Critique please

Dsobo · Jan 14, 2014

I am just starting to try and get my Reef photography up to par with some of the others I have been seeing here on R2R. I would love to know and have good or bad critiques of my 2 photos.

My current equipment
Nikon D5100
18-55 kit lens (will be getting macro lens soon)

Shots taken in "S" mode
1/100
F5 (if I remember correctly)
Auto ISO
No flash

Other than cropping, no post processing.

mike007 · Jan 14, 2014

Looks great to me.

TJ's Reef · Jan 14, 2014

I'm shooting with the D3100 using stock 18-55 and a new Tamron 90mm Macro and have been taught just recently that going with faster shutter speeds 1/125 - 1/250 and the lower F-stops F4 - F5.6 to get cleaner more color accurate pics. Had struggled for two years before this casual advice given to me by friend Duane. You can check out latest posts to my build thread in signature below and highlight properties on some of pics to see.

Cheers, Todd

Dsobo · Jan 14, 2014

Thank you, I will look at your build and take notes. My goal is to at least submit a photo worthy of a shot at the POTM contest.

JMSKI333 · Jan 19, 2014

Are you using a Tripod? If not, that might help get those photos in better focus.

Dsobo · Jan 20, 2014

Just went and bought a tripod, will start experimenting now. Also planning on getting a macro lense soon. Just waiting for Uncle Sam to pay me lol.

revhtree · Jan 21, 2014

1. Tripod
2. Turn off all pumps and water flow
3. Clean Glass
4. Set timer on Camera or use a remote to snap photos. (no wiggle)
5. Post Process

Dsobo · Jan 22, 2014

Thanks Rev, got tripod, remote just waiting for my macro lense. Will practice more with my 18-55 and my 55-200.

MrDJeep123 · Jan 23, 2014

And you'll never learn if your camera is set to "green."

It takes time knowing your camera. There's a lot of great tutorials on the web that go over the basics of photography. Learn the basics and you can do anything.

zibba · Jan 23, 2014

Remember to shoot directly through the glass as angles will results in a blurry picture. I think that might be what happened here. Also, I try to keep the shutter over 1/160 when I'm shooting fish. If your pictures are coming out too dark, you can try raising the ISO; however, going too high will result in grainy pictures. You'll find out pretty quickly how far you can push the ISO on your camera before image quality starts to diminish. Once you find that sweet spot, play with the aperture to create the look you're after (e.g., shallow depth of field or getting the entire subject in focus).

Keep shooting though, you're off to a good start!

Dsobo · Jan 24, 2014

I have moved out of auto mode long time ago, I shoot mainly in "A" "S" and "M" just trying to learn the close up macro shots of reef. Thank you for the assistance and looking forward to submitting more as I advance in both of my hobbies.