What types of photos do you enjoy most?

[Len]

What types of reef-related photos do you enjoy most?

 

[Anonymous]

All of them! :mrgreen:

Really.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, I mostly like macros of acros, and such.

I need to an exteranal flash and bracket for my coolpix 995 so that I'd have a better chance at getting good fish pics!

Louey

 

[Jrsydevi1]

I love macros of various corals...

I REALLY love the SUPER macro shots that some people are capable of.. the ones that really take you up close and personal with the structural aspects... the striations of the mushrooms.. the feathery polyps of the leathers... Those really grab me! Just hope I can produce photos like that some day.

Also.. I love the super crisp shots of reef fish.. those are awesome.. I spent about 6 hours in front of my tank trying to get a crisp shot of my Clowns for the contest last week.. and came up with nothing.. by the end I was shouting out loud at them to stay still for a second, lol.. sigh.. Still have a lot to learn..



-Devil

 

[Micah00]

Myself I enjoy them all, and when this forum started the eye candy was plentiful. I had been browsing this site for about 7 months, but never registered until photography forum. I had been trying to take pictures of my tank with my Kodak Advantix(maybe 1 shot out of a whole roll would turn out) considered going digital never did til photography forum(I know I'm not the only one with many post titled "WHAT CAMERA") Bought a Wal-Mart camera outgrew it in a week with all the questions in the help section the learning curve was great. Bothered my wife for a week until she would finally let me spring for a prosumer camera( that I'm still waiting for). But it seems the eyecandy is almost gone now. Sorry for the long post but has every one lost intrest even the first contest there were alot of entries the first day. This contest has been going almost a week and there are what 9 judgable(and inverts are alot easier to photo than fish).

BTW,Len I look foward to what you're working on!

 

[Anonymous]

Myself I enjoy them all, and when this forum started the eye candy was plentiful. I had been browsing this site for about 7 months, but never registered until photography forum. I had been trying to take pictures of my tank with my Kodak Advantix(maybe 1 shot out of a whole roll would turn out) considered going digital never did til photography forum(I know I'm not the only one with many post titled "WHAT CAMERA") Bought a Wal-Mart camera outgrew it in a week with all the questions in the help section the learning curve was great. Bothered my wife for a week until she would finally let me spring for a prosumer camera( that I'm still waiting for). But it seems the eyecandy is almost gone now. Sorry for the long post but has every one lost intrest even the first contest there were alot of entries the first day. This contest has been going almost a week and there are what 9 judgable(and inverts are alot easier to photo than fish).

BTW,Len I look foward to what you're working on!

You bring up some interesting points, Micah, and I can see them. This site is really about you, the users. Good constructive criticism (like this last post) and pointed questioning of other users (like this thread's topic) are what will keep this site and this forum fresh and invigorating for a long time to come.

So let's hear some comments and ideas...what can we do to keep things rolling right along here and keep the photography forum building and growing? I think the obvious answer is more reef photos. Duh. ;-) One thing that I wonder about is are people seeing some of the really super high quality photos that pop up here and saying to themselves, "Gee, my photos look like junk compared to that. I don't want to put them up and embarass myself."?? I certainly hope not!!!! One thing I've learned in the year or two that I've been heavily into photography is that it has a learning curve exactly like reefkeeping does. When we first got into reefkeeping, it was most likely because we saw a spectactular tank and wanted to know how it was done so that we could do it too. Photography is the same way. I see a great shot and I admire it, but at the same time I'm also picking it apart a bit in my head, looking at the angle, figuring out if a flash was used, wondering what shutter speed, etc. And also just like reefing, photography is a constant learning process.

So please everyone, keep posting photos, even if they're blurry or you're not sure how to fix the color or even if you've got a $50 wal-mart camera and want to take better shots with it. We have several people in here, both ops, admins, and hobbiests, who are great photographers, and also know a good deal about the technology and techniques of photography. We love to help and answer questions, too!

I hope all of that made sense. It's 7 in the morning on a Saturday and I can't sleep. :wink:

Okay, so let's see some more pictures. And for cryin' out loud, keep sticking stuff in the contests, even if you don't think you'll win. Some of the shots in my portfolio I don't really think are that great but my wife or my friends think they're awesome.

Cheers,
John

 

[Micah00]

I agree with the fact some of these pics that are posted can be intimadating and myself the desision to get a new camera had nothing to do with reef photos. I found I couldn't take a descent pic outside. I had tried to take pictures of my son outside playing and they were all bad. I tried to take pics of the night sky when it was very clear and got one dot. IMO any camera can take good pics if you practice with it(except of my percs I must have taken 500 shots and not got 1). For example here are 2 pics, first one when I first got the camera, the second about a week later..

 

[Micah00]

The second one about a week later of same subject

 

[Jrsydevi1]

I'd say you're a pretty fast learner.. that second one is real nice 8) .

-Devil

 

[KevD1]

I certainly appreciate macro photography, but I prefer to see full tank shots and/or reef scenes. I think they give the viewer a better idea of the health and looks of the system than the much loved yet overdone macros 8)

Peace,
Kevin

 

[investigator1]

I enjoy len's photos and despise mine.

 

[Anonymous]

I enjoy len's photos and despise mine.

Do you need a group hug? :wink:

((( )))

There ya go.


Seriously, like I said before I wonder if people are being overly critical of their own work. I think this forum has two very separate and very distinct purposes, both of which are equally valid and can co-exist.

One is to show the animals in our tanks. To do that you could hook up a $20 webcam to your computer and click away. I love seeing other people's reefs, even if the pics are blurry, grainy, etc. Who cares, we're here to look at the animals!

Two is to admire the photography and secondly to improve our own photography. This forum was started and is administrated by three people who really love reefs and who also happen to really love photography. That doesn't mean though that the forum is just for those types of people! It's for everyone that has a reef and wants to show the rest of us what's in it.