Goldfish C&C

[blueofspirit]

Some photos of our fish tank. Put a piece of black card behind the tank as a background of sorts.

The fish are cute but the photos don't seem right for some reason. I guess buying a polaroid filter would block out reflection from the tank glass? Any tips on using AF through glass?

Is the second one underexposed? I was focusing on stopping the bubbles from the filter rain pipe - wanted to put that as the subject - does it work? I quite like the ghosty feel to the fish though...

Lesson learnt: goldfish NEVER EVER turn the way you want them to :er:

#1

#2

 

[900rr]

I have same problem.
btw...you need more gravel. at least inch or 2 at bottom.

 

[bazooka]

#1 isn't too bad.... it looks soft though, perhaps from shooting through the glass on the tank. I'm not sure how to fix. #2 does look underexposed to me and the fish aren't at attractive angles.

 

[sojourn]

Nice crown pearlscale.

Yes, taking fish tank shots are not easy, it is difficult to get the light right, and keep them in focus. Darn things won't pose for you, will they?

I disagree about the gravel depth. I have fancy goldies and I had no gravel at all when I had indoor tanks, and my outdoor tanks have no gravel, either. Goldies and koi are, ounce for ounce, dirtier fish than other species, and the less gravel to turn anerobic the better, IMHO.

 

[dragon12]

the trick to taking picture of goldfish is to anticipate where they are moving. you might have to use your net to put them in the center of the tank and let them choose the direction they are going and follow them.
btw goldfish are dirty fish more gravel= more ammonia build up. but it is true for any other fish. o ya nice crown pearlscale

 

[blueofspirit]

Thanks all for the tips. How could I improve the lighting? I shot the first one on f2.8 because I didn't have enough light and I didn't want to flash my goldfish. Would it help if I pointed a light towards the tank through diffusion paper?

Bazooka - think my DOF is too shallow - if I had more light and shot this at say f8 maybe more of the fish would have been in focus and give the whole picture a less "soft" feel? I think the eye is in focus - That was what I was aiming for at least. What are "attractive angles" for a goldfish?

dragon12 - thanks for the tip with the net. I actually tried to use food for a while then got scared they'd get overfed lol...:meh:

Since it's my fish tank I could probably reshoot these any number of times so any other tips on how to do these shots are most welome!

 

[gpardo64]

I like #1. !

Next time try to avoid it having the subject in the center of the picture. Try to use the rule of thirds and you'll get better compositions.

 

[blueofspirit]

I like #1. !

Next time try to avoid it having the subject in the center of the picture. Try to use the rule of thirds and you'll get better compositions.

Thanks! I thought about that (i.e. leaving about two fish lengths ahead of the fish) but I have other fish in the tank and didn't want the distraction of small bright blue fish in the other corner.. what do you think of that trade off?

 

[bitteraspects]

the easiest way is to add more light to your tank when you take the pics.
i have a OCF flash set up i use for my fish, but im still learning too.
also, shooting at a 45 degree angle to the glass will help reduce the glare from the glass.