Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first time posting on this forum, and I feel very humble. There are some great photographers here! I don't know alot about photography, but I enjoy shooting my small collection of rhacodactylus geckos. Recently I've been trying to get some close up shots, but I'm having a hard time with lighting. I'm using a Fujifilm finepix S3100 on the macro mode. Without a flash my pics won't focus, and with a flash they are washed out. Anybody have any suggestions for additional lighting - what to use, how to use it? Thanks for any info or tips.

Here are some results of my last attempt.

Another shot.

Last one.

I am no expert, not even close, but you should be able to put some masking tape over a few flash bars to cut the light down a little.
Nick

I don't have this camera, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express....I mean I did look up some info in the web.

On the manual record menu somewhere there is a setting to adjust the flash output (it looks like a little plus and minus sign next to a lightning bolt). You can see a photo of that menu in this review here.

Try powering down the flash 1/3 (-0.3) or even 2/3 (-0.6) of a stop. Usually a -2/3 flash compensation will prevent that sort of washing out at close range.

Another thing to try is to stop down the aperture as far as it will go f/8.2 of f/8.7. This will increase the light needed and maybe cut out some of the flash power.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Aside from my lighting issue, what do you think of the pics?