New to DSLR photography... what am I doing wrong

LivinTheSwreefLife · Sep 21, 2017

I decided I was tired of garbage iPhone photos and bought a used Canon Rebel XSI... by no means a top of the line camera I know, but something I could afford and learn with. I have read stickies and info about some of the basics, took some notes and got started when my new camera arrived. But I'm having an issue with photos looking so washed out its as if they are in black and white. See the images below... the first one is on full automatic settings. The second two are when I tried to do the settings myself, and you'll see what I mean about the colors being washed out. PS- I know the first two are a little out of focus, I need to get a tripod, but that's not my main concern at the moment...

I'm shooting with the stock 18-55 mm lens. I use aperture priority mode on f/9.o. On this mode shutter speed should select automatically from what I understand. I also use autofocus, auto white balance (tried changing that too and had similar issues with all preset modes), and image stabilizer. I haven't messed with ISO, but my understanding was that ISO only makes the photos more or less clear/grainy, and shouldn't change the color?

So then I thought maybe I can fix in post-processing, but no luck so far (admittedly I have only used Photoshop express editor so far... can I fix these in full photoshop?)

So, what am I doing wrong? I would love any feedback you can offer to help me learn!

saltyfilmfolks · Sep 21, 2017

Not sure why your getting black and white. Check the color settings.

Set you wb to auto or the highest it goes.

You should also see color choices like vivid , standard , bw etc. choose vivid or standard

ISO is the sensors sensitivity to light

A slightly lower iris will give you a faster shutter and lower the need for
A tripod. Try it the other way. Set to shutter priority at 1/100 and then note the fstop.

Once you know the f stop. Set the camera to manual and use the fstop and shutter of 1/100. You can then "bracket" (change slightly) both the stop and shutter.

Def look up the camera settings and menus , I think the color problem lies there.

Tariq · Sep 21, 2017

This is an excellent reference on photography for a reef tank.
Good luck,
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/your-guide-to-aquarium-photography-1-getting-the-basics.314/

LivinTheSwreefLife · Sep 21, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
Not sure why your getting black and white. Check the color settings.

Set you wb to auto or the highest it goes.

You should also see color choices like vivid , standard , bw etc. choose vivid or standard

ISO is the sensors sensitivity to light

A slightly lower iris will give you a faster shutter and lower the need for
A tripod. Try it the other way. Set to shutter priority at 1/100 and then note the fstop.

Once you know the f stop. Set the camera to manual and use the fstop and shutter of 1/100. You can then "bracket" (change slightly) both the stop and shutter.

Def look up the camera settings and menus , I think the color problem lies there.

This is really helpful, thank you. I will check for those settings tomorrow

LivinTheSwreefLife · Sep 21, 2017

Tariq said:
This is an excellent reference on photography for a reef tank.
Good luck,
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/your-guide-to-aquarium-photography-1-getting-the-basics.314/

This is actually the first thing I read and I have a printed copy. But i didn't see Anything in there that would indicate why my photos would come out without color

amazongb · Sep 22, 2017

Sounds like your camera is having trouble with white balance, probably due to your tank lights. Google how to change the white balance manually for your camera and tinker with the different modes..

Cherub · Sep 22, 2017

with canon it helps to be in manual for aquarium shots. You can stay in auto focus on the lens. Take a picture of a white sheet of styrofoam that comes white most things being shipped if you have one. If not use a piece of plain white printer paper. Put it under the LEDs and snap a picture, in the menu(under manual mode) go to custom white balance. it will sample the picture of the white sheet. After you do this repeat that same step a couple of times. You should get the right color balance you are seeking. And yes get a tripod, it helps so much. If you aren't using a remote when you get a tripod set a 2 second delay on the camera to compensate for the movement you generate hitting the shutter. Good luck!

I don't know how capable your model is. I am going off the menu on my 6D Mark ii

Oceanavekid · Sep 22, 2017

make sure the "IS" on the lens is on. That will make it easier to get hand held shots in focus. Check your color settings, looking at the last two they look like they're on monochrome. Change that to standard
Not top of the line having coming out in 09 but still a decent camera. With 12MP that's more than enough to get decent sized prints. I owned one when they first came out

LivinTheSwreefLife · Sep 22, 2017

Thanks everyone for the help! It was the Picture Style. It was set to monochrome (this camera was used so the last owner must have left it on that). I had read about 80 pages into the manual... picture styles were reviewed on page 83 lol.

I feel silly, but I guess everyone makes n00b mistakes at the beginning right?

I will post more pics once I get the hang of what I am doing, and will try all the tips posted as well. Thanks again!

hockeyhead019 · Sep 22, 2017

Nothing wrong with silly mistakes, especially with DSLR's that have so many thing buried in the menus lol

Oceanavekid · Sep 22, 2017

LivinTheSwreefLife said:
Thanks everyone for the help! It was the Picture Style. It was set to monochrome (this camera was used so the last owner must have left it on that). I had read about 80 pages into the manual... picture styles were reviewed on page 83 lol.

I feel silly, but I guess everyone makes n00b mistakes at the beginning right?

I will post more pics once I get the hang of what I am doing, and will try all the tips posted as well. Thanks again!

It happens

For it some time you'll figure it out

sh4rkbyt3 · Sep 22, 2017

You paid for a DSLR but are using it like an overpriced point and shoot lol. I did the same thing for a year until I finally got frustrated with the mediocre results from the "auto" settings and forced myself to learn the triangle (ISO, Apeture, Shutter Speed). I'm in no way trying to be insulting, it's overwhelming for a while but taking control of the camera will always give you better results once you figure it out. Also helps to cut down on post processing time as well.
And don't feel silly, most all of us started somewhere and have made the same mistakes

. The only recommendations I'll make to get you in the ballpark is a tripod (must have) and using your lens manual focus instead of the autofocus and learn to shoot in RAW format instead of .jpg

I'm still trying to get my bearings of shooting into a mostly blue lit tank but I've done landscape photography for years and the basics always apply to most anything until you get to portrait photography but that's another subject.

Have fun and don't be afraid to make mistakes, it's all a part of learning

!

DocTock993 · Sep 30, 2017

Long time lurker on R2R - I can still SCUBA so the reef-tank is just an "idea" until I cannot get myself underwater and take photos. Had a 2 salt tanks back when J Sprung came out with his Vol 1 on Reefkeeping...

Anyway...

I noticed a statement of yours: "the camera was used and was set in Monochrome mode"
My suggestion is to find the manual for the camera on line and learn how to re-set EVERYTHING to "base"/ from the factory settings.
You may have several other weird settings from the previous owner that will impede your future attempts and will make life potentially frustrating.
Also, many of the images you see on this site appear to have been run through some "manipulation" prior to posting - the basic tools on Lightroom (only an example of one program) can really improve an image.