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Hi everyone! Just wanted to ask all you pros a question. I love photographing my rhacodactylus geckos, but have a real problem with lighting. What do you guys use when you're shooting macro photos? When I use the flash on my camera (Fujifilm FinePix S3100) the photos are washed out, But with no extra lighting the pics are out of focus. What can I use to get the proper amount of light? Sorry if this is a stupid question....I don't know a lot about photography. By the way - amazing pictures everybody! I'm very jealous

Well I am far from pro, but ill try and answer some. I use alien bee strobes with umbrellas when i shoot. I just have to be careful not to get in the way of the light when Im really close in.

Its best to never use the on camera flash when shooting macro (or almost never) because of the harsh lighting it creates, and also the shadow the lense on a slr will create when shooting close. you dont have to worry about that last one. Im not familiar with your fuji, but i think its a point and shoot.

to get crisp pictures you need good light. before i got my strobes I used to use halogen shop lights i got at home depot. these get very hot, there were 500w. I think I paid about 20$ each

try shooting next to an open window. you will get some nice dramatic shots. just make sure your flash is off.

thats all i can think of for now. there are some on here that know way more than i do, im sure they will chime in.

do some google searches for things like diy home studio.

When I use the flash on my camera (Fujifilm FinePix S3100) the photos are washed out, But with no extra lighting the pics are out of focus.

First of all, the reason the non-flash photos are "out of focus" is that because you don't have enough light, the camera is using a slower shutter speed which results in blur. This isn't the same as being out of focus since what is happening is that the camera is focusing but due to the long shutter speed you or the subject are moving during the exposure.

There are two ways you can try and solve this problem. It might work to put a diffuser on the flash. This can be as simple as a piece of tissue paper over the flash or you can make something more sturdy out of opaque white plastic. I have seen people make them out of plastic from milk jugs.

If that doesn't work, you should use some flash exposure compensation. In your camera, in the Manual Record menu, there is an option called Flash. Under this option you can choose to turn down the flash power by 1/3 stop increments. So try setting this to -0.6 and see if that helps.

As the other reply suggested, you could also try adding some extra light. The trick is to get a light that is approximately the same "color temperature" as daylight and shooting in daylight mode with the camera.

To be honest, you could use any type of extra light source, as long as you set the white-balance correctly. However this can lead to some color issues if the gecko is partly lit by the artificial light and partially by sunlight coming in the window.

I don't like halogens as they give off too much heat, and with a species that can jump, like Rhacodactylus, jumping on a compact halogen could be fatal.
To avoid this, you can buy screw-in type compact fluorescent bulbs at places like home depot that don't get too hot and give off the right color temperature. The color temperature you want is 5500°K. If you read the fine print on the back of the bulb packages, you can find one in that color. With that bulb you should be able to throw enough light to get a sharp photo without flash.

My last comment is about the photo you have posted. If you notice, the gecko and branch are a little too dark in your photo. The reason for this isn't the amount of light in the room, but the large white background. The large white area is tricking your meter and causing this underexposure. You can fix this by using some exposure compensation (EV on the Manual Record menu). If you shot the same photo with the EV set to something like plus 0.3, 0.6, or even plus 1.0 EV, the geckos and branches would be lighter, like they appear to your eye.

Good luck. Do a little reading about camera exposure and you will figure it out. Crested Geckos are great photo subjects. Sometimes I wish I had one when I am trying to figure out a new photographich technique. As it is, I only have one photo.

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Thanks so much for the reply guys! I guess I'll have to dig out my owner's manual and do a little reading

Chris - that pic is beautiful. I hope with a little practice I can capture something like that. Thanks again. I'll post some more pics once I have improved a little!

B

First of all, the reason the non-flash photos are "out of focus" is that because you don't have enough light, the camera is using a slower shutter speed which results in blur. This isn't the same as being out of focus since what is happening is that the camera is focusing but due to the long shutter speed you or the subject are moving during the exposure.

It is also possible that the camera is missing focus - there is not enough light for the camera to correctly focus. Again the problem is solved by adding light.

I think a diffuser is a good place to start. Try a piece of white paper taped to the flash with scotch tape, it's free and rediculously easy. Try folding the paper in half, if one sheet isn't enough. If that improves the quality of your photos, you know that is where you should be focusing your efforts.

Off camera lighting is a tough call for your situation, it will be hard to light it correctly without you and your camera blocking the light. Some combination of off-camera and flash should be a good solution.

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Erik Williams

fattailed geckos, western hognoses, and a bunch of postage stamps.
Contact me
www.chicagoherp.org
Chicago Herpetological Society