Photographing Chameleons

[ColorificChameleons]

While I love taking pictures of my boys I never am thrilled with the results. Does anyone have any suggestions or know of a thread I could look to for information? My boys are stunning but their colors never come thru in pictures like I would like. Our newest family member, Savage, is an ambilobe with brilliant reds. The photos his breeder took were so vibrant. Mine photos just aren't. How do you get their colors so crisp?

 

[ColorificChameleons]

 

[Tattersb]

I might be able to help you out with some tips. First, what kind of camera and lens are you using?

 

[JacksJill]

Lighting is important also. I get my best and least expensive results with early morning or late afternoon natural sunlight.

 

[ColorificChameleons]

I might be able to help you out with some tips. First, what kind of camera and lens are you using?

It's just a cheaper canon with 25 optical zoom.

 

[ColorificChameleons]

Lighting is important also. I get my best and least expensive results with early morning or late afternoon natural sunlight.

My windows are horrible for natural lighting. They all face the wrong directions and it's too cold for outdoor adventures right now. I am actually kind of excited for a sunny, warm day shoot with the boys.

 

[ColorificChameleons]

The cage lighting seems to make everything a bit golden so I think I will have to shoot pictures outside of the cages. They have reptisun 10. and 6000k lights for the plants

 

[Tattersb]

I absolutely agree with @JacksJill. I hate flash photography, so I use camera settings to compensate when I have to. It's way to cold to get out right now, so I'm having to adjust ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Thankfully chameleons are slow, so a slow shutter speed isn't an issue. This shot was hand-held, indoors, no flash, and not adjusted for incandescent light. His colors are a bit cooler than this, and his horns aren't this yellow, but I do like the saturation.

 

[Crashbandit05]

I don't have any tips as I just have a smart phone but your guy is incredibly vivid!

 

[Tattersb]

The cage lighting seems to make everything a bit golden so I think I will have to shoot pictures outside of the cages. They have reptisun 10. and 6000k lights for the plants

Do you adjust your white balance to compensate for your lighting?

 

[JacksJill]

Sorry, I forgot most of the northern hemisphere is deep into winter. You can create good lighting indoors with two light sources. I've managed with craft lights that are meant to simulate sunlight.

 

[Tattersb]

It's just a cheaper canon with 25 optical zoom.

I've shot with several models of Canon. Which do you have?

 

[ColorificChameleons]

This lighting makes everything more yellow it seems. Is there an artificial lighting that might help?

 

[ColorificChameleons]

I've shot with several models of Canon. Which do you have?

I think it's called a powershot? It's nothing fancy but it's done well for me.

 

[Tattersb]

There are several varieties of regular house bulbs (cool, daylight, etc.) You might try one of those in a regular lamp. I have ceiling lights that I have just removed the cover from to bump the illumination.

 

[ColorificChameleons]

Do you adjust your white balance to compensate for your lighting?

I have messed with the white balance a little but I'm not very proficient with it as you can see.

 

[JacksJill]

I got this picture with this lamp.

 

[Tattersb]

I think it's called a powershot? It's nothing fancy but it's done well for me.

If it's an Elph or any point and shoot you're going to be pretty limited on what you can adjust on the camera. You may have to rely on artificial light, and tricks. For example, a sheet of white poster board makes a dandy reflector to bounce light onto your subject.

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

I love how my pictures outside in real sunshine comes out! A good time for outside pictures is a hour after sunrise and a hour before sunset on a sunny day! Your chameleon will initiall react to being outsie by changing his/her colors. I pick a nice warm day (but not too warm, close to the cage temperature he/she is used to) and the them to be out in the sun for 40 minutes to a hour before I take pictures. Works quite well.

 

[Tattersb]

I have messed with the white balance a little but I'm not very proficient with it as you can see.

Have you tried shooting the exact same shot with all of your WB settings for comparison? Adjusting for incandescent will cool your images down while adjusting for shade/clouds will warm them up.