Jack Dempsey

savone · 8th of February 2006 (Wed)

I have long been trying to take good pictures of the fish inside my aquarium. I think I finally got a pretty good technique down.

What do you think?

savone · 8th of February 2006 (Wed)

Come on people, this is a nice shot!

salsataco · 8th of February 2006 (Wed)

I do not have much aquarium photography expertise. I do know that your dempsey is more colorful than mine. I would try to position the fish somewhere other than the center of the frame. keep em coming.

graykita · 8th of February 2006 (Wed)

Nice shot, what is your technique if you don't mind sharing? I find that focus on a reflective surface is very hard and the fact that i my reflection ends up on the glass.

savone · 8th of February 2006 (Wed)

I use a flash with an optical sensor and shoot the flash from above the tank down towards the back. I use my flash bouncing off the ceiling to trigger it. This was there is no glare on the glass.

Also make sure the glass is REALLY clean.

TigerTail · 29th of April 2006 (Sat)

yep, clean glass is a must! I should follow my own advice tho... ahem, anyhoo... photographing at a slight angle to the glass reduces glare, and a hood works great too, especially with macro shots. When using a macro lens it's important to have the camera looking straight at the subject, because trying to take a macro pic through glass at an angle just doesn't work, something with the glass, it's weird. A hood placed flat against the glass makes for great macro shots... which is why I'm still trying to find a hood!

shadowwolf · 29th of April 2006 (Sat)

I like the shot myself...colors look sharp...detail is excellant.

Shooting photos of my aquarium species is what got me hooked on photography...I was determined to get the same quality photos that I see other "hobbyists" post.

I am no expert but I can offer this: I don't use a flash when taking aquarium photos. For close up detailed shots like the one you posted I turn off all the surrounding ambiant light and keep my lens perpendicular to the glass...most times I use a tripod and macro mode on my Canon G5...and of course a clean glass is a must.depending on the lighting source on the aquarium I sometimes need to adjust the WB settings especially when shooting aquariums that have lots of high intensity lighting with actinic supplimentation.

Here is an example of one of my decent (or so I think) examples.

Choderboy · 29th of April 2006 (Sat)

The difficulty of aquarium photography is probably not that obviuos to most people. I have tried a few so I can appreciate that is a nice shot!

I'm not a fishy - just wondering about the thread title? Is that a fighting fish?

savone · 1st of May 2006 (Mon)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Choderboy

The difficulty of aquarium photography is probably not that obviuos to most people. I have tried a few so I can appreciate that is a nice shot!

I'm not a fishy - just wondering about the thread title? Is that a fighting fish?

Well I wouldnt call it a fighting fish, but it is a cichlid which is a very territorial species of fish.

TigerTail · 2nd of May 2006 (Tue)

I believe the Jack Demsey cichlid was actually named after a boxer of that name? Can someone confirm?

8th of February 2006 (Wed)	#1
savone Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,040 IMAGE EDITING OK	Jack Dempsey I have long been trying to take good pictures of the fish inside my aquarium. I think I finally got a pretty good technique down. What do you think?

8th of February 2006 (Wed)	#2
savone Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,040 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Jack Dempsey Come on people, this is a nice shot!

8th of February 2006 (Wed)	#3
salsataco Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MA Posts: 343	Re: Jack Dempsey I do not have much aquarium photography expertise. I do know that your dempsey is more colorful than mine. I would try to position the fish somewhere other than the center of the frame. keep em coming. __________________ "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." ~John Muir www.TaylorYeager.com

8th of February 2006 (Wed)	#4
graykita Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 211 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Jack Dempsey Nice shot, what is your technique if you don't mind sharing? I find that focus on a reflective surface is very hard and the fact that i my reflection ends up on the glass. __________________ Graykita Canon 20D, 18-55 mm kit Canon 50mm f1.8 II (just got it) Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Canon Speedlite 430EX

8th of February 2006 (Wed)	#5
savone Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,040 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Jack Dempsey I use a flash with an optical sensor and shoot the flash from above the tank down towards the back. I use my flash bouncing off the ceiling to trigger it. This was there is no glare on the glass. Also make sure the glass is REALLY clean.

29th of April 2006 (Sat)	#6
TigerTail Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NE WI Posts: 137	Re: Jack Dempsey yep, clean glass is a must! I should follow my own advice tho... ahem, anyhoo... photographing at a slight angle to the glass reduces glare, and a hood works great too, especially with macro shots. When using a macro lens it's important to have the camera looking straight at the subject, because trying to take a macro pic through glass at an angle just doesn't work, something with the glass, it's weird. A hood placed flat against the glass makes for great macro shots... which is why I'm still trying to find a hood! __________________ Canon Rebel XT Canon EF 70-200mm IS USM Canon EF 100mm macro USM, Canon EF 20-35mm Ultra Wide Zoom, Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5

29th of April 2006 (Sat)	#7
shadowwolf Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 246 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Jack Dempsey I like the shot myself...colors look sharp...detail is excellant. Shooting photos of my aquarium species is what got me hooked on photography...I was determined to get the same quality photos that I see other "hobbyists" post. I am no expert but I can offer this: I don't use a flash when taking aquarium photos. For close up detailed shots like the one you posted I turn off all the surrounding ambiant light and keep my lens perpendicular to the glass...most times I use a tripod and macro mode on my Canon G5...and of course a clean glass is a must.depending on the lighting source on the aquarium I sometimes need to adjust the WB settings especially when shooting aquariums that have lots of high intensity lighting with actinic supplimentation. Here is an example of one of my decent (or so I think) examples. __________________ "Photography to me is the ongoing attempt to capture what my eye sees."....I say that... Canon 350D&30D...BG-E3 grip...EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6... EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM...EF 50mm f/1.8...85mm f/1.8 USM ... 1.4x EF Extender ... 580EX II Flash... http://www.otb-photography.com

29th of April 2006 (Sat)	#8
Choderboy I Chimp, therefore I am Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 3,205 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Jack Dempsey The difficulty of aquarium photography is probably not that obviuos to most people. I have tried a few so I can appreciate that is a nice shot! I'm not a fishy - just wondering about the thread title? Is that a fighting fish? __________________ Dave http://www.flickr.com/photos/12185187@N00/sets/ 1DMK4, 1DSMK2, Canon and Sigma lenses

2nd of May 2006 (Tue)	#10
TigerTail Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NE WI Posts: 137	Re: Jack Dempsey I believe the Jack Demsey cichlid was actually named after a boxer of that name? Can someone confirm? __________________ Canon Rebel XT Canon EF 70-200mm IS USM Canon EF 100mm macro USM, Canon EF 20-35mm Ultra Wide Zoom, Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5

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