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I decided to try to take some pictures from above. I'm shooting with a Nikon D90, and used a 20mm extension tube with the 110mm Macro lens. Some shots were then taken with the 50mm with a polarizing filter, and I broke out the off shoe remote flash using an extending cable to light the subject from an angle, off to the side.

All images were shot in RAW-format in Manual mode. ISO varied depending on the amount of light the subject was under. Spectrum was 20,000K.

The ...

Good Afternoon fellow Reef Addicts.

I mentioned last week that I would be writing about my sump placement at some point in the future. I like to experiment with sumps and equipment, I love refugiums, the idea of experimenting with cryptic zones or algae turf scrubbers, so I really didn't like the idea of trying to cram everything in the stand under the 24" x 24" aquarium stand. It's also harder to access and clean the equipment under there. I am extremely annoyed by salt creep, ...

Here are a few further attempts to get some crazy close-up macro shots, using the extension tubes. It would be so nice to do this side by side with another person that has used them as well. Processing is a big challenge as well. I'm not going to go overboard doing this all the time, but I want to do so from time to time and hopefully improve this skill set.

Acropora sp.

Birdsnest branches.

Birdsnest ...

Now that I'm nearly completely caught up from all the orders that were placed over the holidays, it's nice to feel a moment of relaxation. I totally expected a serious lull in business from Christmas to New Years, but it was quite the opposite. I went to spend time with family in Arizona, and the entire time I was away orders kept rolling in. I've spent all my time trying to get everything built, packed and shipped and stressed about it the entire time.

The reef is doing very well. ...

Oops, guess this hammer frag got a little too close to the Acanthastrea echinata. All that remains is a stick, the skeletal mass the polyp used to inhabit. The white whispy stuff is what the acan to the right didn't consume.

While the camera was out, I figured I might as well try to get a few fish shots. The 50mm f/1.8 lens is fast, and coupled with a flash I had a feeling I'd get a few nice images for y'all.

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