tom, you'd be amazed at what an experience photographer would be able to get out of your camera. If you have it set to auto mode take it out of that. If it is in manual, make sure you adjust your white balance so it doesn't look so blue in the picture. Also, I've found with P&S cameras that you can get a better final picture if you adjust the shutter speed enough that the picture comes out just a little darker than you want it and then lighten it up in a program. A tripod helps a bunch too.

 

[starrfish]

Here's a tip that someone gave at Nerac for setting white balance....hold a coffee filter up to the glass of your tank and set the white balance. That way you're getting the white with the lighting you're taking the pic under. I haven't tried it, but thought I'd pass it on. Calfo also suggested using the inside of a lid that you have close by (like a pickling lime lid).