Learning to use a DSLR

mannyhernz · Nov 12, 2018

Ranjib said:
Are you using stock lense? Flow/pumps are off? Photos look little hazy to me, what ISO ?

I think what im missing might be a camera porthole. I notice sometimes the fish move the water and i have to wait a little before the water settles

maroun.c · Dec 2, 2018

Believe you nailed the focus and the lighting and well as post processing. Shooting perpendicular to the glass will improve ur shots by minimimzing distortions.
Composition cab still be improved to.make ur shots more interesting by moving ur object off the center so u get some more dynamics in ur shots (checkout rule of thirds and u can always have ur own style in compositions just avoid the dead Center composition. Allowing fish or inverts in ur shot can also add dynamics and activity in ur shot.
A smaller aperture will show more of ur coral in focus which might look nicer but selective focusing and blurring parts of the coral or the background can also be nice, u just need to choose better focus points as usually I prefer the front of the coral being in focus and the back of it or background being blurred. Check out the photography articles in the stickies above in the photography forum those might help.

mannyhernz · Dec 2, 2018

maroun.c said:
Believe you nailed the focus and the lighting and well as post processing. Shooting perpendicular to the glass will improve ur shots by minimimzing distortions.
Composition cab still be improved to.make ur shots more interesting by moving ur object off the center so u get some more dynamics in ur shots (checkout rule of thirds and u can always have ur own style in compositions just avoid the dead Center composition. Allowing fish or inverts in ur shot can also add dynamics and activity in ur shot.
A smaller aperture will show more of ur coral in focus which might look nicer but selective focusing and blurring parts of the coral or the background can also be nice, u just need to choose better focus points as usually I prefer the front of the coral being in focus and the back of it or background being blurred. Check out the photography articles in the stickies above in the photography forum those might help.

Thanks for the tips.. they're always appreciated

Tuoixuanxanh · Dec 9, 2018

What is led light setting?

mannyhernz · Dec 28, 2018

Tuoixuanxanh said:
What is led light setting?

With the pictures or what setting do i grow my corals?

PatW · Dec 28, 2018

You are doing a fair number of things right: Lightroom, raw and pumps off. If you shoot with a high aperture, you will lose detail due to diffraction. On my camera, a Nikon D800, I lose detail if I shoot above F8. But there are times when depth of field out weighs the loss.

For the best shots, a macro lens is what you want. Your stock lens looks pretty good by the way so it might not be a high priority. If you go that way, go with a focal length off around 100. Nikon and Canon have the best glass but at more $$$$. Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma all have good macro lenses that are rated just a touch lower and you might be able to get one used. I once got a used tele converter that was rated “ugly” because it had some scratches on the finish. But optically, it has been just fine.

mannyhernz · Dec 28, 2018

PatW said:
You are doing a fair number of things right: Lightroom, raw and pumps off. If you shoot with a high aperture, you will lose detail due to diffraction. On my camera, a Nikon D800, I lose detail if I shoot above F8. But there are times when depth of field out weighs the loss.

For the best shots, a macro lens is what you want. Your stock lens looks pretty good by the way so it might not be a high priority. If you go that way, go with a focal length off around 100. Nikon and Canon have the best glass but at more $$$$. Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma all have good macro lenses that are rated just a touch lower and you might be able to get one used. I once got a used tele converter that was rated “ugly” because it had some scratches on the finish. But optically, it has been just fine.

Thank you for the tips. Can you post some pics showing loss of detail you mentioned? Im still catching on...appreciate the help!