How to take pictures of killies/other irridescent fish

[nonamethefish]

Not to sure this is the right place for this...but seeing that the sight has quite a few nice photos thought I'd ask here.

I have no problem with getting the photos in focus, but the colors come out far from what the fish actually look like. Here's an example.



True colors actually closer to this blurry photo right here


not to sure what causes this exactly...seeing the N. rachovii photos on here if anyone could chime in I would appreciate it!

Camera is a Nikon coolpix 775 on macro mode. The blurry shot was taken using "mountain" mode for distant objects.

[stormhawk]

When shooting killies it is necessary to have a camera with a fast focus and rather good macro function. I'm using a Nikon Coolpix 3100 and am rather happy with the results.

When taking pictures, try to place the killifish in a small photo tank with some plants and gravel as decoration. Having some green in the picture makes the colours of the fish stand out. Using natural light such as sunlight and turning off the auto-flash function will help to ensure that the natural colours appear.

In artificial light, the use of compact fluorescent lamps suspended above the photo tank and ensuring that no glare appears on the front glass will also be a big help. Again the need for a dark background or light background depending on the colour of the fish in question also helps to ensure that the colours appear properly.

In both instances I personally do not use auto-flash unless necessary.

[bsplenden]

If your camera has "M" mode, which is the manual mode, use it. Play around with the settings.

A high shutter speed will freeze the movement of the fish. But when using a high shutter speed, less light will be able to enter the aperture, resulting in an under exposed picture. We get over this problem by opening the aperture to a bigger size (which actually means a smaller f number). With the manual mode, you will be able to slightly underexpose or overexpose your picture, and finally get what you want.

Lets say your camera does not have the manual mode, or you are not too good at photography yet. Then we will use the shutter priority mode. Set the shutter to the fastest shutter speed. The computer chip on the camera will automatically select the aperture size for you, to obtain a correctly exposed picture. Most of the time, you can get good enough photos with the shutter priority mode.

Do bear in mind that a large aperture will blur out the background. So if you got a very distracting background which brings the attention of the picture away from your fish, you can use a larger aperture too... And the more light you have, the more you can push your shutter speed, but that is dependent on the largest aperture you can set too.

Last few tips, in photography, practice makes perfect. Camera model and brand will matter less if the person behind the lens is a thinking photographer. And after taking some fish photos, i realize that switching on the lights of the tank, but switching off the main light in the room does help. If you can, try to use a tripod, our hands are not comparable to a steady tripod. And try not to use flash as normally, we will be too close to the fish, and the flash will be too harsh. If you do not have a choice, try to diffuse the flash by covering the flash with tissue paper or something. And last but not least, clean the glass! Because we are using auto focus most of the time, the camera will be able to detect a dirty glass, and will focus on the glass instead of the fish. Even if it does not, a clear glass certainly looks much better on photo then one with water marks and stuff. Good Luck!

Iatfai.

[RonWill]

Not to sure this is the right place for this...

Dear 'no name',
Don't worry about it. If it's images of killies, you're at the right place.

I'll wager a guess on your pics... [tell me how far off I am]


Your camera setting is probably set to 'Auto' with macro (that 'Flower' mode), using a faster speed and reduced flash output. That explains 'colder' colors and a better depth-of-field, where I can clearly see the female in the background.


I suspect your tank's lighting is pretty adequate. Again, 'Auto' setting and the camera selected reduced flash (or no flash, high ASA) with ambient lighting (tank's source). 'Mountain' mode is for faraway objects, not near field ones, which explain the blurry, out-of-focus snap shot.

All recent digicams are capable of decent images, it is how familiar one is with areas that it excels in or the limitations. A large dose of patience and a small tank helps alot!!

Since most of my killies scoot for cover when the camera gets near, I use the largest or highest possible resolution in case I have to 'crop' the image (and still retain decent details).

[nonamethefish]

Dunno if it is normal or not -but the males tend to stay in one spot unless they encounter each other. While they do respond to the camera it is not at all panicked. They do spook at larger figures or lights.

Ronwill: You hit it right on the head. I played with the settings but I didn't notice too much of a difference. Why did the "mountain mode" picture come with warmer colors? I'll check for M.

[stormhawk]

To get the males in proper position it is somewhat necessary to have two males in the same photo tank. The flaring and displaying done by the males will contribute to some stunning photos.

As I've always told to some friends - Patience Patience Patience and a pair of VERY steady hands. :wink:

These, are the the keys to getting great pictures (of course with some help from lighting and a good camera).

[bsplenden]

To get the males in proper position it is somewhat necessary to have two males in the same photo tank. The flaring and displaying done by the males will contribute to some stunning photos.

As I've always told to some friends - Patience Patience Patience and a pair of VERY steady hands. :wink:

These, are the the keys to getting great pictures (of course with some help from lighting and a good camera).

Yeah... I haven seen some photos of male flaring at each other... COOL...

Agree with you that in photography, you do need patience. But a pair of very steady hands can be substituted with a tripod. In fact, most of the best photographs are usually taken with a tripod, or at least a monopod.

For most consumer digital cameras, any cheap tripod will do. Some second hand ones will cost you even less. I haven seen some going for about $20 myself.

And yes, photography is all about light. So play around with that, and when you can "see" light, you will be able to get well-exposed photographs...

Iatfai

[nonamethefish]

Yeah. I just need to find the explanation of why mountain seems to produce a "better" as far as color is concerned picture.

Will mirrors work for killies as they will for bettas? My 2 males fight occasionally, but it seems very one sided.

[stormhawk]

Mirrors will work. Adding a female will do wonders should the male be very very interested in spawning.

You'll start seeing all the wonderful spawning colours and the beautiful displaying colours of the males. That is when a photo opportunity presents itself. :wink:

[Green Baron]

Yeah. I just need to find the explanation of why mountain seems to produce a "better" as far as color is concerned picture.

The reason is because 'Mountain' mode does not fire the flash so what you see is what you get. With Auto and Macro mode, the flash causes the shift in colour. Try turning the flash off and put additional FL/PL light on top of the tank.

[CM Media]

I've just took some shots using the Canon 300D with 100mm lens

For fish photography, I usually will use Manual mode at Shutter Speed 1/125, Aperture Value 16 with flash on.



Click on images for bigger view.

[bsplenden]

I've just took some shots using the Canon 300D with 100mm lens

For fish photography, I usually will use Manual mode at Shutter Speed 1/125, Aperture Value 16 with flash on.



Click on images for bigger view.

Whoa! 300D... A dream for me... How do you use the flash without it being too harsh? Do you use a diffuser or something?

I am only using the Nikon F75. Film. So have to scan again after developing. haha... But that is the only way.

Anyway, I am still interested in your Asphyosemion australe. I think I am now equipped with the knowledge liao. Do drop me a PM if they are still available can? Thanks.

[TyroneGenade]

The australe pictured is not of the "gold" strain. For a nice shot of the "gold" fish see here. You have a "spotless gold" fish. While I personally don't care much there are others who would take this very seriously and for their sake we should try to keep the names straight (most of them are very old and don't deal with confusion well).

Those are VERY nice photos though. I very much like the photo of the F. thierryi. Mine are very different with more spotting. Is yours of the Accra Plains GH 94-1 strain?

tt4n

[RonWill]

Tyrone,

The AUS pictured in your link is what we call 'Orange' locally and I used to breed the following variants;

Orange

Orange Spotless

Gold

What would you have called them??

[nonamethefish]

Yeah. I just need to find the explanation of why mountain seems to produce a "better" as far as color is concerned picture.

The reason is because 'Mountain' mode does not fire the flash so what you see is what you get. With Auto and Macro mode, the flash causes the shift in colour. Try turning the flash off and put additional FL/PL light on top of the tank.

Thanks! Anyone with this camera know how to turn off flash? Will that affect picture clarity?

Au SL: Nice shots! You caught the irridescense on the thierryi nicely.

Joseph

[stormhawk]

Joseph, I don't own the camera you have but I have a Nikon model myself. They should be similar.

I found the technical specifications of the model you're using.

Nikon Coolpix 775

From the illustration on the PDF, there's a small button beneath the LCD screen. It has two icons below it, a lighting zigzag arrow and an eye icon (meant to reduce "red-eye"). The zigzag line is for controlling the On/Off of the flash. I don't know exactly how to operate your camera. Read the manual that came with it. The answers are all in there.

With 2.1 megapixels you can't get particularly clear shots off. Even with macro some areas will be blurred. My first camera was a 1.3 MP Olympus camera and the clarity of the pictures were decent enough for me until I upgraded to my new Nikon.

The first picture your took of a male Notho is a decent shot. A simple use of Adobe Photoshop can auto-correct the colours. No worries there. With some clicks you can sharpen the image and have a beautiful picture to work with, provided the fish are co-operative. :wink:

[bsplenden]

Thanks! Anyone with this camera know how to turn off flash? Will that affect picture clarity?
Joseph

Joseph,

Maybe you won't be able to turn off the flash on some simple consumer digital cameras that does not give you as much control over the settings as other digital cameras. You will have to flip through the manual to see if the camera has the function to allow you to switch off the flash.

If you are unable to turn off the flash, but you need to turn it off, then maybe as i mentioned earlier, you can cover it with something. Or maybe diffuse the light by covering the flash with tissue paper. Sometimes, Diffusing the light while still having the flash on does provide some interesting results.

What do you mean by picture clarity? Do you mean the exposure? Or the blurness, or something else?

The flash will affect everything, as flash = light. And photography is all about light. So maybe you can be more specific as to what you mean by picture clarity?

[jerseyjay]

nonamethefish,

I'm not familiar with the camera but you can try few more tips which should dramatically improve your pictures.

Make use of whatever light you have available. I will echo what other said and repeat even one more time. It is all about the LIGHT !!!!. Once you have sufficient light, you can play with shutter speed and aperture to get desired depth of field (DOF) and shade of background. I always tell people to invest in external flash or flashes instead of spending money on tripods. If one can't afford external flash light, make CORRECT use of internal flash. The question is HOW to use internal flash without causing glares and over exposures.

This is how Internal Flash as Reflector (pictures taken by friend of mine James aka. Finz)

A piece of aluminum foil can be used to direct the flash away from the front glass and towards a reflector above the tank.



A piece of foam-core is used here as a reflector to bounce the flash into the tank.



Black paper can be used to block reflections from the surrounding room.



If you want to invest in external flash, life will be a lot easier. Not sure how much money you want to spend and how much time you want to spend on photography.

Few of my pictures taken with Nikon D70 DSLR with SB-800 external flash.

[nonamethefish]

Great advice everyone! i'll see if I can dig up the booklet or not...in the meantime need to recharge the thing.

Here's a few more pics of the same subject under same camera settings.





Camera has a tendency to get rid of the blue coloring


Btw, Jay, that A. australe you photographed...does it have an extra filament on its tail as shown? Wonder if that trait was passed on or not.

[timebomb]

Few of my pictures taken with Nikon D70 DSLR with SB-800 external flash.

Your pictures are very good, Jay. Thanks for sharing the photography technics with us. You once asked me for my photograpic setup but after seeing how good your pictures are, I'm embarrassed to show it to you. Compared to you, I'm an amateur.

Loh K L