Reefs.org Forums

[Sharkky]

This is a presentation I'm putting together for a staff development day at the middle school where I teach. This info covers basic photography principles with a lean toward digital work. Even though it's not specifically targetted for reef-photography, I thought it might be useful for those that are interested in shooting photos of their tanks, but just don't know where to start...

(BTW, it's originally an MS Word document, so the formatting isn't the best here...sorry!)

Basic Photography Terminology

APERTURE—The opening of a lens, the size of which is controlled by a diaphragm. The term is commonly used to designate f-stops, such as f/4, f/5.6 etc., which are actually arrived at by dividing the focal length of the lens by the diameter of the aperture. Thus, f/11 on a 110mm focal length lens means the opening is 10mm. The wider the opening, the lower the f-number, the more light is let through the lens. Each step in aperture represents a halving or doubling of light. Thus, f/8 allows in half as much light as f/5.6, and twice as much light as f/11.
COMPOSITION—arrangement of different elements in the photograph.
DEPTH OF FIELD—DEPTH OF FIELD: The zone, or range of distances within a scene that will record on film as sharp. Depth of field is influenced by the focal length of the lens in use, the f-number setting on the lens, and the distance from the camera to the subject. It can be shallow or deep, and can be totally controlled by the photographer. FILL-FLASH—flash that is used in an already-lit setting to provide additional light, control shadows, or provide definition to a subject.
FLASH—powerful, camera-controlled lighting designed to provide light to a scene or to freeze action.
FRAME—area that is being photographed.
ISO—This term is a holdover from film cameras, and relates how ‘fast’ the film is, in other words how quickly it records light. A high ISO speed records things very quickly (good for fast moving subjects), but is also grainier.
RULE OF THIRDS—concept that the subjects of a photo achieve a natural balance when placed in a ‘third’ of the frame.
SHUTTER—mechanical door in the lens that opens to allow light to enter.
WHITE BALANCE—correction (usually digital) for various types of lighting colors.



Three Types of Digital Camera
1. Point-and-Shoot
Target Consumer: People interested only in taking snapshot-type images or people just getting involved in photography
PRO
+ Inexpensive
+ Easy to use
+ Small
CON
- Usually lower quality image
- Lack of features built into camera
- Most people soon ‘outgrow’ this type of camera

2. Pro-sumer
Target Consumer: Amateur photographers, professional photographers (as a backup camera)
ï PRO
+ Cheaper than a full-fledged SLR
+ Full- or nearly full-featured
+ Room to grow into as a photographer
+ Higher resolution images
CON
- Limited number of add-on lenses
- More expensive than a ‘basic’ camera (plan on spending $500 - $1000)
- More complicated to operate than a point-and-shoot

3. Professional D-SLR
Target consumer: Professional photographers, serious amateur photographers
ï PRO
+ Extremely versatile
+ Very high quality images
+ Lens interchangeability
+ Loaded with features
CON
-Very pricey (plan on spending upwards of $2000 for an entry level D-SLR and lens setup)
-Can be very complicated


The big difference—NO FILM!!!!
Digital cameras use a wide variety of media, but the big difference between a digital and a film camera is just that—no film. Instead, you download the pictures from the camera to your personal computer. From there you can email them, edit them, print them, etc.

Digital Media Information
While there are several different types of digital storage available (depending on the camera), they all do the exact same thing—hold your digital photos!
Some types that you’ll see are: compact flash cards, smartmedia cards, cd-roms, memory sticks, etc. Most are available in different storage capacities, anywhere from a couple of megabytes to a gigabyte (1000 times more memory)
A good size storage card to have would be around 256M. With that you can hold a couple hundred images at a very high resolution.

Post-Production
(or…The Computer is Your Friend)

Digital cameras are great, but I believe they’re really intended to work in tandem with a computer and photo editing software. There are about as many choices for editing software as there are for cameras themselves. In fact, many cameras now come with their own editing software! Yes, you can take digital photographs, download them onto your computer, and print or email them without any kind of other work, but to take the step from casual family snapshots to true artistic photography, digital post work is almost a necessity.

I think one of the best pieces of software on the market is Adobe’s Photoshop. There are two different ‘levels’ of the software—the full version of Photoshop will cost around $700 and is used by professional graphic artists the world over. Much more accessible from a cost and consumer usability standpoint is Photoshop Elements. This is a scaled down and somewhat more user-friendly version of the software and usually retails for around $100.

While the software is not intuitive and does take some practice, with a few hours of invested time in reading the manual and playing with the software, you can achieve sometimes dramatic results with your images.

Here is just a short list with some examples of things that you can do via digital editing:
* Remove red-eye from photos
* Convert a photo from color to black and white, or from color to sepia-tone
* Erase unsightly elements of a photograph
* Crop photos to different sizes or frames
* Create border effects like drop-shadows
* Add text to photos
* Add lighting effects
* Increase or decrease contrast, brightness, or color saturation

General Hints & Tips
* Use the Rule of Thirds, but don’t be afraid to experiment.

* For fast-action shots (i.e. sports photography) there are a couple adjustments you can make to help your images:
** Increase ISO setting. For example, when I shoot a sporting event like a hockey game, I almost always set my camera at ISO-400. Even then I usually get a great many shots with motion blur. ISO-800 or even ISO-1000 can be used. Shooting still-lifes or other non-moving subjects can be accomplished at ISO-100 or lower.
** Increase shutter-speed. For family snapshots a typical shutter speed would be 1/60 sec. or 1/90 sec. When I shoot a hockey game I rarely go any slower than 1/180 sec. Usually I work at 1/250 sec. When I shoot my relatively fast-moving fish in my aquarium, I set shutter speed around 1/125 sec. or 1/180 sec.
** Play around and achieve a balance between ISO and shutter.

* Don’t be afraid to take a lot of photos and only use a few. When I shoot a three-hour hockey game, I’ll generally take upwards of 200 photos. I consider it a good shoot if I end up with 20 or 30 I can really work with. With digital photography, the cost difference between shooting 10 pictures and shooting 200 pictures is absolutely zero.

* Most importantly of all…HAVE FUN!!!! This is a lot of information, but the best way to become a photographer is to go take photos! Practice & experiment!

[NKT]

Awesome this is exactly what we needed! And since this is here, I will list a compilation of the various techniques/tricks to shooting aquarium photos:

1. Use a tripod whenever possible! Even a relatively inexpensive $20 tripod will make a very noticeable difference. This is crucial for shooting macros in the aquarium.

2. Know your camera. For example, many cameras have a Macro function (usually indicated by a flower icon). Use it. Others may have more advanced features such as Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority. When shooting corals, I've found Aperture Priority to be very useful to get the depth of field I want. Shutter Priority can come in handy when shooting moving fish. When you've become familiar with the various Aperture/Shutter settings, then you can proceed to play with Manual functions (if your camera allows it) and thus have full control over exposure of your image.

3. White Balance. Very important, especially in aquarium photography. There isn't a one-size-fits-all rule here, since the type/amount of lighting used on the tank will affect how colors appear to the camera. If your camera allows it, it's always best to Manually set the white balance by setting it against a white object illuminated by the tank's lighting. If your camera does not allow manual setting, then you have to play with it until you get acceptable results. White balance can usually also be tweaked in Photoshop, but it's best to get it right in the camera.

4. When to use Flash? This is usually a matter of personal preference. There are many issues to consider when using a flash, such as reflection off the glass, as well as images looking a bit "washed out". When shooting fish, sometimes it's necessary to use flash to capture the motion adequately. When shooting corals, I've found that it's usually best not to use flash in order to preserve the original color of the coral (thus usually necessitating a tripod).
When the use of flash is absolutely necessary, make sure to shoot at an angle to the aquarium glass, to prevent glare. Also, if your camera allows it, the use of off-camera flash generally yields the best results.
When not using flash, also keep in mind that you'll likely get the best results if your lens is as close to the aquarium glass as possible

5. Minimize water movement in the tank. This is critical to getting clear, infocus shots especially when you aren't using a flash. Zero water movement + use of tripod will typically yield impressive results.

6. Hands off! If you still have trouble getting good results, it can also be helpful to use the camera's timer function to take the shot. This minimizes movements caused by manually depressing the shutter release. Some cameras allow the use of a remote trigger, which can be helpful.

7. Clean your glass! Also it's a good idea to keep up with water changes so your water stays clearer.

8. Post Processing. In the world of digital photography, post-processing has become an essential aspect. Try to familiarize yourself to the various photo-editing programs available, such as Photoshop. Good post-processing skills can often rescue an image that would otherwise be headed into the trash bin.

9. Practice makes perfect. As long as your fish don't mind modelling for you.

[Len]

Ditto what NKT said

[liquid]

Hey Sharkky and NKT: You guys want to put together a presentation for our chat channel #reefs along this topic? This would be seriously cool.

Shane

[Sharkky]

Sure, I'll chip in whatever & whenever I can, obviously. After this week is up, I'll have about 3 weeks of lots of spare time with the kids at school working on a major independent study project. After that 3 weeks I tighten down some until the 3rd week in May, but then it's summer summer summmmmeerrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

[knucklehead]

Just a quick question,

how do you use a tripod and have the camera right up to the glass? I don't think I can get that close due to the cabinet underneath. Anybody make their own?

I was thinking I would make one just for shooting my corner bow tank

Thanks

Bryan

[wade]

With many tripods, the legs are adjustable usually twice (lower and higher). I extend the third leg out directly away from the tank, usually 12-20" further than the 2 front legs, which are right up against the stand. That lets the tripod stay still but leaning forward. This also depends on the weight of the camera though, don't let it fall forward onto the lens!! *chink*

See if that work. Another, less useful option is just to use 2 legs and control the third yourself. This usually only works with a remote shutter control though (cord or remote) so that you don't wiggle as you depress the shutter.

Wade

[knucklehead]

Thanks for the tip, I will try it on two legs.

I have a remote

Bryan

[hiddendragonet]

With many tripods, the legs are adjustable usually twice (lower and higher). I extend the third leg out directly away from the tank, usually 12-20" further than the 2 front legs, which are right up against the stand. That lets the tripod stay still but leaning forward. This also depends on the weight of the camera though, don't let it fall forward onto the lens!! *chink*

OMG, that is so absurdly simple, I feel like an idiot!

Can you say "DUH?"

Thanks for the tip, Wade. Now I have to go shoot every coral in my entire tank. Again.

[Bingo]

Sharkky, That list rocks!

In the past I have also bolted on a 1 foot piece of metal to get my camera away from the tripod. I just drill a 5/16" hole in both ends of the metal. (I used steel flat stock but wood works also) The threads are 1/4 "-20 on a tripod and camera. SO all you need is a 1" bolt, a nut and a couple of washers. I have a heavy tripod, so I knew it wouldn't tip over. You could tie something heavy to the bottom center post if your tripod started to tip.

HTH
B

[mkirda]

Another way to do this same thing is to use a macro rail.
I have the Velbon Mag rail. It works quite well for moving the camera towards the glass. You also have the added bonus of being able to move the camera body side to side a bit. Great for those ultra close-ups.

Only issue with it: When working vertically, the base tends to slide a bit.
Probably would not be an issue with digicams though. My SLR is fairly hefty.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

[vitz]

Hey Sharkky and NKT: You guys want to put together a presentation for our chat channel #reefs along this topic? This would be seriously cool.

Shane

indeed

[Mihai]

With many tripods, the legs are adjustable usually twice (lower and higher). I extend the third leg out directly away from the tank, usually 12-20" further than the 2 front legs, which are right up against the stand. That lets the tripod stay still but leaning forward. This also depends on the weight of the camera though, don't let it fall forward onto the lens!! *chink*

Wade

Wade, I wish I read this before I tried it. To make a long story short, it costed me $280 to fix the lens to my Canon G3

Mihai

[denistyler]

ya, it's a great job. to aware from the photography.

[Richard_a]

With many tripods, the legs are adjustable usually twice (lower and higher). I extend the third leg out directly away from the tank, usually 12-20" further than the 2 front legs, which are right up against the stand. That lets the tripod stay still but leaning forward. This also depends on the weight of the camera though, don't let it fall forward onto the lens!! *chink*

Wade

Wade, I wish I read this before I tried it. To make a long story short, it costed me $280 to fix the lens to my Canon G3

Mihai

dude that's one overpriced lens!
it shouldn't cost more than $150 for a cannon G3 lens.
have to be mighty careful when taking pictures of an aquarium...
Ritchie from TheReefTank