Photo help

[Anonymous]

I think I've can manage to snap some pictures of corals and slow moving inverts, but what are the techniques usedfor photographing fish?

I'm using a Nikkon Coolpix 775, and don't know any of the adjustments or anything other than the little know thingy on top and a few of the buttons. Don't really have to time to really get into it, but I would like to be ab;e to take some good pictures for the store's website.

 

[Len]

Those pics don't look half bad! The trick to shooting fish or any moving object is to shoot in very bright conditions so your shutter speed is fast. Since you're shooting in a LFS, if you have extra lights around just throw em all on. The brighter the better (so long as it's not scaring the fishies).

Shoot with manual focus if you're tracking fish. The shutter lag on the 775 would cause you to miss some shots if you shot in AF.

If all else fails, flash photog works with fish. It distorts the colors a bit, but the images are generally sharp. You need to shoot at an angle (not parallel to the front glass/acrylic) if you shoot with flash.

Make sure the tank is clean too Stuff on glass and in the water screws with AF and metering. If you want really tack-sharp fish macros to use for print or web design, i advise you to move them to a small holding container. It's tough to get a clear image of a fish more then a foot into the tank. Some professional photographers have "shooting tanks" that are only a few inches wide (front to back).

 

[Anonymous]

Actually one of the problems with shooting in an LFS is too much light coming from too may directions. I might try to shoot some early in the morning when all of the ambient lights are off.

 

[Anonymous]

So what benefits would I get from photoshop?

 

[Len]

Photoshop is an extremely powerful photo editting tool. If you're only interested in snapshooting, PS isn't really necessary. But if you are meticulous about post-processing or do design work, PS is a necessary tool. In it's most basic function, it allows you to sharpen, clean up dust and scratches, adjust image size, brightness, contrast, saturation, and correct color balance issues. As a complete photo-editting suite, it does it simplier and more precisely then any other.

 

[Len]

Actually one of the problems with shooting in an LFS is too much light coming from too may directions. I might try to shoot some early in the morning when all of the ambient lights are off.

Yeah, lots of stray light can really screw with an image. Polarizers work to elimeate this; I'm used to circular polarizers, but I don't know what type goes on the 775 so it might now work. You can alway fashion a DIY hood for the lens with a simple tube that extends a few inches beyond it. I shoot at night when there is no ambient lighting except that of my tank.