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For People That Like Fish Tanks Content, Design, Photos - Joshua Gunder

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Tonights Discussion Introduction Key Photographic Principles Composition Exposure Focus Macro Photography Aquarium Photography Conclusion

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Introduction Who am I? Not a Professional, Just Josh! I Reserve The Right to be Most Certainly Boring, Potentially Educational Let me Know If You Already Know This Stuff We Can Watch TV or Watch Mike Kill Corals Not into Photography? I Wont be Hurt if You Leave. Just Wait For Me to Turn Around Please

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Key Photographic Principles Are Universal Regardless of Subject Composition What is in The Scene and Where Exposure Lighting, Film Speed, Shutter Speed, Aperture Focus What? If these 3 are good, your photo should be good

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Composition Frame The Picture Correct Focal Length Zoom in/out Move close/far Wait For The Scene Stony Corals Are Stiller Get Close / Personal Dont Chop Off Parts

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Composition Rule of Thirds Intersecting Lines/Points on a 3x3 Grid Creates a More Interesting Scene Give the Subject Room to Move

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Exposure - Overview How the Camera Exposes The Media to Light Media is in The Dark Until The Camera Blinks Then Camera Gets to See Whats In Front of It How Much Light the Media Sees is Determined by How Long The Camera Blinks (Shutter Speed) How Wide The Camera Blinks (Aperture) Sensitivity of the Media can Also be Set (Film Speed)

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Exposure Overview Cont Exposure is the Most Important AND Difficult You Dont Really Know it Ahead of Time You Find Out Standing in Line at Costco Cameras Have Light Meters That Read/Report Available Light Reading it Helps You Set Shutter and Aperture Auto Exposure / Program Mode Camera Read its Own Meter and Sets Shutter Speed For You Sets Aperture For You Sets Film Speed (if a digital camera)

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Exposure Film Speed High (ISO 400 800) Pros Requires Less Light Allows Faster Shutter Allows Smaller Aperture Cons More Noise Image May Not Enlarge Well Low (ISO 100-200) Cons Requires More Light Requires Slower Shutter Requires Larger Aperture Pros Less Noise Image Will Enlarge Well Establishes How Sensitive the Media is to Light Constrains Shutter Speed and Aperture Most Digital Cameras Have Auto ISO Mode Increases Film Speed For You if Not Enough Light

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Exposure - Shutter Speed How Long Camera Blinks in Seconds At 1/4000 th - Freeze a Hummingbirds Wings in Flight At 1/60 th - Please Dont Sneeze Honey 1/120 th - Good Minimum For Fish Photos Shutter Priority Mode You Specify Shutter and Camera Picks Aperture Shutter Speed and Aperture Are Dysfunctional Spouses Dependent But in Conflict

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Exposure - Aperture Size of Cameras Eye - Denoted by f-stop Low # Larger Eye (f 1.4) Lots of Light Reaching Media Shallower Plane of Focus Requires a Faster Shutter Speed High # Smaller Eye (f 16) Not Much Light Reaching Media Deeper Plane of Focus Require a Slower Shutter Speed Aperture Priority Mode You Specify Aperture and Camera Picks Shutter Speed

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Exposure - White Balance Camera Trying to Make White Look White Your 6500K Light May Yellow The Scene Camera Tries To Turn Whites Back to White Auto White Balance Mode Is a Crapshoot Works Well in Higher-End Cameras Not so Much in Lower-End Cameras If Photo Looks Too Blue or Too Yellow Adjust the White Balance Mode

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Exposure - Putting it All Together Shutter Speed and Aperture Are Holding Your Photographs Exposure Hostage Shutter Speed Aperture Typical Aquarium Photo To Expose Media to Enough Light a Low f Stop Was Used, Thus the Focal Plan is Shallow and Anything Behind The Fish is Blurry

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Exposure - Cheating Digital Cameras Have LCD Screens We Can See Right Away if Photo Has Good Exposure Digital Cameras Show Histograms The Darkness or Brightness of Pixels in The Photo Too Much on Left Too Much of Image is Dark Too Much on Right Too Much of Image is Light

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Exposure - Final Words OK to Sacrifice Background Exposure For Good Foreground/Subject Exposure Dont Use a Direct Flash You Cant Recharge an Anemone

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Focus Auto Focus in Most Cases A Slow Focusing Camera Means Blurry Photos Standard PAS Camera Slower Focusing Not so Good For Fish Manual Focusing Only in Some Scenarios Night Photos Whole Tank Shots

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Macro Photography Big Pictures of Tiny Things High-End SLR Cameras Can Use Macro Lenses Low-End Cameras Have Macro Mode Built-in Works Surprisingly Well on Many Camera Steadiness is The Key Place Camera on a Surface Edge of Table, Tripod if You Have One

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Aquarium Photography Get Entire Tank in The Shot Stand at an Angle to Side of Tank to Fit it All In (if needed) Use a Slower Film Speed (ISO 200) You Want to be Able to Make a Poster of This Thing Right? Use a Tripod or Hold Really Steady In a Full Tank Shot From an Angle Perspective Refraction and Diffraction is expected and Tolerable Must Have Enough Light in Tank to Expose For A Medium Shutter Speed 1/60 th - 1/180 th A Medium Aperture f 5.6-8 or Higher if at an Angle So Entire Tank is in Focus If You Want External Surfaces Visible Be Careful Not To Add Reflections On Glass

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Conclusion Clean The Glass Halides Provide Good Lighting For Photos Start with Corals / Fish Too Fast For Most PAS Cameras Frame the Subject / Lens Perpendicular to Tank Wall Cheap Cameras Focus Slowly Exposure is The Key High-End Camera = Superior Exposure / Focus Control When All Else Fails Photoshop!

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Questions?