water reflections...

I have a koi pond and i'm trying to take pictures of the koi without a reflection of the sky and tree above. I was wondering for any tips on how to get rid/reduce this reflection. thanks ;D
-Arthur

Try using a polarizing filter. It should cut down on your reflections dramatically.

And if that doesn't work, the only other suggestion I have is to drain the water!

Good luck!

yeah i was thinking about that. I have a Canon Power Shot S230 though. Do they make specific lenses or filters for cameras like that? thanks.
-Arthur

From what I've read, there doesn't seem to be any lenses or filters made specifically for the S230. However, any polarizing filter will work with the S230 as long as it's large enough to cover the lens. The question is how it gets attached to the front of the lens. And it doesn't have to be. You can just hold the filter in front of lens and take a picture if you want the picture bad enough. As a matter of fact, in a pinch, you can even use sunglasses with polarized lenses. They might even be more practical, too, since they'll be easier to handle and, when not used with the camera, you can just wear it .

When using the polarizing lens (or filter) you'll have to turn it around along it's circumference to find the best angle to eliminate or reduce the glare and/or reflection on the water.

k, thanks for the help ;D i really appreciate it.
-arthur

do you know Cokin filters?

they have a filter holder that fits your camera (A300)

and polarizers that fit on it (I'll recomend the circular polarizer 164)

I have this on a S50 and it works fine.

see that pages: http://www.cokin.com/i​co10-p0B-AN.html and http://www.cokin.com/i​co3-p7et8-8.html

JJ

I was trying to photograph a friend's koi a couple of weeks ago. Even with a polarizing filter it's not so easy.

Not only do you need to rotate the filter until it cuts through the refelection (it's not magic), you need to walk around the pond (very slowly) until you find the best angle to the sun and to the water surface without scaring the fish. Any murk in the water is a major factor too.

The pol filter also cuts the light some, so you also need to find settings, particularly shutter speed, that catches them without motion blur. Even still in the water, their tail may be in movement.

Even with all the right equipment and playing at it for an hour, I didn't get it right.

Good luck!

Yes, the polarizer works best when you (the camera) is at 90 degrees to the light source. And, usually, there's is about a 1.5 to 2 stop difference through the filter. Definately bracket the shots from varying positions and polarizer settings.

I've taken thousands of water shots on film and a polarizer can make a phenomenal shot out of a mediocre one, or it can do little at all depending on the angle of the light. When shooting a scene on film, I'd generally use 100, 200, and 400ISO or 800ISO if there was any zoom, so I could use slower and faster shutter speeds, wider aperture, etc and I'd take several rolls from various positions and settings.

I'd get many mediocre shots, but in every roll, there would be at least a few shots that really came out fantastic.

Another very cool thing with water if it is rippling is to use ND filters to allow extra long shutter speeds. The ripples will disapper and give an ethereal look to the water surface. VERY nice under certain curcumstances.

David