This was an
event sponsored by Tempe Camera and Canon at SeaLife. Both Canon and Tempe Camera put on good
events, so I made sure I drove down to Tempe to be part of it.
But don’t
leave home without…. a good macro lens!
I left home quickly determined to fight the morning rush hour
traffic. I paid for my lapse in
judgment.
So lesson
number one on shooting at an aquarium is:
TAKE A MACRO LENS! For my Canon
5D Mark III, the Canon 100mm macro I left at home would have been perfect. I instead had the 24-105mm lens on my camera
body, which meant I couldn’t get the shots I wanted.
Lighting is
colorful but often low, so you will shoot perhaps at ISO1600.
Shutter
speed? 1/30th hand held to be
sure. And to freeze action, 1/200th
and above.
Aperture
size? For bokeh (throwing everything out
of focus except for what you are focused on), use f/2.8 or so; f/8 and above
for more depth of field.
OH YES, I
learned about the need for a rubber lens flare and not the plastic one that
came with your lens. The reason is that
the aquarium people would rather you not scratch or damage the glass. Makes sense.
Amazon has them in a variety of filter thread sizes. For my Canon 100mm macro lens, it takes a
67mm rubber extension.
Optional is
using a tripod, but it’s hard to use when you are there when the general public is
there. I’m talking KIDS.
Canon and
Tempe Camera are promising an adult/photographers-only event at the aquarium
coming up this fall. I sure hope
so! I want another crack at taking
better photos.
Interested
in learning more about photographing at aquariums? I’ve included some links here:
- From Nikon
- From About Photography
- From the Cichlid Forum
- From Nano Reef
Remember to keep shooting; it’s digital and it’s free!
Jim
Patterson
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