Photo Tips...

[gumhead]

Do you have any photo tips you would like to share? Post them here! Photography is fun but can be a little tricky some times. Lets help each other out and share some secrets...


I find some of the simple things often get forgotten like...

Turning off lights in the room to avoid reflections.
Even the TV will cause a reflection you wont see until you down load the pic. I have seen it many times...

Clean the glass
I have done it too Even if the glass looks clean, you want it to be as clean as possible. I usually take pictures a few hours after cleaning the glass, that way everything settles and any corals I might have POed are back to normal.

Lets hear some of your tips...

[9fishers]

For the best pictures, I suggest you learn all the features your camera has and how to use them I still havent gotten it all! But thanks to Gumhead and Sammy, Im making progress. There are just sooooo many settings

[Casey]

use a tripod!

[gumhead]

When using a tripod use the self timer to reduce camera shake even more!

Pressing the shutter button down can cause the camera to shake. This isn't good when taking long exposures or macro shots. You can use cable releases with most SLR cameras so you dont touch the camera when releasing the shutter. But this is not an option with most digital cameras even high end ones. One thing you can do is use the timer to snap the pic with out you hands on the camera...

[Casey]

Ah good tip thanks Gumhead

[kal2310]

Do most of you guys use digital cameras?

[Casey]

Originally posted by kal2310
Do most of you guys use digital cameras?

Yeppers

[jeepjon]

I personally love my 35mm...it has full manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority...as well as a bazillion other features that my little canon point and shoot digital doesn't. I've taken some really nice shots with my camera...but it doesn't have the manual features I want..I'm looking into the new EOS Rebel Digital, though...I love my SLR's and I want a digital one before really getting into the digital realm big-time.

[bradneal]

Even point & shoot digitals allow you to adjust ISO settings. Try cranking the ISO up to between 400 & 800 (see your manual). Those settings will require much less light, allowing you to shoot without a flash, reducing glare from the glass (as a result of using flash).

Try an aperture priority setting of say, 5.6, at ISO 400, using only your tank lights rather than flash. Stay back about 2 feet, and turn off all the ambient room lights.

-Brad

[cbarbero]

Photo 101 and Digital vs Film

Here are the big things to remember when photographing (anything)

F-Stop: These are the numbers on your lens. They usually range from 1.2 to 32-ish. The lower the number, the less in focus. For instance, tou take a picture of a fish at F-1.2 and only the fish will be in focus. You have a very small focal plane. If you have all your lights on and use let's say F16, your fish and rocks will all be in focus. An additional trick, the higher the F-Stop, the sharper the picture.

Shutter Speed: This ranges from possibly 1/4000th of a second to up to 8 seconds for a single exposure. The higher the fractional number, the more light which is required to take the shot. An additonal must know is 99% of people can not hand hold any exposure under 1/60th of a second.

Tripod Use: Personally, I am a tripod fanatic. I have 8 of them. I rarely take an exposure without one. I also always use a remote shutter control as well. (No vibration makes the picture sharper). Again, for the shots from 1/60th of a second to 8 second time lapse, you must use a tripod.

Digital vs. Film: This is a very touchy subject. Being an avid photographer, I use both however, there is no substitution for film. Film is Film. Period. There is not a single digital camera which can reproduce the imagery and sharpness of a good film. (Plus digital tends to take all the art out of photography) Here is the one stand out for digital. It is just darn easy. No need for expensive film scanners etc.

Film Types: For aquatic photography, you want a film that has a very robust color. Here are a few. Fuji Velvia slide film, (my favorite) great color saturation. The other is Kodak Portra-VC. Not as saturated as Fuji but darn nice.

Hope this helps, if anyone wants any info, just ask.

Chris

[pt_1]

[webdr]

getting a finepix s5100 for christmas....can someone point me to a site that will explain how to use the manual settings on a camera i.e. shutter speed , aperature, iso, ect...i have no idea what most of these terms mean and id love to learn....

[hotsauce]

try the manufacturers website, the service and support is usually very helpful, they can at least point you in the right direction.
Good luck!

[trussmandave]

just got an Olympus c-765 w/ 10x zoom, which is working out nicely. Have had pretty good coral pics in Macro mode and tank lights only. That stuff about tripods is dead on.
I really like being able to take a bunch of shots and review right away. This is a blessing to us rookies.

[trussmandave]

Here is one I took just playing with the new camera, not even on tripod. Hope I attached correctly.