First day with a DSLR

[lowcel]

I purchased my first DSLR last night and to be honest I am completely clueless about what I am doing. I am hoping to learn though so any and all advice is completely welcome.

Here are a few of the shots that I took today trying to figure out what I was doing.

 

[hadoq]

Hello, here's a little hint: compose your photos, don't center the subject unless you have a really good reason to do so. Most of the time it will not help if the subject is centered.

have fun !

 

[Michael.McBee]

I like #2 and #4. Is that a Fiest?

 

[lowcel]

I like #2 and #4. Is that a Fiest?

Thanks. The fish is a red devil cichlid and my little girl is a Rat Terrier.

 

[Michael.McBee]

You should grab a copy of Understanding Exposure. It was a good read, and it offers lot of tips.

 

[lowcel]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Any suggestions on a reasonably priced flash? I would like to be able to use it remotely on top of my aquarium while I am taking pictures from in front of the aquarium. Also, I would appreciate suggestions on an affordable macro lens.

Here is a shot I took a few minutes ago.

 

[Michael.McBee]

You should just stick with the lighting from the fish tank. The flash kills that photo.

 

[lowcel]

You should just stick with the lighting from the fish tank. The flash kills that photo.

That is why I am wanting to get a remote flash that can be placed over the aquarium.

Here are some examples of shots that are taken that way.

A few NTT Dat feeding pics...**56K hostile** - MonsterFishKeepers.com

A few pbass pics.... - MonsterFishKeepers.com

INDO/NGT pix - MonsterFishKeepers.com

 

[ANDS!]

Knowing what camera you have would help. You can light those fish any number of ways depending on what effect you want. And god damn theres a forum dedicated to fish raising?

 

[lowcel]

My camera is a Canon XS.

There are quite a few fish forums out there. Keeping larger tanks and taking proper care of aquatic life isn't particularly easy or cheap, especially if you don't want to lose a lot of fish during the learning curve. Personally I have a 55 gallon, a 210 gallon, and a 300 gallon aquarium. Anywho, I am a member of about ten separate fish forums, there are many, many more though. The one I linked to above has almost 55,000 members, however www.reefcentral.com has 219,000 members.