The Planted Tank Forum banner

12/02/10 - My best photoshoot to-date!

4K views 38 replies 24 participants last post by  legomaniac89 
#1 ·
If you've ever tried to photograph tiny fish, then you can appreciate how hard it is. I'm surprised I even got that shot of the rummynose tetras, they are a focus nightmare!!

These were shot with my 70-200mm f/2.8 from about 5ft back, zoomed in all the way to 200mm. This allows the fish to swim about as if I weren't there. This truly is my best set so far. First off, my favorite two:







And the rest



This one was pure luck!






This could have been a great image had I not blown the focus. Also, the shallow depth of field worked against me here. Oh well!
 
See less See more
7
#16 ·
thank you! What I like about using a zoom lens is that you get great background seperation. I just can't get that same effect with my 17-55mm f/2.8. No macro lens in my collection yet, maybe one day!

Amazing photos!
thanks!

Dude unreal. Seriously. How do you do it. Photography is seriously just a hobby for you? How about a step by step lol.
lol thanks! ok here's a quick rundown of what I do:

1. Clean the glass inside and out. Crystal clear water helps too, I have dual 25 micron socks in my sump
2. Since my tank is rimless, I put a piece of eggcrage over the top and turn on all 4 bulbs (normally run just two)
3. I use a short section of white plastic rain gutter, and elevate it over the tank a few inches (just set it on plastic cups)
4. Take my speedlight (SB-900) and bounce it into the upside down rain gutter. This gives me a nice curtain of light throughout the whole tank. Much better than simply aiming the flash straight down into the tank.
5. Snap tons of pics. I think I took about 200 photos this session over a 2hr period. These were the keepers :)
sweet pictures
Lots of comments come to mind. All end in !!!!!
Great looking tank too.
thanks!

First off beautiful shots!
Second just wondering....having a small group of roselines, have you noticed any clues to them spawning. Or any behavior?
And subscribed!
thank you! I've had these guys for just a few months, bought them very small. No signs of spawning yet, but I still think they may be too young. They're not full grown yet. Only time will tell!

Very nice.
thx!

Extremely nice shots, and yes I too share your pain when it comes to shooting small hyper fish. This makes me want to reinvest in some strobes. I had sold my old lighting equipment so that I could fund my D3s purchase. Don't get me wrong, the D3s does a phenomenal job without the need for strobes, but I'd like more control over my lighting.

I love your tank journal btw.

Keep on snapping!
thanks! Wow, D3S, I'm officially jealous! That camera is a beast. I currently have the D90, I would love to upgrade to a D700, just need the $$$ first :) I love my speedlights. I currently have a SB-600 and an SB-900, wish I had at least two more!

Fabulous! They are magazine quality!
Awesome pictures! I love the first fish, it has such vibrant colors. :D
So nice! What kind of rainbow is that? Love the bright blue.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
thanks guys! The blue fish is a Turqouise Rainbow, Melanotaenia lacustris

Awesome Shots! if you dont mind, are you using a flash and is it above the tank? and what where the settings?
Thanks! Check out my post above for info on the lighting setup. As for the settings, I was shooting this session at:

1/200th
f/16
ISO 250
Manual exposure, Manual flash

:)

Those are very, very good. You (really) should consider trying to sell them to a magazine or stock photography house. Or send them to a magazine as an example of the kind of photography you can sell them.

Tom
Thanks Tom! Never thought of that, I'll have to look into this. Maybe start be sending TFH an email!
 
#4 ·
Dude unreal. Seriously. How do you do it. Photography is seriously just a hobby for you? How about a step by step lol.
 
#9 ·
Extremely nice shots, and yes I too share your pain when it comes to shooting small hyper fish. This makes me want to reinvest in some strobes. I had sold my old lighting equipment so that I could fund my D3s purchase. Don't get me wrong, the D3s does a phenomenal job without the need for strobes, but I'd like more control over my lighting.

I love your tank journal btw.

Keep on snapping!
 
#21 ·
Awesome pictures Jose! I think you could give up your day job! :proud:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top