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Photographing On Location

Started by Guest_why_spyder_* , Jul 21 2007 11:17 AM

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24 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_why_spyder_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 11:17 AM

Does anyone have any particular way that they like to photograph fish on location? I was wondering if people took a small aquarium or a specimen cup to photography the fish on the spot.

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#2 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 04:54 PM

I make small acrylic aquariums (under 12" in below photo). I use a small plywood box to protect the containers and wrap the plates or "paddles" as I call them in felt bags to prevent scratching. I paint the paddles to suit my needs with flat paint. I can then use the paddles to gently hold the fish still while I snap a photo, then immediately return them to the water.

Any small tank will do. The 2.5 gallon tanks or specimen containers are a perfect way to get started.

phototankset1.jpg 196.5KB 1 downloads

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#3 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 08:17 PM

Uland, and what are your suggestions for a decent inexpensive camera?

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#4 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 09:44 PM

Uland, and what are your suggestions for a decent inexpensive camera?

I use cheap cameras....because I'm cheap :biggrin:

Just about any newer camera will work provided it can take "macro" photographs. Many big chain electronic stores will have functioning demo's so give them a try before you make a purchase. If you're completely unsure about models, plenty of decent comparison websites are to be had. Once you find a model you're interested in, download the instruction manual and learn a bit about the camera before you play around with it in the store. Bring a small familiar object with you and see if you can take clear photos from 3-4" away while in macro mode. If not consider another camera.

I use the Canon "A" series. This is mostly due to familiarity but they take excellent macro photos and are affordable.

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#5 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 10:00 PM

I'm going to try these two objects for a picture tank. My son kind of scratched up his little tank on the right. The big plastic jar had christmas cookies in it.
Posted Image

Maybe I can take a decent picture with those

I have some aquarium silicone to make a little tank.

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#6 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 21 July 2007 - 10:09 PM

"critter tanks" from the pet store work well enough. Those little acrylic tanks for lizards and whatnot. They are cheap, and clear enough for decent photos.

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#7 Guest_edbihary_*

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Posted 22 July 2007 - 08:30 AM

I'm going to try these two objects for a picture tank. My son kind of scratched up his little tank on the right. The big plastic jar had christmas cookies in it.

Maybe I can take a decent picture with those I have some aquarium silicone to make a little tank.

You will get distortion in the jar due to its roundness.

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#8 Guest_why_spyder_*

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Posted 22 July 2007 - 11:43 AM

I make small acrylic aquariums

Where do you buy acrylic at to make those? And roughly how much does it cost to make a small acrylic tank?

I use my Olympus 720SW camera for photography. I like to use the underwater feature as this camera is waterproof to 10ft. deep.

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#9 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 22 July 2007 - 09:09 PM

Where do you buy acrylic at to make those? And roughly how much does it cost to make a small acrylic tank?

I use my Olympus 720SW camera for photography. I like to use the underwater feature as this camera is waterproof to 10ft. deep.

You can buy the acrylic at just about any hardware store of home improvement super store. I use 1/4" thick acrylic sheets and cut them myself. You can save a lot of time by dealing with a local hardware store and having them cut it for you.

Small sheet of acrylic will cost roughly $10 to $15 and the welding solvent will cost an additional $6. The little bottle of solvent will last for very long time and make many tanks.

I got started with building tanks from the link below. My first tanks were a complete failure so don't be discouraged if at first you don't succeed. http://duboisi.com/d...k/bndiytank.htm

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#10 Guest_why_spyder_*

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Posted 22 July 2007 - 10:04 PM

Cool, I'll check out that link.

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#11 Guest_airbrn1187_*

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Posted 30 July 2007 - 09:11 PM

Have you tried making any larger tanks?

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#12 Guest_drewish_*

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Posted 30 July 2007 - 09:40 PM

I don't think Uland has shown it yet, but he has a big version of his tanks that can handle ~20" fish (if my memory serves me correctly).

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#13 Guest_bflowers_*

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Posted 31 July 2007 - 12:02 AM

I don't think Uland has shown it yet, but he has a big version of his tanks that can handle ~20" fish (if my memory serves me correctly).

For cutting acrylic I have found that I get excellent results with a table saw using a fine toothed plywood blade and spraying the blade with vegatable oil to lubricate. I was given a large amount of acrylic of all shapes and thicknesses. I am starting to make some viewing/photo tanks to take on location.

Bill F.

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#14 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 31 July 2007 - 01:03 AM

Have you tried making any larger tanks?

Drew is right. I have a tank that's in the 20 to 24" range. The larger they are, the easier they are to build. Raw material cost goes up but the flex in the tanks allows for a little more error.

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#15 Guest_daveneely_*

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Posted 31 July 2007 - 11:41 AM

Drew is right. I have a tank that's in the 20 to 24" range. The larger they are, the easier they are to build. Raw material cost goes up but the flex in the tanks allows for a little more error.

Right before I was due to head off to Mongolia last summer, I built a Lexan photo tank and "paddle"; thought it would be less likely to break than glass, and less likely to scratch then plexiglas. It flexed WAY too much, and was almost completely worthless; you'd try to position the fish against the front pane and the paddle would bow and the fish would drop to the bottom. Luckily, a colleague brought a proper glass photo tank, and that saved the trip. There's a few lessons learned there, most critically test stuff at home first before lugging it halfway around the globe...

cheers,
Dave

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#16 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 03:22 PM

Here is a photo of how Uland does it in the field

Attached Files

photo_work.jpg 247.37KB 7 downloads

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#17 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 03:24 PM

and if you really want to get labor intensive, here is how I do it.

Attached Files

fritz_photoing_copy.jpg 303.19KB 2 downloads

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#18 Guest_airbrn1187_*

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 04:57 PM

I was wondering how much pressure do you put on the plastic when trying to hold the fish in place...I would be afraid to hurt the fish.

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#19 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 06:02 PM

Nice shot Fritz. I think I see a flash on the tripod to the right and a hand held in your left hand? Do you find this suppresses the exterior reflection?
I believe the photos that Fritz produces (without a squeeze plate) are much more natural than my compressed photos and you can see how he does it above.

I was wondering how much pressure do you put on the plastic when trying to hold the fish in place...I would be afraid to hurt the fish.

I try not to actually squeeze the fish much but rather try to use the paddle (squeeze plate) to position them. In general darters that are moderately cooperative don't require actual squeezing and look more natural because of this. Very few minnows or sunfish cooperate and require an actual squeeze. Try to look at the fish and see if your distorting it's natural features when positioning. Gravid female minnows are very difficult to photo properly with a paddle for instance.

In general I place the fish in the tank, let them settle down for about 30 seconds and try to position them with the paddle. Once I restrain the fish they usually become calm and tolerate my forceful nature while taking photos. This calm period allows me to apply very gentle pressure and have relatively distortion free photos.

When I first collected cherryfin shiners (Lythrurus roseipinnis) I was unable to capture stream side photos for some reason. I traveled 1000 miles home and wanted to get a photo before I forgot. I would consider the genus Lythrurus pretty delicate and slipped while taking my photos. Blood came from the eyes of the fish and I was sure the fish was a goner. He swan upside down for quite some time but recovered and prospered in my home tank. I'm no longer terribly concerned that simply squeezing the fishes harms them but I believe hot temps and the stress of photos/squeezing can harm more delicate fishes.