Zoanthid Wars

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
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What technical feedback would you like if any? Try your hand at getting the orange less peachy!

What artistic feedback would you like if any? How’s the comp. I cropped this vertically to get the 3 sharpest elements in the comp.

Pertinent technical details or techniques: D500 105mm f2.8 (1/6 sec at f16, Iso 1000) Levels, Brightness & Contrast, White Balance. The colors are fairly close, but the orange portion of the disk is more peach than orange. The yellow green skirt is spot on. This is a close-up of some zoanthids from my reef tank fighting for space. The chemical warfare used by these animals would be outlawed by the Geneva convention if based on humane principles. The striped zoanthid is one of the most toxic organisms present on tropical reefs.

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
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The composition works for me, Jim. /Getting those colors spot on must be a challenge. I’m not sure quite how to approach it. How fast are these things moving? I’m just wondering if you could do a stack.

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Jim: Awesome subject superbly captured. I like the comp and the colors look pretty good to me. :+1::+1:>=))>

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Hi Jim,
Sorry I won’t be able to help with the colors but I will say I really like this image. The vibrant colors provide a lot of pleasing interest as well as all the shapes. Well done.

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Hi,

Thank you. My home made LED lighting system is biased with blue and UV purple LEDS while having enough white and red LEDs for color balance. I may have to shoot a white piece of plastic for white balance and then do the fancy stuff in LightRoom. Dennis, my first Editor’s Pick at the old NPN was a stacked image of a large patch of multicolored zoanthids. I shut the water circulation pumps off and they will remain motionless for a short period of time…Jim

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This view into your tank looks great, Jim. Plenty of details and outstanding colors. Having the one wide open with it’s neighbors nicely sharp makes for an image that is both striking and dramatic. Have you tried reducing the red a bit to adjust the orange?

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Try using a photo gray card for adjusting the white balance in your camera. My mind is too feeble these days to recall the why’s and wherefore’s, but back in our pro days shooting mixed lighting sources that was always recommended over using a white card. If I recall correctly it came from lighting guru Dean Collins, RIP.

EDIT: I was inspired to google the topic and found lots of articles under “photo gray card white balance.” This is just one example of the available write-ups.