can anyone give me advice for photographing fish. I can't seem to get any good pics of my stock. I have a Canan Sx-30 if it helps
any photography advice
- Thread starter wantokeeptrout
- Start date
my tank light is a cheap repurposed reading lamp. I just jury rigged it after i got my comps since the cave tetras could care less about light and i wanted to save some cash. I was hoping for apeture and shutter speed advice and the patience i agree with. I finally got a somewhat good photo but i just can't get the amazing ones i see for contests or show off threads.
It is all to do with lighting. It takes a higher light level or a longer apeture setting to expose properly indoors. Problem is your fish won't hold perfectly still for 1 sec let alone multiple seconds. Brighter more intense lighting is the only way to get good pics.
If you can, increase the light shining on your fish. That will let you take pictures with a faster shutter speed. A faster shutter means less blur from your fish moving. Learn to use the manual settings on your camera to find the shutter speed that works with the amount of light you have to get a good exposure. Depending how cooperative your fish are, you will probably need to shoot at at least 1/125th of a second but 1/250 or 1/320 would get your a sharper shot. That might take more light though.
When you can't add light, bump up your ISO. This will sacrifice some some graininess for the sake of keeping the image sharp.
An image that isn't focused is almost never a good image. For shooting animals, fish included, the general rule is to make sure the eyes are in focus, otherwise the subject will appear to be out of focus. Use your camera's focus points to focus on that fishy face.
Try zooming in and out while taking shots. Then see whether your lens reduces your aperture as you zoom in by looking at the exif data for your images. If zooming reduces aperture, then it cuts down on the light entering the camera, and has the same effect as shooting in a darker room. If your lens does this, you need to try getting close to your fish rather than standing back and zooming with the lens. BTW, a larger number for aperture indicates less light. F2.8 lets in much more light than f5.6, for example.
A great photo isn't just about getting a sharp image with the right exposure. Google "photography composition" and learn a thing or two about how to place your subject within the frame. Also try shooting from angles other than natural viewing angles. That adds interest to a shot since it brings a different perspective than what people are used to seeing.
Finally, don't assume great shots are easy to get. Take a LOT of photos in hopes you can find that one that you're really proud of.
When you can't add light, bump up your ISO. This will sacrifice some some graininess for the sake of keeping the image sharp.
An image that isn't focused is almost never a good image. For shooting animals, fish included, the general rule is to make sure the eyes are in focus, otherwise the subject will appear to be out of focus. Use your camera's focus points to focus on that fishy face.
Try zooming in and out while taking shots. Then see whether your lens reduces your aperture as you zoom in by looking at the exif data for your images. If zooming reduces aperture, then it cuts down on the light entering the camera, and has the same effect as shooting in a darker room. If your lens does this, you need to try getting close to your fish rather than standing back and zooming with the lens. BTW, a larger number for aperture indicates less light. F2.8 lets in much more light than f5.6, for example.
A great photo isn't just about getting a sharp image with the right exposure. Google "photography composition" and learn a thing or two about how to place your subject within the frame. Also try shooting from angles other than natural viewing angles. That adds interest to a shot since it brings a different perspective than what people are used to seeing.
Finally, don't assume great shots are easy to get. Take a LOT of photos in hopes you can find that one that you're really proud of.
Set the aperture to the widest setting (lowest number, eg f2.8 lets in more light than f4.0). Put as much light on the tank as you can. A regular fluorescent lamp is not going to be nearly bright enough. Let the camera decide the shutter speed - if it is any longer than about 1/50 sec you probably aren't going to be able to get clear shots.
Hi,
I would look at the EXIF data on the good shot you got. The EXIF data will give you your image size, shutter speed, ISO, Aperture (f#), date and a whole bunch of other info. You want to grab the ISO, Shutter, and Aperture info and use that as a starting point.
Once you have this info, you can then start "sculpting" from that to create a better shot in Manual mode. For example, if your EXIF data shows your camera shot at ISO 400, 1/50 shutter and f4 then turn your ISO up a bit and this will allow you to turn the shutter speed up as well. So try turning it to say ISO 500 and try 1/60 shutter speed (this is an example).
As far as aperture goes (aperture controls how much light goes through the lens and hits the sensor as well as sharpens or softens your image and affects your depth of field) the higher the number the sharper your shot will be but you will take in less light. The lower the number the more light you'll take in but your depth of field will be affected. With your situation (low light) you need a smaller number to allow as much light to hit your sensor. Any higher numbers will make you need to drop your Shutter speed to absorb light and will result in motion blur.
Keep playing with the ISO. Turning up your ISO will make your camera more light sensitive but can create more noise (noise=grain) in your image. A program like noise ninja or neat image can help you remove the noise.
unfortunately, due to the variables in lighting strength we are not able to give you a setting that will immediately work. That is dependent on what is in front of you. The brighter the light the more room you have to play with. The brighter the light source, the higher the shutter speed you can use and the sharper your image will be without motion blur.
Obviously, there are more advanced setups which are more suitable for use with DSLR's and really high end Point and shoots. Even though yours happens to be an advanced point and shoot you are limited to available light and your onboard flash but you can still accomplish quite a bit. As, Tankasaurus and clownknife said, Patience is key. You will take many shots and a few usable ones.
I didn't want to overwhelm you with photography jargon so if you have any questions or need clarification please feel free to PM me.
Cheers,
good advice! also dont have your light source square to the tank glass sides, this will show as a flash and can distract/ blind the image.
I just want to say really at the end of the day as every one has said its about patience...
But one other thing is practice and get to know your camera...
Really thats how i learned and slowly started taking better pics and have since joined the world of DSLR's
So i would say enjoy it and keep practicing coz thats how you learn to get an eye for things and how to get to know your camera better...
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
But one other thing is practice and get to know your camera...
Really thats how i learned and slowly started taking better pics and have since joined the world of DSLR's
So i would say enjoy it and keep practicing coz thats how you learn to get an eye for things and how to get to know your camera better...
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app