Reefer 350 journey! Picture heavy!

Thanks...............can you PM info on your UV Sterilizer? Have a 220 and battling Dino's at the moment. Thanks
 
As requested @keithdoc I hope this helps you as well as anyone else getting started with taking photos using a dslr.

Some of my camera equipment I use as well as the canon settings used during.

I posted an image of the canon screen with the settings being used for the photo and what the photo ended up turning out like.

Few tips:

-ISO is always 200 for me when I’m taking pictures.

-kelvin setting is set to 10k

-shooting in raw

-glass is cleaned an hour or so prior

-curtains closed so there is no indirect light

-tri pod is always used

-return and wave pumps are all off so there isn’t to much debris floating around

-being as close to the glass as possible to avoid glare

My equipment:
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Settings/finished image on the computer:

FYI: the image on the canon screen shows up pretty blue but that isn’t actually the representation. It’s lighter but through the iPhone it comes out more blue.

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@Denisk Great tips and great setup! Your photography skills are incredible! Any chance you could post up some more photos of the reef for us? :D Following along!
 
@Denisk Great tips and great setup! Your photography skills are incredible! Any chance you could post up some more photos of the reef for us? :D Following along!

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the awesome feedback especially for someone who has hardly any photography skills haha. It’s been so hectic since I moved but I will definitely post up some new photos/updates!
 
Well a little update over the last couple months. My sps have taken a turn and I had lost a bunch to stn. I never could pinpoint what caused it and there was litterally zero change in my water chemistry. I decided to part ways with all the high end sps at least for those that made it through because I was afraid I was going to lose them all.

On a positive note, my Zoas has never looked better and I decided to transition into mostly Zoas. I’ve decided I wanted to cut back on my maintenance as I’ve been having less and less time on the tank but wanted to make sure a reef was going to stay in the house no matter what.
 
Update on the reefer 350!

I ended up being very busy this summer with work and tons of other things that my tank was a bit neglected. I recently had surgery on the 20th and during my recovery for two weeks, I thought why not work on the tank! Being at home for 2 weeks and not working is not easy for me haha. As we can all agree reefs can occupy your time all day!

Things that have been done to the tank.

-new aqua scape

-added sand and lost the barebottom look

-cleaned up all the wires

-added a tablet for my apex

-bought a 57 watt aqua uv and plumbed it

That’s about it :D


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Couple shots from today. Things are looking great and it’s been awhile since it has. Although I lost most of my sps, colors are back and things are growing better than ever.

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Thinking about adding another pvc ball valve to my UV sterilizer set up with a three way connection so I can turn it to do quick water changes right out of my sump and into a 5 gallon bucket. :D
 
Got two 3/4 ball valves so I can plumb it into the uv sterilizer but turns out I was charged three dollars for one and 11 dollars for the other. :eek: One of them had a tag as if it was a 1 1/2 inch ball valve. o_O

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I started following you on IG recently, the macro shots look great and I'm looking to purchase the same 100mm lens for my 80D.

Are you using a filter of some sort or adjust your lights for photos? I get decent pics when my lights (XR15 Gen 4 Pro) are at their brightest but I'm not using a filter.

Would you mind sharing your camera settings? I'm somewhat new to DSLR cameras.
 
I started following you on IG recently, the macro shots look great and I'm looking to purchase the same 100mm lens for my 80D.

Are you using a filter of some sort or adjust your lights for photos? I get decent pics when my lights (XR15 Gen 4 Pro) are at their brightest but I'm not using a filter.

Would you mind sharing your camera settings? I'm somewhat new to DSLR cameras.

Thank you, I’m glad you like the photos! I will tell you that the 100mm doesn’t compare to any other lens I have. I always tell people if you have the money to spend on it and you like taking close ups, it’s worth every dollar.

I actually don’t use any filters for my camera or phone when I shoot but I’d say my lights run around 14k.

What are your settings on your camera? Do you shoot in auto? If you do, I will tell you that will be your problem already. First I turn off my wave makers. I should be turning off my return but most of the time I don’t. I always shoot in raw, manual mode, iso at 200 and fstop/shutter speed always vary from picture to picture. They vary based upon the location of the coral/fish and what I’m trying to capture.

So when people ask what are my settings, my answer is that it always varies. But please continue asking questions as I’m more than happy to help in anyway ;):D
 
Overall I decided I’m going to keep the uv the way that it is and I’m not going to do any extra plumbing so I can do water changes easier. I realized I’m just asking for more work and I don’t mind doing simple 10 gallon water changes every week or every other week. Pvc back you go to Home Depot :)
 
Thank you, I’m glad you like the photos! I will tell you that the 100mm doesn’t compare to any other lens I have. I always tell people if you have the money to spend on it and you like taking close ups, it’s worth every dollar.

I actually don’t use any filters for my camera or phone when I shoot but I’d say my lights run around 14k.

What are your settings on your camera? Do you shoot in auto? If you do, I will tell you that will be your problem already. First I turn off my wave makers. I should be turning off my return but most of the time I don’t. I always shoot in raw, manual mode, iso at 200 and fstop/shutter speed always vary from picture to picture. They vary based upon the location of the coral/fish and what I’m trying to capture.

So when people ask what are my settings, my answer is that it always varies. But please continue asking questions as I’m more than happy to help in anyway ;):D

Thank you, I can't wait to add the 100mm to my kit.

Sometimes I shoot in AV but I try to shoot in manual and I've been using the 50mm F/1.8 (nifty fifty), I'm getting decent shots but when I raise my shutter speed to get clean pics of the fish/shrimps, there's not enough light to get a good pic.

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IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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