Top down shots

[Nas19320]

Whats the key to getting good top down shots and avoiding lighting glare? Is it just about finding the right angle or some trick?

EDIT: Nevermind, it seems I found a way to get good shots.

[gregr]

what did you do that solved the problem? for me it's always just been moving around to find the angle that works- or the angle that works best. sometimes it's just not possible to get a shot without a reflection.
Greg

[Nas19320]

I actually took a piece of glass and was able to hold it on the surface enough to get a clear shot with the camera. I thought they came out fairly good. Thanks.

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/RC2.jpg

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/RC3.jpg

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/RC1.jpg

[gregr]

wow! they look great.
love the blue zoos-
Greg

[melev]

You need a top down box. :)

[melev]

These are some pictures of my reef that I took today with my topdown box. http://www.melevsreef.com/topdown.html

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_milleopora.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_2caps.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_mcap.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_acro.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_alveopora.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_bengaii.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_blue_torte.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_btas.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_frogspawn.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_maxima_baby.jpg

[melev]

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_orange_centered_zoos.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_green_milli.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_meangreens.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_plate.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_plating_coral.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_pocillopora.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_purple_digitata.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_red_milli.jpg

This is my Green Slimer that RTN'd today, and I fragged the heck out of it. Looks like they may survive.
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/td_slimer_frags.jpg

[Melody]

Beautiful shots, Nas19320 & Marc!

Good tip about the glass until I can get top down box.

[Mr_Quality]

Wow Marc, awesome shots. You can be very proud of your new tank and your photography!

[corro]

nice shots guys ... gotta love those top down shots!

[gregr]

wowie zowie you have a beautiful bunch of corals Marc! great shots too :D

[xxaquanutxx]

Whats a top down box?

[aquaticcreations]

Insane pictures

please show me a picture of the top down box

[melev]

It was linked in my first post, but here you go:

http://www.melevsreef.com/topdown.html

[melev]

Originally posted by gregr
wowie zowie you have a beautiful bunch of corals Marc! great shots too :D

Thanks Greg. Quite a few are NuclearReefs', and I'll be shipping them to him in a few weeks. My tank will be bare losing those beauties. :( Btw, did you see my MACNA thread? It has about 200 images from the conference all organized on my site, and I posted the link yesterday in that thread.

[xxaquanutxx]

OMG.. you are a friggin' genious! Kudos to you!!!

I had used something similar once to look at some bass in a lake.. but never had I ever thought of being able to do something like that for the reef tank!

The one we used for the lake was a 5G bucket with some of the bottom cut out and a piece of plexiglass siliconed in.

Your idea,.. now thats thinking outside the box!

[gregr]

i'll go check it out now and i'm sure i'll be jealous :lol:

[melev]

I wasn't thinking you'd be jealous. I was fishing for compliments from the master that you are. :D

[gregr]

hah! lol- you'll get both i'm sure :lol:

[Konadog]

Greg, I'm surprised that you don't have one of those with some of the great shots you take!

[gregr]

man... wish i'da been there.
too many excellent shots Marc- you came home with the goods for sure!
did you end up buying any of those beautiful corals?

[melev]

Hardly. I did come home with a large box of frags though. A few of those came out so good, like the bubble coral and the fungia. I love those. And that city night shot was also really nice.

Are you going to come to the next one, in Washington DC?

[gregr]

i sure hope so- work permitting i'll be there.

[melev]

I look forward to meeting you in person finally. :thumbsup:

[gregr]

i look forward to it too- it's long past time i went to one of these big events and met everyone.
ok- back to the top down shots- i found one taken a couple years ago of a friends incredible amazing 240g tank:
http://www.roaddogs.us/gregs/gregs/down5b.jpg

[melev]

Very nice! I was trying to get some pictures of my fat tangs, and this was the best I was able to get before my patience ran out.

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/fat_naso.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/fat_tang.jpg

[xxaquanutxx]

boy, that is one fat fish!!!

[Gerard Alba]

:eek2: :eek2:

[incysor]

Here's my first attempt at top-down shots.

Pink Tube Anemone
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011841sm.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011822smcc.jpg

X-mas tree worm.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011741smcc.jpg

Palys and Shroom
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011731smcc.jpg

Flower Anemone
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011718smcc.jpg

Sun Polyps
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011723smcc.jpg

Shrooms
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011715smcc.jpg

Candy Cane
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011703sm.jpg

Devil's Hand Leather
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011681sm.jpg

[incysor]

Had to break these up because there are too many images.

Ricorda
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011677smcc.jpg

Mushroom
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011660smcc.jpg

GSP
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011633sm.jpg

Bubble Coral
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011653sm.jpg

Green Bubble Tip Anemone
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011658sm.jpg

[incysor]

Last batch.

Zoos
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011622smcc.jpg

Favite Brain
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011621sm.jpg

Zoos
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011618smcc.jpg

Zoos and Ricordia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011614smcc.jpg

Mushroom
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011605smcc.jpg

Frogspawn
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011616smcc.jpg

Hermit Crab outside of shell
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011747smcc.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011753smcc.jpg

And one of this from the side.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/incysor/Jan05/P1011764smcc.jpg

[melev]

Great shots! Quick, edit the first one to show the flower anemone, because you posted the mushroom picture twice.

Great catch on the naked hermit. :D

[incysor]

Originally posted by melev
Great shots! Quick, edit the first one to show the flower anemone, because you posted the mushroom picture twice.

Great catch on the naked hermit. :D

Yeah, I just caught that...Thanks.

B