Now they are coming in just fine. I am not an expert in aquarium shooting, but I do have couple of comments. Reflections are frequently a problem and a circular polarizing filter can help this a great deal. The light in your images seems to be from above - a aquarium cover light perhaps? Not a full spectrum light, but maybe tungsten balanced? Side lighting might be more flattering for you fishy friends.
I try to use flash from the side or via a ringlight right against the side of the aquarium to avoid reflections. Flash also allows smaller aperatures and thus greater depth of field. Sometimes the flash can be diffused with paper or a hanky over theflash head also. You may need a flash extension cord to use the flash off of your camera in this manner if this is possible with your camera. Did you specify what camera you are using?
And you images look slightly green on my monitor ar work - It may be my monitor, but not entirely I think.
Overall I think you have made a good start, and now have a few suggestions that may help you improve your next attempts which I hope to see here soon. Welcome.
Maybe SeaMaiden and a few of her friends will have some suggestions also - they seem to be the real aquatic photgraphers here.
Pathfinder is right, you need to pay better attention to the way these shots are lit and you need to worry about reflections from the tank. But I really liked one of these shots and enhanced it in PS a bit. Here it is:
What I did: Changed image mode to LAB. Steepened the a & b curves asymmetrically:
I called this asymmetric because the ends of the curves have been moved by different amounts, leading to the center point moving from the 0,0 point. This kind of LAB move can radically change the cast of an image. LAB has an extremely wide gamut (it is very easy to make colors outside the visible spectrum) so a little goes a long way. The A curve controls magenta<->green and the B curve controls yellow<->blue. So the effect of my curves is to make the picture more magenta and more blue, providing some balance for the yellow-green cast of the original. One great thing about LAB is that it is very easy to recognize neutral colors or to force points to neutral via curves. A point is neutral if its A and B channel values are both 0.
After applying the curves I sharpened on the L channel:
Another of the great things about the LAB colorspace is that the lumonisity channel is completely separate for the color channels. That implies that USM on the L channel makes only neutral halos.
I really wish I could figure whether or not this shot attached for me or not.. in any event, it's a great shot. Go to reefs.org and check the photo forum, you will get your best tips and techniques for shooting fish in aquaria. What lake does this Lepidiolamprologus kendalli hail from?
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There are some instructions here if that's any help
gubbs.smugmug.com
I'll try doing them as an attached file:
#1
I try to use flash from the side or via a ringlight right against the side of the aquarium to avoid reflections. Flash also allows smaller aperatures and thus greater depth of field. Sometimes the flash can be diffused with paper or a hanky over theflash head also. You may need a flash extension cord to use the flash off of your camera in this manner if this is possible with your camera. Did you specify what camera you are using?
And you images look slightly green on my monitor ar work - It may be my monitor, but not entirely I think.
Overall I think you have made a good start, and now have a few suggestions that may help you improve your next attempts which I hope to see here soon. Welcome.
Maybe SeaMaiden and a few of her friends will have some suggestions also - they seem to be the real aquatic photgraphers here.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
What I did: Changed image mode to LAB. Steepened the a & b curves asymmetrically:
I called this asymmetric because the ends of the curves have been moved by different amounts, leading to the center point moving from the 0,0 point. This kind of LAB move can radically change the cast of an image. LAB has an extremely wide gamut (it is very easy to make colors outside the visible spectrum) so a little goes a long way. The A curve controls magenta<->green and the B curve controls yellow<->blue. So the effect of my curves is to make the picture more magenta and more blue, providing some balance for the yellow-green cast of the original. One great thing about LAB is that it is very easy to recognize neutral colors or to force points to neutral via curves. A point is neutral if its A and B channel values are both 0.
After applying the curves I sharpened on the L channel:
Another of the great things about the LAB colorspace is that the lumonisity channel is completely separate for the color channels. That implies that USM on the L channel makes only neutral halos.
Perhaps Webshots does not allow linking? Or perhaps they require an extra fee?
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Are No Match For
Age and Treachery