Jestersix

Flash photography and the aquarium.

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sfsuphysics

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Having mulled through that magazine Ian and I got with our tanks and remembering what the photographer said about "needing flash to 'freeze the moment'" for pictures. I notice how horrible flash photos typically look, and this I'm guessing is to the relatively low kelvin rating on flash bulbs over saturating the tank lights so browns pop a lot :D.... I'm curious though could you use a blue gel film over the flash to kill the yellow/reds in it and get a better flash photo?

Just a thought that maybe those of you who are more photo inclined than I (wouldn't take that much either... ;)) might know if this was possible, or more importantly really makes any difference.
 
Flash angle also really impacts things. It is very common in "high end" fresh water planted tank photographs, to use remote flash from the TOP of the tank (top dwn lighting) rather than front flash. it is a vast improvement over front flash (even with offboard flash to reduce glare)
 
Mike I've thought about doing the same in the past with my remote flash. I used to do only flash photography when taking macro shots with fresh water tanks.

Here are some pictures I took in the past.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ianiwane/SSCrystals?authkey=Gv1sRgCKWglv6V6biDwQE#

Too bad though I can't try it right now (with a gel) as I just found out my sb600 flash is broken. oh well.
 
Eileen I don't either, in fact when talking with the photographer and sending him some of the same photos I took without the flash he seemed rather amazed at what could be done without a flash. Although him specifying that the magazine wouldn't accept photos without flash kind of hung on me, maybe it's just a crappy magazine editor that can't realize a good picture can be taken without a flash *shrug*.

Tony, it's not the glare I care about, it's the washed out colors of the corals, look at the PDF Ian posted about our tank articles, those colors are horrid, and for Ian's it says he has "high end corals" might make someone reading it go "Really? For that?!"

Ian, those look good, however I think there's a world of difference between lighting on macro tanks and lighting on reef tanks, specifically that blue shade over things.
 
Mike the reason why flashes sometimes help the camera "freeze" the frame is b/c it allows a higher shutter speed. Your typical on camera flash is too close to the lens to allow for a good picture through acrylic or glass. I've talked to Eric in length about using a gel or something to that effect for macro reef photography. I think we came to the realization that the light output through a gel will never be like actinic lighting. It might be blue but it won't ever create the actinic pop. However, it might be worth the try on a remote flash but not on an onboard flash.
 
Just try it.. You can get a set of roscoe gels for $3 or soemtimes free with purchase from any of the larger camera stores like BH... I've been gelling my flashes for fill outdoors to get closer to a daylight effect..


Out of Curiosity was he shooting film?
 
Gomer said:
Flash angle also really impacts things. It is very common in "high end" fresh water planted tank photographs, to use remote flash from the TOP of the tank (top dwn lighting) rather than front flash. it is a vast improvement over front flash (even with offboard flash to reduce glare)
Click to expand...

I've played with that and it does work rather well (remote flash firing down). I shoot most my fish shots with a flash, remote of course. Onboard flash suck IMO, I rarely use it.
 
Exactly gresham.


Mike, top down does solve a lot of the problem from front shots. Top down remote flash gives the proper shadow, and reflection angles. A lot of the color we see is very angle dependent.
 
I see Ian, guess that's why getting coral shots to look kick ass with polyp detail is easy when the full lights are on, but when actinic lights are on not so much.

But my point wasn't so much to get an "actinic flash" but more to negate the yellow from the normal flash.


Doug, nope he was shooting digital.

Tony, also shooting in macro allows us to see colors that we ordinarily wouldn't :D
 
You just need to be able to gel the flash as close to possible to the ambient light, whatever that may be..

http://www.amazon.com/Roscolux-Swatch-Sampler-Almost-Filter/dp/B0002ER2YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1242961094&sr=8-1
 
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