Re: Photographing fish

["Vinod Kutty" <VKUTTY@prodigy.net>]

> > One guy told me he averages one keeper per roll.  Ouch! the cost!
> > 
> [snip]
> 
> per roll? who is this photographic god? i'd be happy with a keeper per 
> four rolls. (doug, your bonus is safe with me...)

The definition of "keeper" is very subjective.  The trick to increasing the
number of keepers per roll, IMHO, is removing conditions that lead to bad
pictures.  I know that sounds kinda vague but what I mean is:

a) use good optics ie. a macro lens to see tiny Apistos
b) use a decent flash, preferably two
c) have a pretty background - plants, rocks and wood
d) clean the insides and outside of the glass
e) remember laws of physics when using/aiming a flash at glass
f) do a water change before shooting and leave out the peat/blackwater
extract
g) watch your Apisto's swimming pattern and select a few "sweet spots" in
the tank and wait as long as it takes for the fish to swim into one of
these spots. Click.

How long I sit in front of the tank determines how many keepers I get out
of a roll.  If I burn a 36 exp. roll in an hour I may get 1 keeper.  If I
sit there and wait 5-6 hours per roll, I may get a couple of more keepers. 
Having said that, I must confess that I dont have a lot of good Apisto
slides...I prefer larger subjects.  

I know Mike Jacobs has seen Harry Grier do his magic at the FTFFA shows in
Tampa.  He has 24 hours to get a keeper of every winner in every class at
the show.  He has 2 or 3 photo tanks set up and shoots through the night,
gets it developed and  gives a slide show with the pix he just took at the
next evenings banquet!  He gets atleast half a dozen keepers per roll. 
It's amazing!

Hope that helped.

Vinny Kutty