Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone. I decided that I needed to try and take more professional looking photos of my animals. I youtubed how to make a light box and finished it today, but I don't really like the way the pictures look with the lights on. There's a really pink looking color to it. I'm using the Reveal Bulbs hoping that it'll bring the color out in the snakes, I'm thinking I may just try regular bulbs and see what happens. Anyway here's the pictures. Let me know which one you guys think is better. IMO I think the snake looks better with the lights, but the picture over all is crappier because it gives the picture a pinkish background and glow.

With Lights On:

With Lights Off:

Let me know what you guys think and any tips will be greatly appreciated.
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We use the Utilitech or Sylvania daylight low watt bulbs. Nice bright clean white light. The bulbs are used in clamp style shop lights and white cotton cloth as a diffuser.

I second this. Some really great pictures can be taken with simple cameras as long as the right lighting is used. Try out some different bulbs with the box you built and eventually you will find something that creates a natural light look. I have used some nice "daylight" compact florescent bulbs with my little light box and I used white butcher paper as the defuser.
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26 year old 0.1 from Lincoln, NE
Ball Pythons - 0.1 Silver Bullet, 0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma, 0.1 Yellowbelly, 2.1 Normals
Kingsnakes - 1.0 L. m. thayeri, 0.1 L. m. thayeri X L. alterna, 1.0 L. g. californiae
Other - 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 1.0 H. nascicus, ?.? Chrysemys picta, 1.0 husband, ?.? Mini-human

My only advice would be to pick up a better camera.
Your Nikon Coolpix S6000, is not capable of doing the job you want.
A nice middle entry SLR would do you fine, something like a canon 550d for example.
With something like this, plus your new light tent, the results will blow your mind.....
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Dave

Ive given up counting how many rainbows i have, but its enough to deplete my credit card every rodent order....
Im an aussie in an arctic environment
Helsinki, Finland

When you get into better cameras with more settings you have to know what your doing more don't you? Wouldn't I have to know the right settings for everything or could you still use macro?
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0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python
0.2 Het for Axanthic Ball Python
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no shortcuts,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, like anything else if you want high quality you need to understand the tools and how to use them. best of luck!

sincerely, Kyle

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www.royalvariations.net

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

I'm not so concerned with the shortcuts as where to get the knowledge. I've watched a few videos, but nothing really from the basics up. Does anyone have any direction of where I could go to learn a little basic photography?
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1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python
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you could take some classes and or you could read as much as you can and practice,,,,, practice is most helpful, digital cameras are so easy to use that sometimes they give the false impression that all you need to do is set your camera in a "mode" and the camera will make all of the right decisions for you, not true! read and practice,,,,,, make notes, best of luck,
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www.royalvariations.net

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

So before cleaning tonight I decided to try something. I used daylight flourecents and used flash with the camera. It got a little better, but everything in the back of the picture is kinda blown out. I'm thinking maybe I need to difuse the light a little better or use a lower wattage bulb. Any tips appreciated, but I think I've made a little progress. The pictures look good, but it doesn't really represent the colors of the animal right.

Bumble Bee:

Mojave:

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1.0 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python
0.2 Het for Axanthic Ball Python
0.1 Axanthic Ball Python

You shouldn't need to use a flash... I use one light on each side, one behind the subject and one over head in the front. All of which are diffused. The lights should be all that you need.

I'll have to play with it some more. I don't have the third light on top like you said. I just have the two on the sides. Both are diffused. The video I watched said to. It a hole in the top and diffuse it, but it didn't say to put light to it. I thought that was kind of odd.
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1.0 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python
0.2 Het for Axanthic Ball Python
0.1 Axanthic Ball Python

Nikon 1 with the 10/30 Lense...made for close ups...about $700.00 Best Buy last year...love it
Travis
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LAIR OF DRAGONS