# Sticky  How To Take Good Betta Pictures



## Junglist

******Found this while surfing the web, Hope it helps******​
*How To Take Good Betta Photos*

*Introduction:*
Maybe you want a picture of your betta for a show. Maybe you need it for an auction. Or maybe you just want to show your beloved betta off to your friends. Either way, it’s almost an art form to master good pictures of bettas. This guide will give you some helpful tips for getting the best results out of your picture taking session.

***NOTE*** Some bettas are very reactive to flashes or cameras and may be freaked out by the camera. If this happens to you, don’t pressure your fish for pictures. It will do more harm than good. In a case like this, give them time to settle and try again. IF the fish is still reacting badly, you may need to reconsider taking photos. It is always better to think of the animal’s welfare over your desire for a picture.

Also, some fish are much less willing to flare in general. Sometimes a female, another male, and a mirror are tried with no result. Again, I suggest to wait and try again later. Sometimes your fish is just being stubborn. Otherwise, you may just need to take a picture without a flare.

*Suggested Materials:*

* A properly lighted area
* Your intended Fish
* Another fish or a mirror to encourage flaring
* Picture taking tank (I suggest nothing larger than a 2 gallon. My personal tank is a 2 gallon glass tank with a glass divider)
* Camera
* Extra lights, if desired












Steps to taking a professional looking picture:
First, select your intended model and decide if you will use a mirror or a “teaser” fish. Some fish won’t perform for a mirror and another fish is the only way to get them to flare and perform.

Fill your photo tank with clean, room temperature water. Once the tank is filled, wipe the front of the tank off to remove water spots. If you need to use a glass cleaner, spray a paper towel with the cleaner away from the glass and other fish to prevent poisoning your fish. Wipe the front of your tank with the cleaner and let dry.

Move your fish into the photo tank. If you are using another fish to stimulate him, then either place the other fish in the divided section or move their tank nearby. If you are using a mirror, set up your mirror in the best angle to give you a sideways view of your fish.

Now get your camera ready. Take a few test shots with your lighting to see how they come out. This will also give you time to assess how your fish reacts to this new environment. Some fish need time to adjust to the new setting, and others are flarin’ and rarin’ to go right away. When testing your lighting, try moving your other lights back and forth until you achieve the proper lighting. Your goal is to be able to take pictures WITHOUT using the flash on the camera. The reason for this is because the flash will bring out metallic iridescence in the fish and will often make the fish look a different color. Also, the flash will slow down the shutter speed on the camera, often resulting in a missed photo opportunity. With good enough lighting, however, the flash can be used to just fill in some shadows without overexposing the fish’s natural metallic shine.

Once you have a few test pictures that are well lit, you can bring in the “stimulus” to encourage your fish to flare and begin taking pictures. The best show pictures show the fish from a perpendicular angle, viewing the side of the fish to show off their shape best.

*Taking pictures of a fish in their existing tank:*
Having a special set up is not always possible for a betta owner, so they often just want to snap a quick picture of their fish in its home.

Depending on the kind of tank your fish is in, you will have to be careful on distortion from the tank. Minibows are bad at this. If your fish IS in a minibow, it is best to take photos from the flat area of the tank if you can. This eliminates distortion as much as possible.

Proper lighting is hardest when you take a photo if the fish in its usual home. Even with a light on the tanklid, often times people resort to a flash. As mentioned before, the flash often will bring out too much of the metallic shine in a fish and will not be an accurate representation of your fish’s color. Therefore, bringing in other lights, like desk lamps, to set up near the tank will help you tone down the strength of the flash to get the best shots. And, as with the photo tank, cleaning the water spots off is a MUST for clear pictures.

Basically, once your lighting is set, the process is the same as with the photo taking tank. Stimulate and snap away!


_*“Do I need an expensive camera?”*_
The one question I hear most often when asking about betta pictures is “Do I need an expensive camera?” The short answer is no. Just because some of us nerds are packing digital rebels does not mean that you, average Joe, have to go run out and get a $700+ camera just to share betta photos. Here is a list of features and a few suggestions for how to pick a good camera.

*Features to look for in a good betta photo taking camera:*

- Macro: This feature allows the user to take pictures of items much closer up than a normal camera range. It is generally closer to about 3 feet in front of the camera. The macro feature is generally denoted by a flower shaped icon or selection on your camera.

- Fast shutter speed: In cheaper, every-day cameras, you cannot control the shutter speed. However, some cameras react faster than others. Ones with a fast reaction time are best, since bettas move FAST!

- More than 4 megapixels: This is just added as a formality. Nearly all the new cameras being sold today are over 4 megapixels, but in the case of an older camera, 4 megapixels and up is what I personally recommend. Now, this is not a requirement. There are perfectly good pictures out with cameras of 3 megapixels or less, but for resizing and cropping later, the larger the picture and the higher the megapixels, the more you have to work with.

- Optical zoom: In addition to the macro feature, this will help you get closer, clearer shots of your fish. Don’t bother with digital zoom – that really is a resolution killer in pictures you take with the camera. Plus, too zoomed in and you miss a chance at a photo when the fish turns out of your frame.

Now, if you’re looking for a new camera to take photos with, the best thing I can suggest to you is go to the store and play with the cameras. You can get a good feel for their shutter speed, macro abilities and just how comfortable you are with them. It all comes down to what you feel best with. Also, you’re not going to buy a camera just for taking pictures of your fish (or maybe you will….) so try to get a good all around camera that you can use in other endeavors. And remember, you shouldn’t have to pay more than $200 for a good camera.

*3 Most Common Mistakes*
Here is a list of the 3 most common mistakes I see in betta photography. Mostly surfing message boards and forums, I see these mistakes and just sigh. They’re usually very easy to remedy, if the person realizes what they’ve done and can fix it. Keep a lookout for these slip ups while you shoot and you should be able to avoid a problem.

*1.* The fuzzy shot – Most often, the fuzzy shot is caused by not focusing in the right area. Some people just aim the camera and snap, without taking the time to notice what is in focus. One suggestion to remedy this problem is take a step back and take your picture from farther back, then crop the picture and zoom in on the computer. With a higher resolution camera, this should still yield a great, clear picture. Also, take a moment to notice where your fish is in the frame. You don’t want to be focusing past it, or you’ll get the plants, gravel, other tank, shelf, decoration, etc behind it in focus, while your otherwise beautiful fish will just be a colorful blurry blob in the foreground. You should be able to focus most cameras by holding the shutter button down halfway while pointing the camera at what you want to be in focus. Then once you have the fish in focus, press the button the rest of the way down.

*2.* The water marks – As I mentioned in the picture taking section, water marks are a big distraction. Take the time to wipe your tank front clean and you’ll not only get a nicer shot, you’ll get a clearer one too. The water marks can distract the camera, causing it to focus much closer to you and farther away from the fish. This goes for photo taking tanks and your fish’s normal habitat.

*3.* The dreaded flash – When people just want to take a picture of their pet fish, they usually grab a camera and take a shot. Often times, when you’re not accounting for the lighting, the flash will go off to try and provide more light. But, the problem is 1. this will bring out too much of the iridescence in your fish and 2. the flash’s glare on the tank side will often obscure your fish and ruin an otherwise perfect shot. As mentioned before, bringing in more lighting around you to light the tank and fish will cut down, if not eliminate, the damage done by the flash.


*Conclusion:*
Once you’ve taken your photos and uploaded them to your computer, you can crop, resize and play with the lighting to improve the result. Even the best lighting will not always result in that “perfect” shot, so often, some photo editing on the computer is needed. I won’t go into that in this sheet, though, because that is an entirely other subject.

Don’t be afraid to try something new and experiment. You never know what kind of trick you’ll discover!


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## kirby13580

This is interesting, but shouldn't this be in another section? And thanks because I shoot horrible photos...


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## teeneythebetta

Wow I love this thread. SOMEONE MAKE IT A STICKY!! 

I know this isnt of a betta but I recently took this AMAZING picture of a lizard and my camera is a crappy camera- its nothing special xD


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## Junglist

I put this here since people like to browse on pictures on bettas and I know some of you may wonder how do they take nice pics like that, So i decided to post it on here and see if it helps and encourage people that they don't need a expensive camera to take nice photos 

@Teeneythebetta- Wow! that's awesome!


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## kirby13580

Not many people are viewing this post...


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## kirby13580

Anyways, here's a pixel art I made...


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## teeneythebetta

kirby13580 said:


> Not many people are viewing this post...


It might take awhile.


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## Destinystar

Here is Perseus taken today with my iphone I think the colors look great, the leaf in the background is IAL, I love the color it makes the water !


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## Junglist

Yes indeed it just need patients, It may not be the right thread but I'm sure the moderator can put it in the right place. My apologies if anyone doesn't like it


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## teeneythebetta

Junglist said:


> Yes indeed it just need patients, It may not be the right thread but I'm sure the moderator can put it in the right place. My apologies if anyone doesn't like it


How is this in the wrong section? I don't get it. LOL I think it's in the perfect place.


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## Junglist

It sure does bring out the true colors in Perseus



Perseusmom said:


> Here is Perseus taken today with my iphone I think the colors look great, the leaf in the background is IAL, I love the color it makes the water !


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## Destinystar

Yes I love it shows his true colors, he is getting better at posing for me he used to swim away every time I tried to get a picture...lol


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## Sakura8

That's a very nice guide, Junglist. Did you write it yourself?


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## CathrynFish

I never use flash on my betta when i try to take a picture...but they are camera shy. they know my phone when they see it  they are so silly


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## Pitluvs

I think it's in an OK place, some people just like to complain. Thank you for posting this, will help many get those lovely photos of their fish. Myself, I know my cheapo $50 Kodak well enough to get great shots, in any situation lol I so want a Rebel tho!!


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## Junglist

No I did not, but I wish I did. I was just browsing the internet on how to take nice shots with Macro and I stomped along a thread that was on point on taking pics of bettas.

I messaged her about it and ask permission if I can use it. 



Sakura8 said:


> That's a very nice guide, Junglist. Did you write it yourself?


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## Sakura8

Oh, did she reply back? If so, let me know her name and I'll add a "courtesy of so-and-so" to the original posts.


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## bettabubbles25




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## lelei

I love this, when I first started taking pix, of my fish, my first one, I had no idea how everyone got those beautiful, and natural looking pix..so I did my best, and some came out ok, but I have been practicing, and this guide posted here, will help anyone who wants that perfect shot, I am still practicing, but I am getting some pretty cool pix..well considering for the past 3months my computer is loaded with fishy pix..


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## Mo

I use a setup similar to that and these are the pics I get with an iPhone


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## Sakura8

You took those pics with an iPhone?!?! Wow, I'm impressed.


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## Junglist

Wow! I think the picture contest has gotten more challenging, Those are great pics MO


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## Mo

Thanks. And yes all of them were with an iPhone


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## Mo




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## bettabubbles25

my picture was also taken with an iphone, but that betta has since passed on. i have a new one now that wont sit still for any good photo lol and i am thinking about getting a new one soon so maybe i can take som good pictures then!


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## EmZajex

My pictures are so terrible but I can never get the betta to sit still enough for long. I don't like making them flare up because I don't want them to be upset :c


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## teeneythebetta

EmZajex said:


> My pictures are so terrible but I can never get the betta to sit still enough for long. I don't like making them flare up because I don't want them to be upset :c


Flaring is good exercise. You just have to make sure whatever you use to make him flare, like a mirror) isn't around 24/7, some get stressed over that or flare too much.


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## lavendre

I agree. This is a perfect home for this post. Makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing.


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## LittleFish2012

What do you do when the fish is afraid of the camera??
Seriously- I have one that goes into hiding every time!
Whenever he sees me coming, he's gone.

...And then there's the other one who wants to destroy the camera. But he's not the problem.


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## teeneythebetta

LittleFish2012 said:


> What do you do when the fish is afraid of the camera??
> Seriously- I have one that goes into hiding every time!
> Whenever he sees me coming, he's gone.
> 
> ...And then there's the other one who wants to destroy the camera. But he's not the problem.


Is the one that is afraid a new one?
Sometimes they're a little shy when you first bring them
Home


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## LittleFish2012

teeneythebetta said:


> Is the one that is afraid a new one?
> Sometimes they're a little shy when you first bring them
> Home


 
No, when I first brought him home, he seemed indifferent. He kinda developed this fear. Its so strange.


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## jag14

I've been shooting various animals since I was 5. None of them will do what you want when you want it. I enjoy shooting my fish tanks, I take about a zillion shots and delete all but the good ones. Nice thing about digital. I need a little better lighting in my office to shoot my betta properly. I get a lot irridescent coloring with my flash and not enough light to shoot without the flash. Lots of practice and patience will usually pay off with that one great shot you were trying to get.


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## Perry the platypus

teeneythebetta said:


> Wow I love this thread. SOMEONE MAKE IT A STICKY!!
> 
> I know this isnt of a betta but I recently took this AMAZING picture of a lizard and my camera is a crappy camera- its nothing special xD


Cool lizard! what kind of camera do you suggest me to use? All of my cameras take fuzzy shots. I focus real hard but they come out blurry.


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## Lynntastic

The minibows aren't _too_ bad with distortion. I keep my betta in a 2.5 and the only problem photographing him that I have is getting him to sit still long enough for me to focus manually (autofocus likes to focus on the front of the tank even when I shoot close).


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## Bettanewbie60

teeneythebetta said:


> How is this in the wrong section? I don't get it. LOL I think it's in the perfect place.


Exactly what I was thinking...how to take better pictures in the betta pictures section? Sounds right to me!


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## copperarabian

I always prefer natural sunlight from a window, I feel it's second to none when it comes to representing the fish's color and overall quality of the shot.

here's a few photo's I took using natural light.


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## jag14

I like to use natural light too, but I have an office with no windows. My Sapphire is getting better about posing for me, and I am going to bring in an extra light to see if that helps to catch the natural colors. He has a new ship ornament and I would like to catch him coming out of it. One way I have less trouble with a flash is shooting from farther away from the tank and using my zoom to close up on the tank. I can always edit the photos later to enlarge the area I want. I mostly use my cheap Kodak point and shoot, but I do have a good Kodak Z990 at home.


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## rubinthebetta

Perseusmom said:


> Here is Perseus taken today with my iphone I think the colors look great, the leaf in the background is IAL, I love the color it makes the water !


Did you use an app to take and edit the pic? If you did, can you tell me the name of the app? Sorry, its just that i'm _always_ trying to find something to take super good pics of Rubin, especially since Photo+ is making the pics super blurry.:-(


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## jag14

I can edit pictures from my camera. I crop up on the part I want and keep the good part. Then delete the original shot.


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## Perry the platypus

Mo said:


> I use a setup similar to that and these are the pics I get with an iPhone


nice my camera all of them take fuzzy shots no matter how concentrated I am.


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## Lynntastic

copperarabian said:


> I always prefer natural sunlight from a window, I feel it's second to none when it comes to representing the fish's color and overall quality of the shot.
> 
> here's a few photo's I took using natural light.
> *snip*


Out of curiosity, what lens do you use? That's a fantastic amount of detail in the photos.


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## copperarabian

Lynntastic said:


> Out of curiosity, what lens do you use? That's a fantastic amount of detail in the photos.


I use a 18mm-55mm with my ISO as low as I can(preferably 100-200). Since I'm not using a macro lens a low ISO allows me to crop a image more without it looking bad because of noise.


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## RichardA

Most of this info is all really good! However I must interject here some. 

Megapixels do not make a bit of difference unless utilized correctly. Here is a sample of what I am saying, this shot is with a 4.2 megapixel camera. The difference is that the sensor is bigger then the entire camera lens on a point and shoot.










Lighting and composition is far more important then the megapixel count.

I see a lot of great shots here and there, but the fish has a seam behind it or something. The fish itself is stellar! Nice and sharp, great colors, all of it is great, just too much going on in the background taking away from the shot. That is why the OP talked about the empty tank.


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## RichardA

Another shot. This really isnt the place to share shots on the forum but it shows what you can do with lighting.


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## Lynntastic

copperarabian said:


> I use a 18mm-55mm with my ISO as low as I can(preferably 100-200). Since I'm not using a macro lens a low ISO allows me to crop a image more without it looking bad because of noise.


Really? I think I have an old 18-55 somewhere, I'll dust it off and give it a try! I also just thought about using my 50mm since that's a very bright lens.


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## Hallyx

I won't make any friends with this post, but....

I'm a focus snob. (sorry) For me, nothing detracts more from a photo than bad focus and coarse grain. Inareverie and Copperarabian are two of very few photogs here that really get consistently well-focused pics. Mo's dragonscale pics are nearly as well in-focus as those taken by more highly-regarded photographers.

Richard A's pics of his wife's big-ear shown here: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/betta-pictures/new-photo-booth-trials-116325/page2/ are exquisitely in focus and are the only examples on that thread or this one.

Shooting with ISO over 100 shows unacceptable grain in any digital camera I've seen. Shooting at less than 1/100sec shows any small motion focus problems unless the fish is stock still and a tripod or steadying device is used.

If your aperture is f2.8 max, typical of most small cameras and cell-phones, it's not likely that you'll be able to use a shutter speed much above 1/30sec unless you blast the scene with light (which can cause glare and contrast problems). It's a rare photo that will be in-focus at that setting. This is my problem, as it is with most of us using inexpensive cameras with small lenses, not megapixels.

And, just so I can offend everyone...in my not so humble opinion, portrait photos of fish are just as boring as portrait photos of people or any other subject.

@Mo,

What is this magnificent creature?


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## Mo

Hallyx. that is a member of the anatabid (sp?) family. It is a sparkling gourami


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## Mo

If anybody is interested in seeing my setup. Just ask.

PHOTOS TAKEN BY IPHONE


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## bryzy

View attachment 69379

i get some of my best shots with my IPhone 4S
Sorry. Not a betta. My hermie on a towel with a build a bear box as a background. Just got bored.


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## Okami

wow impressive photos! Especily if that was taken via a phone. I need to get pics of mine and my set up and piost them soon


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## bryzy

Thanks!


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## carbonxxkidd

RichardA said:


> Another shot. This really isnt the place to share shots on the forum but it shows what you can do with lighting.


I'm in love with this photo! WOW!


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## elijah007

Here is a photo I took outdoors for great lighting. Canus is a halfmoon.


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## DoubleTail1

I was just taking some pictures or the new neon tetra I just added in with my betta. I normally take pictures of him... So every time I tried to take a picture of the tetra, my betta would come in front of the camera (blocking my view of the tetra) and spread all his fins out and sit there. As if he was saying look at me! Look at me! It was funny.


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## Saphira101

Awesome thread!!


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## Krys

If I don't have the flash on, all my pictures come out blurry. The shutter is actually faster with the flash and I can't set it. So i just have to hold the camera at certain angles so the flash doesn't glare.


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## Hallyx

Rather than a flash you might try extra lighting, preferable at a different angle, one that doesn't glare at the camera. A low angle can be dramatic. Play with it.


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## Krys

Hallyx said:


> Rather than a flash you might try extra lighting, preferable at a different angle, one that doesn't glare at the camera. A low angle can be dramatic. Play with it.


... ... ... Again. All my pictures come out blurry without the flash, it doesn't take the picture fast enough.


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## Mo

elijah007 said:


> http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4806102552012&set=a.1976575055593.2115124.1279618238&type=3&theater
> 
> Here is a photo I took outdoors for great lighting. Canus is a halfmoon.


I can't see it


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## LittleBettaFish

That's the one good thing about splendens, they can display really well in an empty tank with good lighting and a mirror. 

I would love to get some nice clear shots of my fish sans all the equipment and dodgy backgrounds, but mine never display well in anything but their own tanks. For me, lighting is an issue as because of the amount of tannins I use the tanks are very dark. Then when I go to put the strong light over the tanks to compensate all my fish go poof. 

I have to say having a good camera definitely makes up for my lack of photography skills. My point and shoot was lucky to give me one good shot for ever 100 I took. My mum's canon on the other hand, tends to give decent shots even if I just point it at the tank and press the button. 

This is probably one of the best couple of photos I have taken. 



















I am lucky in that the killifish displayed well even under bright light and that the green provided a nice contrast to their colouring.


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## Hadoken Kitty

I would like to show that sometimes, it is the lack of light that can make a difference. I'm not a professional, but I found that when I used a single light in a dark room, I got a beautiful picture.


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## acominghome

one of my unique bettas...


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## acominghome

carbonxxkidd said:


> I'm in love with this photo! WOW!


it is amazing!!! congratulations...


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## acominghome

a flash ruins the picture for sure, so use extra light instead of the flash...


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## acominghome

copperarabian said:


> I always prefer natural sunlight from a window, I feel it's second to none when it comes to representing the fish's color and overall quality of the shot.
> 
> here's a few photo's I took using natural light.


eyecatching...really fantastic...


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## Mohawk

Great article! I was just wondering what you would suggest for ISO and AF settings on a point-and-shoot digital. My beta moves around so much I can't seem to get very many clear shots. 
Also, I recently learned about a close-up macro lens for point-and-shoot digitals called Little Big Shot. I bought it for product photography, but it works great for betta photography too. Now if I can just get the little bugger to stay still!


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## Gallium

Isn't this the sticky from ultimatebettas? Shouldn't there at least be credit given?


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## Goldie2nd

I personally loved it because it gave me a few ideas on how to better take pictures of my Bettas so thank you!


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## Kiara1125

Gallium said:


> Isn't this the sticky from ultimatebettas? Shouldn't there at least be credit given?


There's a lot of regurgitated information on the internet, so I guess it would be hard to find the official source. Is it completely original on there?


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## Gallium

As far as I know it is. I could be wrong though, but it looks like the one here is a copy+paste of the one there, minus some info. I've never seen it posted anywhere else but there is always the chance I'm wrong of course.


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## Betta Bonnie

*iphone photos*

Not great at picture taking, but these guys are so photogenic, my six beautiful boys


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## Vickytoria3112

I love this thread. Here is a pic of my EE taken with my phone without flash and only using the lighting from the tank.


"Elfy"




















Taken with my HTC Evo phone. My Avatar was with flash.


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## carbonxxkidd

Taken with a Nikon D3200. He's a show off.


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## Kiara1125

Gorgeous dragon scaling on his face! I love how he's orange too. Beautiful.


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## Inkwell

Thanks for the extra knowledge! Here's a picture of my betta. He's super camera shy and usually swims away when he sees the camera.


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## MissDevio

My little Poseidon <3


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## Willowsong

LittleBettaFish said:


> That's the one good thing about splendens, they can display really well in an empty tank with good lighting and a mirror.
> 
> I would love to get some nice clear shots of my fish sans all the equipment and dodgy backgrounds, but mine never display well in anything but their own tanks. For me, lighting is an issue as because of the amount of tannins I use the tanks are very dark. Then when I go to put the strong light over the tanks to compensate all my fish go poof.
> 
> I have to say having a good camera definitely makes up for my lack of photography skills. My point and shoot was lucky to give me one good shot for ever 100 I took. My mum's canon on the other hand, tends to give decent shots even if I just point it at the tank and press the button.
> 
> This is probably one of the best couple of photos I have taken.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am lucky in that the killifish displayed well even under bright light and that the green provided a nice contrast to their colouring.


What kind of Killifish are these? I wanna do some research about them for a possible 120 gallon community tank I wanna do someday.


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## LittleBettaFish

Those are Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum Ijebu Ode. Don't have them any more because I was an idiot and never used to quarantine.


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## Willowsong

LittleBettaFish said:


> Those are Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum Ijebu Ode. Don't have them any more because I was an idiot and never used to quarantine.


Awww, they are very pretty.


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## OutOurDoor

Obviously not every one has the chance to use more professional equipment but if you know lighting off camera flashes/umbrellas work wonders. While still getting true colors. Again this isn't always an option for everybody. I took these this afternoon messing around with a small tank, marco lens and one off to the side umbrella flash.


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## riorider

How did you get the background white?


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## riorider

OutOurDoor said:


> Obviously not every one has the chance to use more professional equipment but if you know lighting off camera flashes/umbrellas work wonders. While still getting true colors. Again this isn't always an option for everybody. I took these this afternoon messing around with a small tank, marco lens and one off to the side umbrella flash.


Those are gorgeous!


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## MrsRowell706

How do you take the photo and focus on on thing and make the rest blurry?


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## Kithy

MrsRowell706 said:


> How do you take the photo and focus on on thing and make the rest blurry?


Editing. Picmonkey.com has a lot of great editing tools for free (some require payment).


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## Hallyx

MrsRowell706 said:


> How do you take the photo and focus on on thing and make the rest blurry?


Do you want the subject in focus in the foreground with a soft-focus background?

Try the largest lens-opening (f-stop) you can get with as fast a shutter speed as you need.


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## OutOurDoor

The picture with the blue fish was just as is because the type of macro lens I used. Around 2.8 f-stop.


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## BettaSpoiler900

ya... lol! This post helped! Thanks!!!  

I have a question.... why do people make them flare for photos?

Thx


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## KawaiiRainbowMuffin

I always take pictures of my little Sushi but I do not have proper lighting to show off his colors properly. :l Also the focus on my camera is very slow and I can't find a macro feature which sucks. Also Sushi is always on the move so if there is an app out there that anyone can suggest that would be great. Something with macro fast focus etc. Thanks! <3


----------



## MrsRowell706

Hallyx said:


> Do you want the subject in focus in the foreground with a soft-focus background?
> 
> Try the largest lens-opening (f-stop) you can get with as fast a shutter speed as you need.


Yes but I don't have a high tech camera I have a Panasonic lumix how do choose a large lens opening?


----------



## Hallyx

You can't do it with an app, KRM. The camera has to be capable of opening up the lens, so you can use faster shutter speeds to stop motion. 

Macro means real close-up. But it also means you can't open the lens as much. OutOurDoor has a good macro lens that can shoot close-ups with a large lens opening (2.8 f-stop aperture setting).


----------



## Hallyx

For a simple point&shoot like the Lumix: Find your settings dial. Set it on AP (Aperture Priority) Set that to f-4.5 (I think that's the largest opening you can get). Your shutter speed will automatically be set by the camera. That's the best you can do on any camera.

Also look and see if you have a macro setting.


----------



## MrsRowell706

Hallyx said:


> For a simple point&shoot like the Lumix: Find your settings dial. Set it on AP (Aperture Priority) Set that to f-4.5 (I think that's the largest opening you can get). Your shutter speed will automatically be set by the camera. That's the best you can do on any camera.
> 
> Also look and see if you have a macro setting.


 
Ok I will look at that as soon as I get home from work Thank you I love taking pictures and would love a really good high end camera but don't think that will happen any time soon lol and where would I see if it has the macro setting?


----------



## OutOurDoor

Macro settings aren't super necessary it will also make it a lot harder to get a good focus. You have to be very quick. It will how ever get you the blur you are looking for possible, im not 100% on a point and shoot. Also if your point and shoot camera let's you bump up the ISO you can get it to shoot a lot faster because it will bring in more light but the higher the number the grainer the picture will be which I my self try to avoid.


----------



## OutOurDoor

So I made this to show the particular settings I used for the Kelpie photos. Basically the reason this photo doesn't have much blur compared to the others, even though I was using the same marco lens, is because his whole body and most fins are on the same focal plan (where the focus was). So if he was turned where his fins were in back of him then the fins would be blurred because they aren't on the same area the focus was on (you can tell a little by looking at the pelvic fins in this photo). Not sure if that makes sense but it's the best way I could explain it. 










I have a couple new babies since xmas so think later this week I will try to get some more pictures and see if I can do the same set up with the same outcome. I can also post a few pictures with the settings used if you would like. 

But because DSLR's and certain lenses get so much different outcomes then just regular point and shoot it might be hard to get the same kind of photos. Most point and shoots do have manual modes that let you control a lot more.


----------



## MrsRowell706

OutOurDoor said:


> So I made this to show the particular settings I used for the Kelpie photos. Basically the reason this photo doesn't have much blur compared to the others, even though I was using the same marco lens, is because his whole body and most fins are on the same focal plan (where the focus was). So if he was turned where his fins were in back of him then the fins would be blurred because they aren't on the same area the focus was on (you can tell a little by looking at the pelvic fins in this photo). Not sure if that makes sense but it's the best way I could explain it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a couple new babies since xmas so think later this week I will try to get some more pictures and see if I can do the same set up with the same outcome. I can also post a few pictures with the settings used if you would like.
> 
> But because DSLR's and certain lenses get so much different outcomes then just regular point and shoot it might be hard to get the same kind of photos. Most point and shoots do have manual modes that let you control a lot more.


 
wow I love that picture!!! Ill have to play around with my cameras maybe one day my husband will buy me a good camera lol but who knows my lumex is suppose to be a good one its a $400 camera that we won but I think the price is based on the fact that its durable and water proof not so much for the quality of pics or maybe I just need to learn more on how to change the settings and modes it has I went threw all the preset modes and really didn't like any of them even just the regular smart capture setting.


----------



## OutOurDoor

MrsRowell706 said:


> wow I love that picture!!! Ill have to play around with my cameras maybe one day my husband will buy me a good camera lol but who knows my lumex is suppose to be a good one its a $400 camera that we won but I think the price is based on the fact that its durable and water proof not so much for the quality of pics or maybe I just need to learn more on how to change the settings and modes it has I went threw all the preset modes and really didn't like any of them even just the regular smart capture setting.


What kind of model is your Lumex? I can check out online what kind of functions it has for you and report back.


----------



## MrsRowell706

It is a Lumix TS3 and thank you so much... I looked at your camera and I could only dream of having such a nice camera I love taking pictures I should have went to school for it


----------



## Hallyx

Thanks OOD for that really good explanation and example. Looking forward to your newpics, especially if you include the exposure information.

BTW, on your photo, I think you have the _shutter-speed_ mislabeled as aperture.


----------



## OutOurDoor

Thanks Hallyx fixed!


----------



## Tree

OutOurDoor said:


> So I made this to show the particular settings I used for the Kelpie photos. Basically the reason this photo doesn't have much blur compared to the others, even though I was using the same marco lens, is because his whole body and most fins are on the same focal plan (where the focus was). So if he was turned where his fins were in back of him then the fins would be blurred because they aren't on the same area the focus was on (you can tell a little by looking at the pelvic fins in this photo). Not sure if that makes sense but it's the best way I could explain it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a couple new babies since xmas so think later this week I will try to get some more pictures and see if I can do the same set up with the same outcome. I can also post a few pictures with the settings used if you would like.
> 
> But because DSLR's and certain lenses get so much different outcomes then just regular point and shoot it might be hard to get the same kind of photos. Most point and shoots do have manual modes that let you control a lot more.


Nice explanation and beautiful shot! Those are pretty much the settings I use for my Canon. but I really should try to put a black background in with my shots. 8D
I am lucky that all of my bettas LOVE the camera. XD They get all excited when I come by with it.


----------



## dragonmischief

I wonder how some people had such nice shots of Bettas. I have a very nice digital camera, but my fish pic have not been very good. As in all things in photography there are little secrets - I think this is a helpful thread.


----------



## dragonmischief

Hallyx said:


> Also look and see if you have a macro setting.


Good suggestion


----------



## SeaCity

Thanks for the info. I just have my Samsung Galaxy II to take pictures with, but sometimes I manage to get lucky.


----------



## Hallyx

Sometimes luck is a matter of taking 100 pictures and keeping.... one. 

That may be the greatest thing about digital.


----------



## MattsBettas

> Sometimes luck is a matter of taking 100 pictures and keeping.... one.


That's true no matter what you're photographing... With digital cameras, you can take a thousand photos to later narrow it down to fifty that are actually what you want. Always take more then you think you need. 

So for every photo I get like this- 

I probably get five I delete.


----------



## Kiara1125

SeaCity, that's an amazing betta and photos! I never knew the SII could take such good pictures. The best picture I could get with a macro setting was a Kodak EasyShare C190. It's of my blue marble HM male, Daemon. The second one is my blue dragonscale combtail female, Apocalyptica. The photo of Apocalyptica was taken with my iPod Touch 5th Generation. The third photo is again with my iPod. It's of my red cambodian PK, Owl.


----------



## dragonmischief

Wow, there are some are great pics...  I have a Canon 60D camera, so I have no excuse for not getting great pics, except practice.


----------



## Kiara1125

I decided to play with my mom's FujiFilm FinePix S3200 last night. Got some nice pictures! As for the Kodak though, I like my iPod more than it. It's 5MP instead of 12MP, but it has a better quality. The S3200 is 14MP. It actually did pretty well even though the fish were moving. I can't get the full on close up super macro shots yet.


----------



## Hallyx

The number of megapixels is less important than the ability to open the lens, to shoot at a lower f-stop. This allows you to use a faster shutter speed to cut down on motion blur on the subjects end. Using a tripod helps with this on the photographers end.


----------



## dragonmischief

I have a tripod, guess I will have to set it up, but I did want to wait till I get my 2nd Betta and then I can photograph both. Can't get over what nice shots you guys/gals have taken - just lovely - all such pretty fish.


----------



## Tree

really great shots of your bettas! I really wanna take my bettas out of their tank and place them in a smaller tank that has a black or white background but I would be too nervous that I would stress them out. any tips on how transport them to another tank? should I just adjust the temp and prime it and put them in? or should I use the water in their tanks?


----------



## Kiara1125

I would just use the water in their tanks. Put the tank water in the "pic tank" and then put the betta in. After you're done, dump everything else back into the original tank. It'd be easier to dump the betta back in the tank than to net it out again.


----------



## Hallyx

I think it makes for a better photo to shoot in his display tank. More challenging, of course, but better for the fish.

There is something to be said for that formal "portrait" look, however.


----------



## dragonmischief

Hallyx said:


> There is something to be said for that formal "portrait" look, however.


:lol::lol: 'Formal Betta portrait' too funny.


----------



## kphillips0899

can we post 30 sec videos  ?


----------



## Hallyx

Please not on this thread. They take up a lot of space on the forum. And many of us cannot play them..

Actually there should be very few pictures on this thread. The purpose this thread is to exchange ideas and improve understanding of techniques. equipment, lighting, displays and tips-and-tricks for taking good photographs of fish. 

Pictures that illustrate aspects of picture-taking are encouraged. But there are other threads on the forum for showing off your fish.


----------



## kirby13580

I had the first comment and now look at this! Also, this should be a pretty important topic... and I think for videos, you should upload them privately on YouTube or something and link it to us.


----------



## Hallyx

That's a good idea, kirby. Thank you.


----------



## kphillips0899

crappy pic lol does my betta have fin rot? i can get a better pic of him flared. acts like a normal happy betta


----------



## kphillips0899

even has a big ole bubble nest which I'm sure he's proud of.


----------



## kirby13580

Please make your own topic. Anyways, it looks fine to me. Please research yourself, as people can't go in your house and stare at your fish in real life (probably). I think it's just the fin shape that looks "rotty."


----------



## kphillips0899

sorry, still getting used to the whole posting and posting correctly. Thank you for the feed back. I really do appreciate it


----------



## knottymare

dragonmischief said:


> :lol::lol: 'Formal Betta portrait' too funny.


It made me laugh, too! I love them all, formal, informal, even fuzzy! :lol:


----------



## BettaStarter24

View attachment 323841


View attachment 323849


First is my current VT (no name, going between Merlin and Jasper) second is my recently passed VT, Ignus with his bubble nest.


----------



## Hallyx

I assume you've posted those photos to invite constructive criticism. That is, of course, the purpose of this thread.

---Bubbles (or anything else) on the glass is not good. 
---A contrasting background is better. The green plant is good.
---Unless the background is unusual or important, the object should fill the frame. 
---Tighter focus.
---Bubblenest shots are sometimes cute, but you need tighter focus.
---The foreground (bubbles) are in better focus then the object (fish). This is nearly imossible to avoid with an autofocus camera. It's one of the the hardest things I have to overcome.
---The tank rim should never show (unless it's a picture of a tank).


----------



## BettaStarter24

Hallyx said:


> I assume you've posted those photos to invite constructive criticism. That is, of course, the purpose of this thread.
> 
> ---Bubbles (or anything else) on the glass is not good.
> ---A contrasting background is better. The green plant is good.
> ---Unless the background is unusual or important, the object should fill the frame.
> ---Tighter focus.
> ---Bubblenest shots are sometimes cute, but you need tighter focus.
> ---The foreground (bubbles) are in better focus then the object (fish). This is nearly imossible to avoid with an autofocus camera. It's one of the the hardest things I have to overcome.
> ---The tank rim should never show (unless it's a picture of a tank).



View attachment 324922


View attachment 324914


These were taken today. Thanks for the advice, I was trying to get a good picture of some new coloration under his chin and found out his colors are different under flash. The tank wall reflected the flash off of one of the pictures.


----------



## Hallyx

Yeah, flash has a different color temp and tint than you 6500K tank-light.


----------



## DenaTaggart

*Thanks*

Good information. Thank you for post


----------



## blue sky

*hello*

sorry wrong photo


----------



## blue sky

*hello*

sorry here are the photos:-D natural light vs artifical light. which one is better? soorry about the water spots and tank rim.
the above ones are my pratice photos i posted acedentaliy


----------



## Pippin

The natural light is probably going to be more accurate on his color. The artificial is a lot more pretty and colorful.


----------



## Rimbaum

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it here, but I remember on a doll forum I used to visit, there was a suggestion of putting a piece of paper in front of the flash to 'soften' the hard edge from it. I'm wondering if anyone's done this before with bettas?

EDIT: NOW I remember! They called it a diffuser, I think.


----------



## Kithy

Rimbaum said:


> I don't know if anyone's mentioned it here, but I remember on a doll forum I used to visit, there was a suggestion of putting a piece of paper in front of the flash to 'soften' the hard edge from it. I'm wondering if anyone's done this before with bettas?
> 
> EDIT: NOW I remember! They called it a diffuser, I think.


That's an interesting idea!


----------



## Tree

What I wanna try is taking a picture without the flash. I can get great shots with my flash but my boys colors change. but when I don't use flash, I get blurry shots at times. =/


----------



## Kithy

Tree said:


> What I wanna try is taking a picture without the flash. I can get great shots with my flash but my boys colors change. but when I don't use flash, I get blurry shots at times. =/


Same :<

The flash brings out the metallic which is nice but it's not the color I'm trying to capture.


----------



## Hallyx

The more light you can get on the subject, the faster shutter speed you can use, which means less motion blur. More light ... MORE light for sharper pictures.

Diffusion is a time-honored way of getting a gentler, less-shadowy, lower contrast light. Try that. Try mirrors to reflect more light onto the subject.


----------



## Tree

Kithy said:


> Same :<
> 
> The flash brings out the metallic which is nice but it's not the color I'm trying to capture.


at least I am not the only one. XD



Hallyx said:


> The more light you can get on the subject, the faster shutter speed you can use, which means less motion blur. More light ... MORE light for sharper pictures.
> 
> Diffusion is a time-honored way of getting a gentler, less-shadowy, lower contrast light. Try that. Try mirrors to reflect more light onto the subject.


Oooh good idea with the mirrors. I don't want to take my bettas out of their homes to do photo shoots. my room is only bright enough when the sun sets and the lights in my room are too dim. I might add more light with my LEDs and add in the mirrors for more light. =)


----------



## Kithy

I'm looking for a camera with manually adjustable shutter speed but it seems like only DSLR camera are like that. And they're generally WAY out of my price range ^_^

Is it a good idea to shine light directly onto the tank from another source, like a desk lamp or something? Will that help? I love taking pictures of my fish but they like to be difficult and some of my tanks have crappy light D:


----------



## Hallyx

It's fun to experiment with lighting. Different angles, top, back, side (especially side). Different color temperature (Kelvin). Mid-daylight and most plant lights are 6500K. 

Most cameras have at least shutter-priority (TV) and aperture-priority (AV) settings, even cheap ones these days. You don't need a DSLR. In fact, modern view-screen cameras are easier to handle and more flexible, in my opinion.


----------



## Kithy

Not mine or not that I've found when I went through the settings. It only lets me pick from various "scenes". But at least it has a setting for food. I mean.. where would I be without that :rofl:


----------



## Hallyx

Kithy said:


> It only lets me pick from various "scenes".


Find an "action" setting, or a setting that would use or want a bright light. That should get you the fastest shutter speed.


----------



## Kithy

Hallyx said:


> Find an "action" setting, or a setting that would use or want a bright light. That should get you the fastest shutter speed.


oh. I feel silly. Thank you 

"Sports" scene worked awesome. I checked and with just room lighting it was at 1/40. Brought my little LED lamp in and it went to 1/80. Not bad for 100$ camera though.


----------



## Polkadot

Very nice.

I hate how my dumb camera (no matter what setting I use) takes lousy pics of my beautiful boys.Will definitely be investing in a better betta camera soon.


----------



## crowley




----------



## Kiara1125

crowley, this is your picture. What a gorgeous girl you have!


----------



## fleetfish

*Radagast*

sorry, wrong post!


----------



## Kiley320

http://www.bettafish.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=417178&stc=1&d=1408506959
How's this?


----------



## Kiara1125

Kiley320 said:


> http://www.bettafish.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=417178&stc=1&d=1408506959
> How's this?


The attachment isn't valid.


----------



## Kiley320

Oh oops haha. This one should work.


----------



## Tree

oh what a pretty shot! I love how he blends into the plant. =)


----------



## Kiley320

Thanks


----------



## InStitches

oops wrong thread


----------



## amphirion

what people seem to also not know is that a good amount of post processing goes into making a good picture. 

here is one of my unprocessed photos:








specs:
Canon EOS 20D
F-stop: f/10
exposure time: 1/30 sec
ISO: 200
exposure bias -1
focal length @ 55 mm
Max aperture
Non Flash

then post processing:
tone, color and contrast/brightness balancing via photoshop
crop photo

which yields this:


----------



## Tree

amphirion said:


> what people seem to also not know is that a good amount of post processing goes into making a good picture.
> 
> here is one of my unprocessed photos:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> specs:
> Canon EOS 20D
> F-stop: f/10
> exposure time: 1/30 sec
> ISO: 200
> exposure bias -1
> focal length @ 55 mm
> Max aperture
> Non Flash
> 
> then post processing:
> tone, color and contrast/brightness balancing via photoshop
> crop photo
> 
> which yields this:



Agreed. Sometimes a good cropping makes the photo be balanced. Sometimes you can even make a blurry shot look crisp with photoshop but a lot of times it makes the photo distorted so it all depends on how much you fix the photo up.


----------



## Hallyx

Ohhh... a wrap of matching dragon/metallics (sibling?). I'll bet that spawn is beautiful. 

Great shot, especially with a 55mm lens at a relatively slow shutter speed. I'm sure the film-speed setting helped. Talk about cropping. EOS has a huge (35mm?) chip.

Yes, contrast, brightness, saturation and edge-quality controls can give the appearance of better focus --if not taken too far. In fact, high-contrast images are always seen as more in focus. It's how eyes work.


----------



## amphirion

Hallyx said:


> Ohhh... a wrap of matching dragon/metallics (sibling?). I'll bet that spawn is beautiful.


kids are still works in progress. growing. a bit slow. but still growing. the parents are surprisingly NOT siblings. each came from a different breeder which makes things a bit more exciting.


----------



## Tree

I just found out a perfect way to get a fishes color to pop out more when taking pictures. =D If you have a setting called "white balance" change it to florescent light, it shows their true colors. =)


----------



## JadeB

Hallyx said:


> Please not on this thread. They take up a lot of space on the forum. And many of us cannot play them..
> 
> Actually there should be very few pictures on this thread. The purpose this thread is to exchange ideas and improve understanding of techniques. equipment, lighting, displays and tips-and-tricks for taking good photographs of fish.
> 
> Pictures that illustrate aspects of picture-taking are encouraged. But there are other threads on the forum for showing off your fish.


I love this thread....It's awesome and has so much great information!! I'm learning everything at once. How to take care of my little guys, Blueberry & Shadow and how to take some good pictures of them. I don't know how to post pictures here either. Is there a sticky to learn how?


----------



## Hallyx

You take the best close-ups around here, Tree. Care to share you equipment specs and settings?


----------



## Tree

oh god... I never got this message. I am so sorry for the VERY late reply. =( 

and sure I will help out the best I can. so below is how I normaly take beta shots. I use Manual setting to get the full fish crisp, no blur to them except the background. I Also use an external flash, one that you can adjust the lighting to get the scales shine just right. it will also help with the glare a lot too. =) 

*Camera Data
Make*
Canon
*Model*
Canon EOS REBEL T3i
*Shutter Speed*
1/197 second
*Aperture*
F/16.0
*Focal Length*
270 mm
*ISO Speed*
400
*Date Taken*
Sep 30, 2014, 9:40:58 AM
*Lens*
18-270mm
*Sensor Size*
10mm

hope this helps. ^^ and again sorry for the late reply.


----------



## Hallyx

Canon's d-Rebel is a quality hobbyist's camera. I thought the chip was bigger, but size isn't everything. Why such small app and high film speed? 

I'm a big believer in focus, but I can't justify small f-stops, and I set a film speed of 50 to reduce grain. Of course, with my lens fully open (at only f2.8 -- sheesh) My shutter speeds are like 1/25th. The critter has to be almost perfectly still to even try to get a shot.

Good tip on white balance. Thanks


----------



## Tree

Hallyx said:


> Canon's d-Rebel is a quality hobbyist's camera. I thought the chip was bigger, but size isn't everything. Why such small app and high film speed?
> 
> I'm a big believer in focus, but I can't justify small f-stops, and I set a film speed of 50 to reduce grain. Of course, with my lens fully open (at only f2.8 -- sheesh) My shutter speeds are like 1/25th. The critter has to be almost perfectly still to even try to get a shot.
> 
> Good tip on white balance. Thanks



Since I use Manual mode a lot for my fish shots, curtain app and film speeds will cause the picture to become darker when high or lighter when low. Even when changing the brightness it does not give it that perfect shot for me. So I mess around with the speeds and that is what I get. =) With others like Av, TV and P, I tend to have them reversed. 

What kind of camera do you have?


----------



## Hallyx

Just a 10-year old Canon A610. A pos P&S, as i said. Max app is f2.8, so I'm always running fully open, which you'd think would allow a faster shutter. But, in practice, in the tank, I'm still shooting at 1/25th or 1/50th on Av. When I try a higher film speed, the increased grain overcomes any faster shutter speed. 

The only thing I really like about it is the view-screen folds out and pivots. So I can frame when the camera is overhead. And it's really nice to frame low subjects (like flowers) standing up instead of crawling around on my belly. And it still has a viewfinder, which I find faster and steadier.

I'd like to get one of these new HD cameras. They're only $300 or less. And the quality they get with HD cellphones these days makes me weep.


----------



## Tree

Hallyx said:


> Just a 10-year old Canon A610. A pos P&S, as i said. Max app is f2.8, so I'm always running fully open, which you'd think would allow a faster shutter. But, in practice, in the tank, I'm still shooting at 1/25th or 1/50th on Av. When I try a higher film speed, the increased grain overcomes any faster shutter speed.
> 
> The only thing I really like about it is the view-screen folds out and pivots. So I can frame when the camera is overhead. And it's really nice to frame low subjects (like flowers) standing up instead of crawling around on my belly. And it still has a viewfinder, which I find faster and steadier.
> 
> I'd like to get one of these new HD cameras. They're only $300 or less. And the quality they get with HD cellphones these days makes me weep.


yeah with the screen folding different ways, make is so much easier to shoot things iif you are short like I am. LOL

=O oh man those HD cameras sound cool.


----------



## Corin

please can you let me know how to post the pictures please.many thanks


----------



## Hallyx

Go down there to _Quick Reply_ and click on _Go Advanced. 

_Scroll down to click on_ Manage Attachments. _Then_ Browse _for your picture (on your computer) and _Upload _it_.
_


----------



## Corin

View attachment 589442


This is Archie, thanks for all your help.


----------



## Everglades

Am i the only one who feels like the bettas are laughing at us as we hover around the tank trying to get the perfect shot???
Betta: ok i am going to swim over here and flare and look all cool... oh wait nvm and swim into the corner
lol


----------



## Hallyx

Hahaha...That's why we love'em, eh?


----------



## BubblesTheBlueBetta

Thanks for making this thread. I'm horrible at taking photos of my fish. :-D


----------



## AquaThom

*Flash & Glass*

I haven't tried it yet but wouldn't using the flash from a camera results in a reflection on the glass of the aquarium?


----------



## AquaThom

*Please ignore my post above*

So embarrassed. I should have read the whole thread first. I would remove it if I could.


----------



## Tree

it's okay AquaThom. ^u^


----------



## Keltera

i had to scoop fenris up into a small contianer to get ths shot, but it was soo worth it.


----------



## trilobite

Ugh taking photos of bettas is the most frustrating thing ever! My camera is a nikon d3200, its quite frustrating since it often makes pictures seem "flat" and not sharp but not blurry either...and it lies all the time by telling me that its focused on the object and ready to take the photo but then it just ignores me when I tell it to snap the photo. Ive been so close to smashing this camera so many times...since it always choses to ignore me at the most crucial times:evil:

Ive been playing around with different photo ideas and figured if you put another fish behind the one you want to take a photo of they will pose side on in full flare for you

Recently discovered that if you put the jar (preferably glass coz plastic is usually covered in scratches) inside a polystyrene box and shine a light into it you get a cool white background and it lights the whole fish up 
this was taken with polystyrene box method and a flash



this one was taken with just an aquarium background behind the jar


----------



## Mousie

trilobite said:


> Ugh taking photos of bettas is the most frustrating thing ever! My camera is a nikon d3200, its quite frustrating since it often makes pictures seem "flat" and not sharp but not blurry either...and it lies all the time by telling me that its focused on the object and ready to take the photo but then it just ignores me when I tell it to snap the photo. Ive been so close to smashing this camera so many times...since it always choses to ignore me at the most crucial times:evil:
> 
> Ive been playing around with different photo ideas and figured if you put another fish behind the one you want to take a photo of they will pose side on in full flare for you
> 
> Recently discovered that if you put the jar (preferably glass coz plastic is usually covered in scratches) inside a polystyrene box and shine a light into it you get a cool white background and it lights the whole fish up
> this was taken with polystyrene box method and a flash



I also have the Nikon D3200 (red body) that I received last x-mas. May I ask, did you take those shots with the kit lens? Can you give me a bit more detail about how you got those shots and more detail about the polystyrene box method? I only have the kit lens at the moment (macro lens is going on my x-mas wish list), but I do have an external camera flash.

I've had trouble with the camera not wanting to take a shot when there is too much white in the background, and I recall I did look that up at one point but I can't recall what the info was about it lol. It may be in my "Nikon D3200 for Dummies" book (great book).

Edit: If you use Chrome, there's a borowser extension called Exif Viewer... I can visually see the exif info in your photos. "55mm F8 1/100 ISO 400 | 2015:09:03 00:40:02 | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows" (second image). I remembered to hover my mouse over your lovely images to see the info after I hit the post button.


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## trilobite

Yeah I have the kit lens, nothing fancy. 
I put it on A mode, and played with the settings having no idea what they are or do.
My A mode settings are these...lol no idea what half of them do but i just take a few pics playing with each of the settingsto see what comes out the best. it tends to give a blueish hue though some how

qual fine
iso 1600
normal area af
active d lighting -on
pic control-vivid
matrix measuring

the poly box method is literally just this. I use the light from my little tank to shine into. This one has no editing to it except for a crop, but you can see how whit it gets even without editing. 


Id def recommend putting photoshop onto your wishlist though. Gives you so much more control over the levels, and get rid of distracting things as watermarks, glass edges etc

Heres one that I did literally just ten in seconds
prety much is just
crop
levels
clone and patch tool to get rid of the bad things
warm filter
done

If I wanted to spend more time on It Id get rid of the scratches but that takes too much effort and Im a lazy person
before


after


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## Mousie

You are a saint... thank you so much for the write-up! I've copy/pasted it and made it a pdf file so I can perhaps print it for later use (I'll probably stick it in my camera bag lol).

I do have Adobe Photoshop, and been using it for many years (it was one of my go-to's for pixel art, graphic design, web design, and Wordpress theming when I ran my web hosting company). I have Lightroom around here somewhere (I'm still learning the software), I just never reinstalled it after installing Windows 10. I think I prefer Lightroom to just Photoshop for photo editing. Since I like the Dummies series of books I oughta break down and buy Lightroom for Dummies lol.


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## Dragonmage

Any tips on getting a fish to slow down and stop wiggling all over the place while he's flaring? Morpho refuses to hold still long enough for my Droid Turbo to get a good zoomed in shot of him flaring. He also somehow manages to get his tail folded over sometime between when I tell the phone to shoot and when the photo gets taken.


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## Mousie

Dragonmage said:


> Any tips on getting a fish to slow down and stop wiggling all over the place while he's flaring? Morpho refuses to hold still long enough for my Droid Turbo to get a good zoomed in shot of him flaring. He also somehow manages to get his tail folded over sometime between when I tell the phone to shoot and when the photo gets taken.


See if there's a Sports setting in the options of your phone's camera. Otherwise a cell phone is not really the best thing to use for good quality photos.


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## trilobite

Dragonmage said:


> Any tips on getting a fish to slow down and stop wiggling all over the place while he's flaring? Morpho refuses to hold still long enough for my Droid Turbo to get a good zoomed in shot of him flaring. He also somehow manages to get his tail folded over sometime between when I tell the phone to shoot and when the photo gets taken.


I find if you put the mirror or another male behind the fish you want to photograph then they will sit still in full flare and perfectly lined up with the camera for you. Like this










Or if he flares at a stick or something he might give you the side on, still flare aswell

And yeah sports mode or anything with high shutter helps a lot too


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## BlueInkFish

Simply stunning. 

I used to be in a photography class, we were able to get access the school's Nikon D3300s, great camera too. I was finally able to get some really neat shots. I'll have to keep your method in mind for future photography, Trilo! Thank you! Unfortunatley, I don't have any DSLR camera now... So I'm just stuck with a smart phone. But to be honest, they're not the worst. I've got some surprisingly interesting shots from one. But an actual camera is what I prefer. Much better overall for photography.


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## VeeDubs

trilobite said:


> Yeah I have the kit lens, nothing fancy.
> I put it on A mode, and played with the settings having no idea what they are or do.
> My A mode settings are these...lol no idea what half of them do but i just take a few pics playing with each of the settingsto see what comes out the best. it tends to give a blueish hue though some how
> 
> qual fine
> iso 1600
> normal area af
> active d lighting -on
> pic control-vivid
> matrix measuring
> 
> the poly box method is literally just this. I use the light from my little tank to shine into. This one has no editing to it except for a crop, but you can see how whit it gets even without editing.
> 
> 
> Id def recommend putting photoshop onto your wishlist though. Gives you so much more control over the levels, and get rid of distracting things as watermarks, glass edges etc
> 
> Heres one that I did literally just ten in seconds
> prety much is just
> crop
> levels
> clone and patch tool to get rid of the bad things
> warm filter
> done
> 
> If I wanted to spend more time on It Id get rid of the scratches but that takes too much effort and Im a lazy person
> before
> 
> 
> after


You got some nice shots there.
I have some suggestions on your setup that you could maybe try.
I actually had the exact same idea as you with using a polystyrene container as a tent/studio.
I used to shoot with Nikons so I still know them pretty well. If you have access to a Nikon speedlight, you can set it up wirelessly in commander mode. If you keep the flash on camera, it will probably look like crap, but off camera and you bounce it in the box then the whole box becomes your light source.
On your camera settings, switch it to manual. Choose your aperture. I'd go F8, shutter, I'd go slow like 1/60 maybe even slower, it doesn't matter, play around just don't do high speed. ISO, keep it s/low like 100 max at 400. Put your camera on a tripod and pre focus so you don't have to worry about it. I'd probably even just go manual focus too so when you do start shooting, the camera won't go hunting. When your fish is around the right spot just start shooting. If you want a nice super white background, remember to adjust your EV (exposure value) maybe 2 stops, you'll have to play around. All cameras will see the white, and will try to expose it for 17% grey. So you'll need to adjust that.
For your flash, just keep it in TTL, it'll take care of itself.
When flash photography is done right, it's amazing. People complain about flash being crappy when they don't understand it or are using the on camera flash as main source. It's only usefulness is as a fill flash, not a main.
Why your shutter doesn't matter is because your off camera flash becomes your shutter. So you'll actually be shooting at maybe 1/10,000 of a second, your camera and exif data will say otherwise. But in flash photography, only the flash will produce enough light for your camera to see. Just make sure you're working in a dimly lit room. Just bright enough for you see what you're doing.
But back to where I say don't use a fast shutter speed. The reason why is because, the faster the shutter speed, the darker your background becomes. So if you "drag" the shutter, the brighter your background is. Don't worry about it being motion blurry, you already freezed the action.
Any more questions or if you guys need more explanation. More than happy to answer.
If you're shooting with a smart phone. I've used sports mode and night mode, and they both seem to work pretty well.
Just remember DSLRs don't take great pictures by themselves, the reason why great pictures comes from DSLRs is because it allows the photographer full control of their camera.


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## Olivia27

^^^ I legit don't know the difference between sports mode, night mode or any other mode in my phone. I still get blurry pics. Maybe that's just because I'm on an iPhone. One day I'll change to something better. 

The one and only advice I can give to people though: turn off your shutter sound! That CLICK noise scares the life out of Seren and causes her to swim erratically. Even harder to take pics that way.


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## trilobite

VeeDubs said:


> You got some nice shots there.
> I have some suggestions on your setup that you could maybe try.
> I actually had the exact same idea as you with using a polystyrene container as a tent/studio.
> I used to shoot with Nikons so I still know them pretty well. If you have access to a Nikon speedlight, you can set it up wirelessly in commander mode. If you keep the flash on camera, it will probably look like crap, but off camera and you bounce it in the box then the whole box becomes your light source.
> On your camera settings, switch it to manual. Choose your aperture. I'd go F8, shutter, I'd go slow like 1/60 maybe even slower, it doesn't matter, play around just don't do high speed. ISO, keep it s/low like 100 max at 400. Put your camera on a tripod and pre focus so you don't have to worry about it. I'd probably even just go manual focus too so when you do start shooting, the camera won't go hunting. When your fish is around the right spot just start shooting. If you want a nice super white background, remember to adjust your EV (exposure value) maybe 2 stops, you'll have to play around. All cameras will see the white, and will try to expose it for 17% grey. So you'll need to adjust that.
> For your flash, just keep it in TTL, it'll take care of itself.
> When flash photography is done right, it's amazing. People complain about flash being crappy when they don't understand it or are using the on camera flash as main source. It's only usefulness is as a fill flash, not a main.
> Why your shutter doesn't matter is because your off camera flash becomes your shutter. So you'll actually be shooting at maybe 1/10,000 of a second, your camera and exif data will say otherwise. But in flash photography, only the flash will produce enough light for your camera to see. Just make sure you're working in a dimly lit room. Just bright enough for you see what you're doing.
> But back to where I say don't use a fast shutter speed. The reason why is because, the faster the shutter speed, the darker your background becomes. So if you "drag" the shutter, the brighter your background is. Don't worry about it being motion blurry, you already freezed the action.
> Any more questions or if you guys need more explanation. More than happy to answer.
> If you're shooting with a smart phone. I've used sports mode and night mode, and they both seem to work pretty well.
> Just remember DSLRs don't take great pictures by themselves, the reason why great pictures comes from DSLRs is because it allows the photographer full control of their camera.


:notworthy: Thank you!! Thats awesome advice! Ive literally been going by trial and error and not having much clue what Im doing lol. Im off to play with the settings now and to see what I can get :-D
Also do you know how to get black backgrounds? Ive tried and it looks disgusting


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## xShainax

My new guy is photogenic. I just used an LED light and turned the flash off. I can't afford a fancy camera so I use my note 2 phone camera


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## BlueInkFish

This is one of my breeder girls, who passed away unfortunately. I was renting a Nikon D3300 from my school. Pretty neat photo! I'm glad I found it! I have a few more. But this is one of my favorites. Sorry about such a tiny photo.


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## VeeDubs

trilobite said:


> :notworthy: Thank you!! Thats awesome advice! Ive literally been going by trial and error and not having much clue what Im doing lol. Im off to play with the settings now and to see what I can get :-D
> Also do you know how to get black backgrounds? Ive tried and it looks disgusting


Hope my suggestions work for you, can wait to see the results.
To get a black background with your setup, I would maybe cut off one the shorts sides off then putting the box upside down creating a tent. Put the tank in the foreground and paint or tape some black paper in the background, keeping it as faraway as possible. Put black paper or black or dark surface on the bottom and anywhere behind the tank. So light can't bounce in the background. So only the foreground is lit. If you're using flash, do the opposite of what i suggested before. This time, you want the fastest shutter speed your camera can sync at. So the faster the shutter speed, the less available light can get in. This technique is called high speed sync. You use this to darken your background. You can also bring your EV back to 0. You'll need to experiment a bit with this type of shot, but doing it this way should get the shot you're looking for. May need to touch up in post to get a very dark background.


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## Nova betta

this helped me so much!


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## Hallyx

Black background:

I cover half the top with a black towel and drape it down the back and sides. To the fish, I hope this looks like the bank of a pond, like the shade from marginal vegetation. 

Turns out, this gives me the best black background I've achieved so far. 

Side/back light gives a dramatic effect. But then I don't do portraits, just "natural" shots.


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## trilobite

Blu that photo is so cute! I love it! 

Thanks for the advice Hallyx and VeeDubs!! 
I tried the black way and it works, especially with the light on the side :-D but my fish arent very photogenic on black it seems haha.




Heres the white background. I need to get a jar that isnt covered in scratches
It works really well on my goldfish! and captures the true colours of the bettas much more closely too. I think I need to play with where Im aiming the light to get it real white


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## Hallyx

Trilobite, you have some of the best looking fish I've seen on this forum -- or anywhere else, actually. And your photos are in the top bracket around here.

I love the way that dragon's fins fade into the black of the background. Very dramatic.


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## trilobite

Aww thanks so much Hallyx  that means a lot to me. I feel like sometimes my photos make them seem nicer than they are though lol

Taking photos has somehow turned into my new found hobby so I want to learn as much as possible to make my pictures as good as I can make em :-D


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## RaminxRamen

Thanks for this post! I can't wait to see what great pictures I can get now. My boy loves flaring, thankfully, so that won't be a problem.


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## Hallyx

Don't forget to submit a pic to the monthly Betta Photo Contest. Three days left to enter this month.

Check out the _Betta Contests_ thread for encouragement.

Welcome to the forum.


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## LittleMan

Very detailed info! I love to tinker in photography but have not yet tried w my camera, but only w my phone's camera. I'm a newbie to Betta's & would love to get some great shots. Thanks for the pointers.


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## trumpredmr

How do you rotate pictures you've posted? It's not that way on my computer, but it is when I put it on here.


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## Tree

I love all of the photos so far! 

and I'm not sure on the photos that are already posted.


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## chickiefoo

Great advice! I consider myself a photographer but I don't really have any experience in fish photography, I may have to try it out with my Betta and my Rebel camera soon.
(I've taken some pictures of him in the tank with my phone but those don't count )


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## bettamimi

Very informative post


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## wanderbetta

What do you guys use for a background? I use a blank white sheet of paper.


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## Hallyx

Black can also be dramatic. I've used blue. Depends on the lighting, the mood and the subject.

See my post on the last page about making a shadowbox effect.


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## BamNeko

Fyyre thinks he's a ninja.

Sorry for the low tank temp. I'm trying to upgrade him to a larger tank so he has a heater.


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## Beauty_Cod

This is so useful! Thanks!


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## Mr. B

Mo said:


> I use a setup similar to that and these are the pics I get with an iPhone


good ones!


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