thanks :)

3 words : Off Camera Flash

oh and manual mode

My only problem with using a strobe or speed light is I lose the fluorescing colors I get from the attinics in my lighting. Now mind you the colors I do get are far more true, but not really what is expected to be seen in a tank. For clown fish this is less of an issue then say a hammer coral or zoa's or something.

In my tank with all my lights turned up I can already shoot at 1/250 shutter at f3.2 ISO 800, So I am shooting at most peoples max sync speed already.

I am not sure what camera you are using, but I am going to assume FF as your profiles that google gave me said you love natural light, so you should be able to get some great high iso shots too.
But then you have high speed sync too, which is fun to play with, but I have not really found a place for it in what I shoot.

Holy crap! This thread has gotten intense! Took some pics. thanks for the help guys!


http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...357#post581357

I use a 5d mark ii... the sync speed on it is only 1/200 but i usually use 1/160

but when shooting with strobes i put my iso at 100 and shutter speed at 1/160

and then control the aperture to achieve the look i want.

using a speedlight to shoot in water will let you control where you want the light and it'll give you more light so as a result you'll get a sharper image when shooting through the glass.

by controlling the light, you can achieve a completely black background like this

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/...6c6b9bfc_b.jpg

You have high speed sync available though.

My problem with using aperture to control the light is you lose the ability to control the dof.

How did you get the black background though?

Just had a thought, maybe some of you higher end photographers could post some of your shots with descriptions on the settings used, any special techniques, etc, so that others can work towards taking shots almost as great!!

i use a 580EX ii fully zoomed in and bare blub on 1/64th power triggered wirelessly

i put the glass cover on the tank and put the light on the glass facing straight down (near the front of the tank)


when the fish swims directly under the light, i take the picture. a slight contrast boost in photoshop and the background is perfectly black

this one was taken the same way

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3578837_n.jpg

The issue is not so much the settings, but the equipment necessary for such shots. Without off-camera strobes and a dedicated macro lens such shots are next to impossible to achieve. There's no magic setting that allows a little point & shoot or even an entry level SLR with a kit lens to achieve such shots. Add to this the consideration of paying for a full frame SLR body for the best low light performance possible. I'm just a novice photographer but I've learned that photography is a lot like reefing: you can't expect Bubble King results with a Seaclone.

That being said, coral macro shots are easier than fish simply because corals don't move around. Therefore, you can get away with less light, higher apertures and longer exposure times resulting in a greater depth of field. When shooting macro always use a good tripod, turn off all the other lights in the room and shoot directly at your subject perpendicular to the glass. Use shutter delay (or a remote trigger) and lock your mirror to prevent any camera movement whatsoever. Turn off all of your pumps and clean both sides of the glass scrupulously. You'll also need the patience of Job because you'll average in the neighbourhood of one "keeper" for every 50 or so rejects.

Here's some of my macro shots with the Canon 100mm 2.8 and some long exposures under actinics (the lens is also a wonderful portrait lens and not just limited to close up shots):

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...u/Red/Red1.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...u/Red/Red7.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...u/Red/Red9.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...u/Red/Red8.jpg

Thanks Franklin. I think there are still some things that can improve one's abilities with entry level gear, such as tricks over/under exposing, etc. Adam posted some nice pics with just an extension tube, which albeit is still a step or three below a good macro lens, but as with reefing, sometimes we can work around the requirement for high end gear to accomplish the same task. At least I hope so, since after all my reef purchases in the last month, there is no way I can afford a new lens :)

That would be great. We need help to get these great results