[Prev][Next][Index]
Re: Aquatic Photography
>
>From: "Williams, Rochelle - DCSPIM" <williaro at ftmcphsn-emh1_army.mil>
>Subject: Aquatic Photography
>
>Will you "professional" aquatic photographers give a few hints? For
>example, why is a short depth of field used when photographing so
>frequently? This causes part of the photo to be out of focus. Take a
>look at Amano's pictures where he photographs the length of the tank -
>everything is in focus except maybe a darting fish. My guess is he uses a
>long depth of field and longer exposure times. The recent palaudarium
I'm not "professional", but I'll take a crack at it. My guess is that Amano
didn't use longer exposure times, just more light. In my experience, it's
hard to shoot aquarium subjects with exposures longer than 1/15 sec. Also,
were his shots wide-angled? A wide angle also increases depth of field.
When you mention the photos you saw with short DOF, were they closeups of
some fish? It could be intentional (to de-emphasize the background), or it
could be due to longer focal lenghts used to zoom up on the subjects, or the
photographer may be limited to smaller f-stops (larger lens opening) due to
lack of adequate light (using natural light).
> What kind of lenses are used, filters, film speed, etc, for the folks who
>are successful?
Normal lens (50mm), no filter, ASA 100 or 200--nothing special. I use the
aquarium's light (no flash) and find light temperature of ~6200K gives
pleasant colors. If you use print film, the printer can do a lot in
adjusting the color tint. Use a good photo shop, or you may have to go back
several times.
Hoa
********************************************************
Hoa G. Nguyen
NRaD Code D371 Email: nguyenh at nosc_mil
San Diego, CA 92152-7383 Ham: KF6YP
Aquarium:
http://www.nosc.mil/robots/people/images/nguyenht.jpg
********************************************************