# trying to master shrimp photography



## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

I enjoy my shrimp and i am trying to get better pics of them with the equipment i have (nothing fancy) any and all critiques and criticism is welcome


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)




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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Crop the shots using photoshop or any post processing program similar. That way it focuses the viewer's attention on the shrimp and also brings the shrimp closer. Framing the shot is also just as important. Read up on, "rule of thirds". 

Here's one of your shots I cropped using my phone:


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

thanks speedie i forgot to put these are all raw untouched photos i will go back and crop the ones i like


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

Ok here is my attempt at cropping one of my favorite photos out of the bunch 

Original Photo









1st attempt at cropping (I think the plant stem distracts from the shrimp because it is more in focus)









2nd attempt at cropping


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Better!

But you can only crop so much due to your limited magapixles/image quality of the camera. I think a DSLR may be in store for you in the near future.


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

i was trying to stay away from that this actually my first time using a digital camera besides my phone. I do have lots of experience with 35mm though Its my wife's 4 year old point and shoot sanyo x1200. I would like a dslr but man their pricy. I was actually thinking about upgrading to a better p&s like a cannon power shot the sanyo is 12mp and has a macro focus of 5cm the power shot im looking at is 16mp and 1cm macro focus. Any other suggestions I'm relatively on a budget (i don't wanna cut in to my shrimp buying budget lol) What other specs should I be looking for in a p&s camera for the type of picture im trying to take


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## dindin (Mar 4, 2009)

I like your very last cropped shot best - and you're way better at photog. than I am!!! Envy!!!

I use a Sony Alpha, but my biggest tank (and the one where I take all the shots) is surrounded by windows. There's always glare. Phone pics are actually just as good, for me. Hubby bought a bunch of close-up lenses so I'm experimenting with those too. My 2 cents, which is prolly worth about 1 cent. Hehe.


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

I'm not completely untrained I have taken a few years of photography classes but they were all with 35Mm. film cameras. This just a cheap point and shoot camera on a macro setting and multi burst setting I took probably 50 pics those few good ones


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

mcclure91 said:


> i was trying to stay away from that this actually my first time using a digital camera besides my phone. I do have lots of experience with 35mm though Its my wife's 4 year old point and shoot sanyo x1200. I would like a dslr but man their pricy. I was actually thinking about upgrading to a better p&s like a cannon power shot the sanyo is 12mp and has a macro focus of 5cm the power shot im looking at is 16mp and 1cm macro focus. Any other suggestions I'm relatively on a budget (i don't wanna cut in to my shrimp buying budget lol) What other specs should I be looking for in a p&s camera for the type of picture im trying to take


I think you want something with a bigger sensor that'll spits out better IQ in photos. I'm not too keen on P&S cameras but def get one with manual control and shoots well at higher ISO. If it has a hot shoe mount, that would be even better. That way you can mount a remote flash for properly lit shrimp photos.

Read this regarding Sensors: (courtesy of http://www.photoreview.com.au/guides/pocket-guides/digital-slr/Larger-Sensor,-Better-Photos)

*DSLR Sensors*
Although a high-end digicam may offer the same megapixel resolution as a DSLR camera, the individual light-capturing photosites on a DSLR's sensor are usually four to six times larger than those in a digicam's sensor. The DSLR will, therefore, have better imaging capabilities. The diagram below shows just how wide these differences can be.







35mmfilm 
Even among DSLR cameras, sensor sizes vary and there are three commonly-used sensor sizes, shown in the diagram below.








Fullframe 
The larger the image sensor with respect to the number of photosites on it, the higher its potential light-capturing ability. More light gives the camera's image processing system more information to work with. Consequently, the camera can record a wider range of tones and reproduce colours more accurately than a compact digicam. It will also produce sharper and less grainy-looking pictures in dim lighting.
Unlike digicams, which almost universally operate with CCD (charge-coupled device) imagers, the sensors used in DSLR cameras can be one of two types: CCD or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor). Both types can deliver good picture quality, although CMOS chips offer lower power consumption. 
CMOS imagers are favoured by manufacturers of high-end professional cameras because they can be made with more 'camera' functionality on the actual sensor chip. This makes it easier to combine high resolution with superior light-capturing capabilities. These sensors can, therefore, record digital images with a wider range of tones (from highlights to shadows), smoother gradations of colour, more accurate hues and lower image noise.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

If you don't mind used gear, you can get decent older DSLR's for very cheap. I know that a Nikon D70 is less than most P&S cameras these days and it's a very capable camera. Of course the major expense will be lenses, but if you stay with a camera brand, those lenses will carry over from body to body, unless you move to full frame from a crop sensor.

There's also newer mirrorless cameras so of which can be had pretty darn cheap and they are also excellent cameras.


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

Thanks guys I will research some of these options and see what will suit me best. Now I need to start a thread on how to get my wife to let me buy a new camera lol any tips?


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

another attempt


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

This one looks like you maxed out the ISO at the cost of quality. Just a guess though, but check if you have the ISO on auto settings, and if so, set it manually to a smaller value (100, or 200 max). This will require longer exposures, which might lead to blurry pictures, but that's when non-moving shrimp come in handy. Or use flash. Or take more shots and pick the one that's sharpest.

Point and shoot cameras have come a long way in a few years. They are very capable for macro shots, actually the smaller sensor is a big advantage for macros because you get a wider DOF (area of sharpness). Since I got my S100 my DSLR doesn't see as much use anymore.


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

better? i accidentally put the one on photobucket that i was messing around editing thats what i get for only looking at the thumbnails


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Less noise, but I think you have reached the limits of your camera...

Just keep in mind when shopping for cameras that higher MP counts do NOT equal better image quality. Actually some camera manufacturer have lower priced P&S cameras with ~14MP and higher quality ones with ~10MP. Cramming more pixels into the same small sensor often does nothing for you.

As Speedie mentioned, if you want the ultimate in image quality, you want a DSLR. Their larger sensors capture more light, which leads to less noise for our (relatively) dark objects.

If you don't want to go DSLR and still want all of the options, I would recommend something like a Powershot G15, which allows you to connect a flash off-camera via hotshoe adapter. This will get you image quality very close to something a DSLR can do.


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

mcclure91 said:


> better? i accidentally put the one on photobucket that i was messing around editing thats what i get for only looking at the thumbnails


The above exposure is "flat" or "dull". Keep in mind that, even when the tank water is crystal clear and there is nothing in the tank to obstruct lighting, shooting at the tank bottom has only one quarter of the light intensity as when shooting at half way down the tank.

Since your camera cannot drive an off-camera flash, to improve on contrast, have exposure closer to the tank top.


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