More Photo Tips... with examples

I had originally posted this on www.discusasahobby.com, but maybe these tips will help some of the simply forum members.


First, wipe down the glass to get rid of those water spots. Don't forget to clean the inside of the glass too - algae can show up. If you don't have a lot of lighting, don't try to take a photo of a fish swimming past you - it'll turn out to be blurred. Also, notice that the fish on the right is blurred, yet the objects in the background (such as the heater) are in focus. ALL camera lens (from "point and shoot" to SLR) have what's known as a "minimum focusing distance" - that is the closest distance an object can be to the camera lens and still be in focus. Anything closer will be blurry. (the solution is the stand back a bit and zoom in). Also, if you can, move the lighting that's over the tank, closer to the front of the tank.

If you're going to use a flash, don't aim perpendicular (90º) at the tank, because the flash will show up in the photo as a big white blob.

Compose the photo and center the fish in the photo. If they are moving, one thing you can do is aim and focus the camera at where the fish will end up and then when it gets there, take the photo:

another thing you can do if your fish is moving, is following the fish - this is called panning. Notice how the fish is in focus, but the background is blurry.

Hold the camera steady (use a tripod if you need to) and unless you want the special effect, don't zoom while taking the photo.

Don't worry if the fish isn't in the exact center - you can crop either before using a zoom lens or afterwards using software.

Bigger isn't necessarily better. If you want to print your photo, take it / scan it in at a high resolution (300+dpi), otherwise if your intention is only to post it onto the web, choose a moderate setting like 640-800 pixels wide (something like 72dpi to 75dpi). Otherwise, your photo will be really wide, too large to be seen entirely at one time (forcing people to scroll) and for people with dialup (or other slower connections - such as viewing from another country), taking a long-g-g-g time to show up on their screens. In case you didn't know dpi is "dots per inch".

Thanks Walter!!:)

I'll stick this to the top of the section.

-al

Great pointers on taking good pics. I use an extra light strip to bring out all the colors and patterns. Leopards, Turqs, and darker Discus, need a lot of light to show off their pattens.

Jack

nice tips
may I add one tip too ??

Tried these tips. My pictures still suck. :( It has to be me.