Taking pictures

anirbas91 · May 31, 2016

How do you get a good picture of your coral? Everytime I try to take a picture it gets drowned out by the actinic light

Desmond · May 31, 2016

I find the best time is mid day when there is more white light in the tank. Blue always ruins it. Also depends on the camera you use and white balance. I cant take a picture at all with my ladys iphone6 but my samsung s6 is perfect or the cannon

DrayB · May 31, 2016

need to get your white balance right, you can either do this in camera or in post process, or turn the blue's down and the whites up on your lights.

maroun.c · May 31, 2016

I would increase the white light in the tank. Are you shooting with a mobile phone or regular camera?

Marquiseo · May 31, 2016

anirbas91 said:
How do you get a good picture of your coral? Everytime I try to take a picture it gets drowned out by the actinic light

A lot of factors.

1. Camera - Some mid level cameras capture the coral colors pretty well under intense blue lighting. My Canon 70D does pretty well with minimal post processing but under certain fixtures it doesn't which brings the next point.

2. Blue LED Quality - under knock off LED there has to be a high quantity of blues LED diodes in order to get a good picture. This is based on my observance. Under light fixtures like Radions and AI hydras, it was pretty easy with very little issues.

3. Eliminate all other light sources - the tank should be the only light source otherwise the outside light may conflict with the camera sensor.

4. Cell phones - cell phones are not the best camera for taking photos under blue light. If your plan is to document your tank build with the best representation, invest in a dslr camera and learn how to use it.

5. Learn to use your camera- the same as learning how to use a weapon or new reef toy, it is a must for being able to use your camera and prevent less headaches. With YouTube available, there is access to an abundant amount of information on your camera and photography as a whole.

6. Gel filters - don't use them. It provides a false representation of your tank and its inhabitant when it comes to taking photos under blue only lighting.

7. Top down shots - Top down shots are best when taking pics of corals under blue lighting. Side shots produce too many shadows and will not produce a good picture.