Beginner Photographing Corals in a Glass Tank

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glock339

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Gary
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Hi this is probably bit of an odd question & I'm a total photography newbie so bare with me!

I've been trying to use my partner's Canon 650D which has a Tamron 18-200 AF lens to take photographs of corals that are in a glass tank which is obviously filled with salt water & is only about 12 inches front to back & deep. So far the best results I've achieved have come from switching off all pumps etc to keep things still, mount the camera on a tripod, set camera to macro, set lens to manual, put lens to full zoom then dial it back a touch, I then have to move the camera & tripod forward/backwards until the coral comes into focus & then I generally move the camera & tripod back just a touch more until the subject just goes out of focus, I then use the manual focus to get as sharp an image as I can. This seems to work OK as long as I manage to not set the flash off but (still haven't figured out how to keep this completely off in Macro mode yet lol) I presume this is not the best way to go about things so would be very grateful for any tips/advice on anything else I could be doing to get better results with the kit I have or maybe look at getting some more? I don't need ultra amazing images or anything as I'm only after pictures to put online etc so only interested in adding equipment that I could pick up fairly cheaply to be honest.

I recently tried using some cheap magnifying filters to see if I could get a bit closer up to the corals but didn't get any good results from them, so I was wondering if it'd be worth investing in a second hand macro lens for this kind of thing? I'm guessing as I use manual focus anyway an old lens on an adapter or something may do for what I need? As I say I'm a complete novice so any help at all would be most appreciated :-)
 
In all probability the reason that you're struggling is because there's not enough light.

Try finding a nice bright light in the house and bringing it along. Put it to the side of the tank to give the corals some contrast and shadows, it should allow for a faster shutter speed.

You might also increase the ISO of the camera to make the sensor more sensitive to light.
 
Hi Gary,

I kept a marine tank for many years and started with a 400D so similar camera to yours but many generations older. Started with using the kit lens then bought the Canon 100mm macro (non-L). I've not used a magnifying filter but I'd consider getting some extension tubes if you don't want to shell out for a macro lens (although second hand is a great way to go!).

Turning all the pumps off is a good option, mainly to improve water clarity and get rid of bubbles/sediment appearing in the photo. As you've probably already discovered, you have to be perpendicular to the glass to not get lots of distortion.

I don't know if the forum allows me to post external links to other forums so I've messaged you a link to my old tank thread with lots of photos. Many of them are from above which I find a very interesting angle and besides having to worry about reflections from lights, you don't have to worry about distortion through the glass.

Kind regards,

Jeff.
 
Cheers for the replies :-)

There is quite a bit of light provided by the 150W cree LED unit I made but I have considered building/getting a little spot light to place directly above whatever I'm photographing. I will also try & have a play with the ISO once I get to grips with it.


Nice tank Jeff I kick around UR as well, so have you left the marine keeping hobby all together now? I've heard of extension tubes but know absolutely nothing about them!lol I'll try & find a bit of info on them.
 
Gary, there is quite a bit of advice on reef aqaurium photography over on Ultimate Reef (scroll down to the photography section).

You've got the basics right in terms of switching off the pumps, etc. You need to get to grips with teh camera settings though to set the flash to "always off". I would add that it's best to work in a completely darkened room to avoid reflections, or create a dark tent by clipping a blanket or fabric to the front of the tank and draping it over the camera. Any light source (tv, windows, lamps) in the room is a potential reflection (whether your dead-on to the tank or not).

If you want the maximum magnification with your lens, change to using it at the widest zoom setting. At the widest end you can focus closer and get the subject larger in the frame.
 
Yeh I need a LOT more practice with the settings, at the moment for easiness I just set it to Macro which dosen't seem to allow me to turn off the flash although this may just be user ignorance! So every now & then when I try to take one with not enough light the flash fires off obviously resulting in a poor photo.

I have been thinking of making some sort of dark tent type contraption as even just the light from the rest of the tank can sometimes reflect onto me, especially if I'm wearing something light so I've been trying to wear black only when photographing lol.

Do you think something like a second hand Tamron SP 90mm will make things easier for me? (I still need to read up on extension tubes yet as well when I get chance!)
 
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I just realised what you're saying.. stop using macro mode - use Av (for coral/FTS), Tv (for fish and motile inverts) or M (once you know what you're doing). That should deal with the flash firing unwantedly.
 
A macro lens would be better suited to the task, but it's always easier to give specific advice if you posted examples. I mentioned Ultimate Reef above, you might find the UR macro lens thread useful. It includes links to aquarium photography examples taken with some of the lenses mentioned, where these are available on UR. There are also several aquarium photography guides and trouble-shooting threads. I use the same username there as here.
 
Awesome Alastair, I just can't believe I didnt see your thread my self after all the time I've spent on UR! I think I will concentrate my research on going down the second hand budget macro lens option as I don't want to spend a fortune :-)
 
There's a handy Reef Aquarium Photography Guide by -Aaron- in the Reef Related Photography section as well. Off-camera flash can make a bigger difference to your aquarium photography than a macro lens - it certainly does wonders for a kit lens and extension tube set-up.
 
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