How do you...

[Ben1]

take those cool photos with only the subject in color and the background all black?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Practice with Photoshop....... A LOT! :wink:

(Sorry, that's the limit of my knowledge about it, I'd be curious to know if there are custom filters for it...)

 

[Len]

Also, some cameras (especially SLRs) have great Depth of Field control (DOF). One way to naturally capture a subject and isolate it against a dark/black background is to use a bright flash source targeted at the subject and closing down the aperature of the lens to create a very shallow DOF. It also helps a lot if the background is distant and/or dark.

Here's two examples (one reef related, one not):

 

[Len]

Very shallow DOF ....

 

[Anonymous]

What Len said. If you have a non-SLR camera but it has macro mode, use that. It provides a shorter DOF. Get that flash rocking, and don't have light in the background.

 

[Anonymous]

Also, adjusting the contrast and brightness in photoshop will enhance this effect.

 

[Ben1]

Wow I love those pictures. I have only recently gotten into photography expecailly U/W. I always liked pictures where the subject is all you see.

I'll give it a try and post if I get anything decent.

Thanks!!

P.S Sorry for posting in the wrong forum, atleast it isn't the GRK forum.

 

[Anonymous]

and closing down the aperature of the lens to create a very shallow DOF.

Len, the smaller the aperture, the greater/deeper the depth of field.

 

[Ben1]

I seem to get ok results using land subjects like flowers but in the tank I cant seem to get it to work.

The highest I can get my F stop is 11 (the highest my camera goes olympus c-4000) and I set the speed to 1/1000. I thought that would make the shutter move very fast and the opening would stay very small blocking out the light. I also set my flash 2+ the highest it goes.

Am I doing right? Maybe I need to play around more with it.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Also, some cameras (especially SLRs) have great Depth of Field control (DOF). One way to naturally capture a subject and isolate it against a dark/black background is to use a bright flash source targeted at the subject and closing down the aperature of the lens to create a very shallow DOF. It also helps a lot if the background is distant and/or dark.

Here's two examples (one reef related, one not):

Hey Len, you misspelled "Sumper."

 

[Anonymous]

I seem to get ok results using land subjects like flowers but in the tank I cant seem to get it to work.

The highest I can get my F stop is 11 (the highest my camera goes olympus c-4000) and I set the speed to 1/1000. I thought that would make the shutter move very fast and the opening would stay very small blocking out the light. I also set my flash 2+ the highest it goes.

Am I doing right? Maybe I need to play around more with it.

Thanks

The only way I can remember aperture values is to always say this little ditty to myself: "The bigger the f-number, the smaller the opening, the more stuff is in the DOF. The smaller the f-number, the bigger the opening, the less stuff is in the DOF." It helps me keep straight what I'm trying to do.

When I shoot my tank, I usually go into shutter priority mode and let the camera figure out its own aperture. For relatively slow moving stuff like crabs and coral polyps, I usually shoot around 1/30s. For fish I usually end up around 1/180s. I can't imagine you get much light at all at 1/1000s unless you're firing the flash. I don't like flash in the tank, as my on-camera flash tends to either glare off the glass or wash out the colors.

 

[Anonymous]

The only way I can remember aperture values is to always say this little ditty to myself: "The bigger the f-number, the smaller the opening, the more stuff is in the DOF. The smaller the f-number, the bigger the opening, the less stuff is in the DOF."

ROFLMAO!

Oh my god, you're a DORK!!!! :lol:

Hehehe...

Just kidding, John. I like your poem.

HD

 

[Len]

Ya, i goofed. Bigger aperature (or smaller F number) is what I meant. My bad.

 

[azcaddman]

typically, in macro, you want as small of an aperture (Highest F-number) as you can get away with for the iso you're shooting, to Maximize the depth of field, this would be determined by the power of your flash

the reason the background will go black.. you're relying on the flash to illuminate the subject, ambient (background) light will not be picked up (unless really bright) on fast shutter speed, small aperture.

so you're relying on your flash(s) to provide 100% of the light in the scene.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh my god, you're a DORK!!!! :lol:

Well hell, man, that was never in question!!! :lol:

Thass why I'm so pop'lar wif da ladiesh!

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: Tell us the ditty about tying your shoes again, John.