# External flash vs studio lighting



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

For FTS your probably better off with a studio setup. I don't know if a speedlite will have enough spread to cover the whole tank. What is your main area your trying to improve. Is it blurry fish in the full tank shot? Otherwise you should be able to slow the shutter enough to get a very good picture without flash.


----------



## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> For FTS your probably better off with a studio setup. I don't know if a speedlite will have enough spread to cover the whole tank. What is your main area your trying to improve. Is it blurry fish in the full tank shot? Otherwise you should be able to slow the shutter enough to get a very good picture without flash.


Yeah fish are blurry and overall tank looks dark. I try to copy some of the settings of people from flickr but my pictures get real dark. Then I read somewhere lighting is everything and can greatly improve aquarium photography. 

Would also like to achieve an effect of two colors on the background by putting the thank 20 cm from wall. Light the back of the tank and use something like foamboard, cardboard, wall w/e to achieve that. 



Example of my "best" try.


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

That picture is there space between the tank and the background like in your diagram? Just running a light through the back would have improved it greatly. If you want to do it on the cheap you can get a few clam shells and put daylight floods in there two probably over the tank and one for the back space between the background and tank. 

I don't know what camera you have I have a Canon and use a 580exii speedlite when necessary but mostly for individual fish. I haven't tried it for FTS. Sometimes I use a piece of white canvas and place that a few inches behind the tank for the bright white background look.


----------



## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Go for decent flash units and remote firing. Most of the time however a light above and a fill light in front is all you need.


----------



## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> That picture is there space between the tank and the background like in your diagram? Just running a light through the back would have improved it greatly. If you want to do it on the cheap you can get a few clam shells and put daylight floods in there two probably over the tank and one for the back space between the background and tank.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what camera you have I have a Canon and use a 580exii speedlite when necessary but mostly for individual fish. I haven't tried it for FTS. Sometimes I use a piece of white canvas and place that a few inches behind the tank for the bright white background look.



There is only 3" / 8 cm space between tank and wall. Now the tank is in dry start Maybe I can pull it off the wall more. 

I have a Samsung nx300m. Probably not the best but it has manual mode and I can adjust the important things. 

I think for the price of daylight floods New I could buy some studiolighting (continuous light) Second hand. Only external flash seem expensive. 

Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


----------



## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

GraphicGr8s said:


> Go for decent flash units and remote firing. Most of the time however a light above and a fill light in front is all you need.



Are all external flash units "okay"? Where Should I look for specific? 


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


----------



## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Think I try out the cheap led floodlights first and see what I can get from this.

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/LED-...5e-4edf-83b0-480c31f1f230&transAbTest=ae803_3


----------



## bennett (Dec 25, 2008)

Nigel95 said:


> Think I try out the cheap led floodlights first and see what I can get from this.
> 
> https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/LED-...5e-4edf-83b0-480c31f1f230&transAbTest=ae803_3


A flood light or video light is probably your best bet considering your camera and there not being many mount options for it. If you care about color, a cheap light will not look great. You'll probably get some pretty strong color casts. Something like this will probably produce better color. https://www.adorama.com/goled308iiy.html. YouTube cheap video light and you'll get a bunch of videos testing these.


----------

