Photography Setup (DSLR + Filters)

[HidesertReef]

Hi, I have been trying to find a good setup to take pics of my corals. Right now I’m pretty happy with this combo:
Canon T2i camera with Tamron Macro lens.
Sepia filter on the lens, camera mounted in Avast marine port hole and their yellow filter disc inserted.
(So basically using the sepia filter and the yellow filter combined)
Then some light editing such as slight contrast increase and vignette in Lightroom.
What do you guys use?

View attachment 83247 View attachment 83248 View attachment 83249 View attachment 83250

 

[joseserrano]

What sepia filter are you using

 

[Smite]

Not sure why pictures don’t work for me, something when the site. Even when people attach and leave as thumbnails the picture only half loads the image.
Just FYI if you attach you can click full and it uploads directly into the post

 

[joseserrano]

Not sure why pictures don’t work for me, something when the site. Even when people attach and leave as thumbnails the picture only half loads the image.
Just FYI if you attach you can click full and it uploads directly into the post

You might have to edit image size

 

[Smite]

You might have to edit image size

I meant to say when I'm trying to view other peoples pictures and they attach them as thumbnails. When I click to expand I get half images the majority of the time.

 

[pledosophy]

I think they look great. IMO they are a bit cool. I would add some more yellow to them in your white balance.

Great shots though!

 

[Smite]

Images look great! The attachments worked on my mac.

I use a similar set up with a Tamron Macro lens on my Nikon D80. I use the Avast porthole too, but I didn't care for the yellow filter for blue or daylight shooting I felt it cut too much blue in daylight and left images looking greenish and not enough blue under all blue.
Your images are very nice but the do look a little cool. It's corny but when I'm looking at a picture in post I ask myself if the image looks like it would be cool to the touch. That helps me with color temp personally. I adjust color temp of a cool image by reducing the amount of blue in the picture, I don't really use the color temp slider. I feel it makes other colors false looking.
For AB+ under radions, 20-22k I just set my camera's white balance to 9900k (highest my model goes) and I rarely need to adjust anything. If anything I pull the blues down a bit on the color graph post but for the most part I don't have to.
For all blue I got a orange filter film and cut it to fit the porthole. I turn my Royal Blues and Blue channel to 100% to offset the light dampening of the filter itself. Depending on the piece I alter my WB setting to make it look like what I see in person. I find reds I need to set my WB lower in the 3-4k range or it looks unrealistic and ultra bright. The ones I struggle with are blue pieces under blue lights. I find WB in the 7-8K works good for those but if you have a blue piece with red it gets really hard to bring both out.
Recently I've been trying to shoot in Manual mode and adjust exposure through shutter speed/ aperture/ iso and have been getting pretty good results.
This is shot under RB/B with orange filter. From there I had to slightly pull down the blues, just a hair though.

 

[joseserrano]

I meant to say when I'm trying to view other peoples pictures and they attach them as thumbnails. When I click to expand I get half images the majority of the time.

Same issue

 

[djrice69]

Images look great! The attachments worked on my mac.

I use a similar set up with a Tamron Macro lens on my Nikon D80. I use the Avast porthole too, but I didn't care for the yellow filter for blue or daylight shooting I felt it cut too much blue in daylight and left images looking greenish and not enough blue under all blue.
Your images are very nice but the do look a little cool. It's corny but when I'm looking at a picture in post I ask myself if the image looks like it would be cool to the touch. That helps me with color temp personally. I adjust color temp of a cool image by reducing the amount of blue in the picture, I don't really use the color temp slider. I feel it makes other colors false looking.
For AB+ under radions, 20-22k I just set my camera's white balance to 9900k (highest my model goes) and I rarely need to adjust anything. If anything I pull the blues down a bit on the color graph post but for the most part I don't have to.
For all blue I got a orange filter film and cut it to fit the porthole. I turn my Royal Blues and Blue channel to 100% to offset the light dampening of the filter itself. Depending on the piece I alter my WB setting to make it look like what I see in person. I find reds I need to set my WB lower in the 3-4k range or it looks unrealistic and ultra bright. The ones I struggle with are blue pieces under blue lights. I find WB in the 7-8K works good for those but if you have a blue piece with red it gets really hard to bring both out.
Recently I've been trying to shoot in Manual mode and adjust exposure through shutter speed/ aperture/ iso and have been getting pretty good results.
This is shot under RB/B with orange filter. From there I had to slightly pull down the blues, just a hair though.
View attachment 83255

Looks great can you teach me?

 

[joseserrano]

I have a hard time finding a good in-between for a decent colony shot. I have 2 lenses, a standard and a macro, but my tank is 12" deep, so kinda hard to navigate around. Like smite, I can really get a full focused shot like that, I imagine I could do so with a deeper tank and the macro lens

 

[Smite]

Looks great can you teach me?

haha oh did you not recognize those tips?

 

[Smite]

I have a hard time finding a good in-between for a decent colony shot. I have 2 lenses, a standard and a macro, but my tank is 12" deep, so kinda hard to navigate around. Like smite, I can really get a full focused shot like that, I imagine I could do so with a deeper tank and the macro lens

Exactly, I'm 15" deep and struggle with the same thing. I'd love to be able to get everything in focus in the picture above. Not sure what lens that would be.

 

[djrice69]

haha oh did you not recognize those tips?

Of course I did lol but great shot soo pro

 

[anthonys_aqua]

Hi, I have been trying to find a good setup to take pics of my corals. Right now I’m pretty happy with this combo:
Canon T2i camera with Tamron Macro lens.
Sepia filter on the lens, camera mounted in Avast marine port hole and their yellow filter disc inserted.
(So basically using the sepia filter and the yellow filter combined)
Then some light editing such as slight contrast increase and vignette in Lightroom.
What do you guys use?

View attachment 83247 View attachment 83248 View attachment 83249 View attachment 83250

what sepia filter did you use

 

[bustayanky]

I meant to say when I'm trying to view other peoples pictures and they attach them as thumbnails. When I click to expand I get half images the majority of the time.

Same. Then I have to click the button to open in new window

 

[Smite]

Same. Then I have to click the button to open in new window

Good to know, mine just keeps acting like it'll load. Then the next pictures work but if I try and click the original one I wanted to see same crap until I refresh the page.