Aquarium C&C

tbrew · May 1, 2010

First off, just joined the board so let me say greetings to everyone :salute:, this appears to be a great resource for a beginner like myself.

The pics are from my trip out to Monterray CA and the aquarium out there. Any and all feedback is welcome, especially if you know of any particular tips/settings for aquariums. Thanks!

(Shooting with a t1i with kit lens btw)

1.
Flickr Photo Download: Cool Little Guy

2.
Flickr Photo Download: Awesome Seahorse

3.
Flickr Photo Download: Schoolin it

AnneRiceBowl · May 1, 2010

Hi and welcome! I am also kind of a newb to the more technical aspects of photography. I work for a major portrait photography company in the States that has their *shiny* Nikons on automatic settings...

1. I would have gone with a lower exposure because this little jellyfish is blownout (over exposed).

2. Is actually a seadragon, not a seahorse (my other geeky hobby is fishkeeping/aquariums).

3. I like the overexposure here because it gives the jellies an ethereal look and the colors are eye-catching.

ababysean · May 1, 2010

I think there are some tricks to shooting aquariums?? I read it somewhere, maybe google it...
I like the jellyfish one, they look really cool!

Josh220 · May 1, 2010

I don't really have much to add since they are just snapshots through glass which can be tricky.

However, a group of jellyfish are called a smack, not a school.

"Smackin' it" may give the wrong impression though... :lol:

AnneRiceBowl · May 1, 2010

Josh220 said:
"Smackin' it" may give the wrong impression though...

hehe...

McMommy · May 1, 2010

Well darn, too bad you didn't come here before you went to the aquarium! Welcome to my neck of the woods, and I have free guest passes!!

Hope you had a great visit! I don't have time to C&C right now, running out the door, but I will when I get back!

scorpion_tyr · May 2, 2010

1. Overexposed, glass is REALLY dirty, water is REALLY dirty, focus might be a little off to, but hart do tell because of the exposure. Try bouncing a flash off the ceiling next time if there's nothing covering the aquarium top.

2. Much better! The only thing that kills this shot is the plant in the background. It's both distracting and blends in with the subject. If you have any other shots where it's just that rock and the background, hopefully they're just as good. I like the color and the focus looks great!

3. Great shot. I like the colors. Only nitpicking I can do is the extreme exposure difference between the upper left and lower right. Probably couldn't help that due to the light source though.

Different angles is the only thing I might suggest for 2 and 3.

tbrew · May 2, 2010

Great comments guys and gals - thank you!

ARB - At the risk of sounding like a total noob, what do you mean by 'lower' exposure? Lower fstop? I did find a little tidbit on google (this was a little over a month ago before discovering TPF) about aquarium shots, and it essentially told me to go with my widest aperture possible. SOOOO I was shooting in Av mode, but couldnt get a fast enough shutter speed to get a lot of great shots in the low light areas (no tripod). Any suggestions on this?

Yea the water and glass for my 'little guy' shot were gross, but I kind of liked the particles in the water. I was bummed that he came out a little blown out on the top, what should I have done differently? THanks for the suggestion on the flash, but all the tanks were covered - they were essentially windows in the wall.

Aha! Sea Dragon excuse me, I certainly would be upset if one were to mistake me for a horse when in fact I am a Dragon! (Saw how to train your dragon last night - must see for any who havent, highest rating on rotten tomatoes in history I believe, I digress...) I have a few other shots that I didnt put on flickr, Ill look for one without the seaweed directly behind, I thought it was kind of cool but I can see how it distracts from the subject.

McMommy - Well why didnt you say so! Im a grad student on a budget and love to save $$ at any opportunity. Looks like there will be more trips out that way so maybe next time

The 3d shot, the newly dubbed 'Smackin' It' (ahaha thanks so much for telling me, that is too great), is my favorite. Yea the light source in that tank was tricky to deal with - I tried several angles and I really thought that the straight on shot was the best.

Thanks again for the C&C! You all are great!

McMommy · May 3, 2010

Can I steal your thread? Lol... These are some I took at the aquarium the first time I really took my camera out. We should arrange a photography playdate next time you are here! I have a few friends I've made with this hobby that would love to join too.

I just think it's interesting to have the same subject, with different shots. I LOVE how you exposed the jellies, I may try to do that next time I go. But yeah, we have a year long family pass + 2 year-long guest passes that can be used any time! The offer stands for anyone non-creepy visiting the area.

Anyways, here's my 3, plus another one that I love (I've already posted it here before.)

McMommy · May 3, 2010

Just realized I put up a different picture of the sea dragon guy... oh well. There are so many beautiful things there, I have too many pics!

tbrew · May 3, 2010

But of course - Gah! How did you get such a great shot on the little spotted guy? Fantastic! I remember that seahorse, or sea dragon?, but I dont think I got a good shot of it. The "smack" of orange jellies was a lot of fun to shoot - makes me want to go back. Anyway great shots, all of them, so funny that you have pics containing almost the exact same subjects! I have a few others, but these were by far my favorites. Thanks for the invite, Ill let you know if/when I make it back out west. Ideally it would be permanently next time!! :cheer:

McMommy · May 3, 2010

tbrew said:
But of course - Gah! How did you get such a great shot on the little spotted guy? Fantastic! I remember that seahorse, or sea dragon?, but I dont think I got a good shot of it. The "smack" of orange jellies was a lot of fun to shoot - makes me want to go back. Anyway great shots, all of them, so funny that you have pics containing almost the exact same subjects! I have a few others, but these were by far my favorites. Thanks for the invite, Ill let you know if/when I make it back out west. Ideally it would be permanently next time!! :cheer:

I took probably 30 or 40 pictures of the spotted jellies. What made it really hard is that the tank is curved, and yes, the water seems filthy!! Both of those make it so hard to get them clearly. I love living here! We are here for the Army, but I was raised only 2 hours north of here. We'll be here another 18-24 months, so hopefully you make it down in that time so we can meet up and take a million pictures of the jellies!