Some words about Me, my photos, my tanks...

[AQUASAUR]

First, just for protocol – my name is Hristo!
Not – Kristo, Kris, Kristopher…or some other English variety of it…
Hristo is typical, folk and famous Bulgarian name!
Every character is pronounced hard. The accent is on the first syllable!
H – like Horison
R – like River
I – like Ear
ST – like STation
O – like Old

The friends call me also Itso (the accent is on the first syllable).


Since I remember myself, that lovely aquatic hobby, was constantly “under my skin” …
It was plentiful of tanks in my house always…till the days I had married…become father of 3 children…
and my wife give me a note to move all my tanks conquered the house!
Then I have no choice, wishing to keep my hobby alive, than to make a small pet-fishstore here in Sofia, Bulgaria …(11 years before)
Don’t think I am a “big retailer”…definitely, it’s not my “lovely” think to do!
and actualy, my pet-fish store is just my Hobby “undercover”…
My real occupation is architecture, or may be the most – making designs of aqua-zoo reces.
About fishes – my pet store help me to have access to a lot of different species of fish
and refresh permanently all my Private Collections of American cichlids, Tetras, Rainbows, Killies, Bettas, Goldfishes, Catfishes and some others…

These Collections of mine are not for sale, they are my joy, my pride and the meaning of whole my aquarist's life!!!

In the beginning, I was planning to do a site of my pet store, but as I said – I don’t like that part of my hobby
and it becomes only just my private hosting place to store all my photos for sharing in my favorite forums.
There are mess of photos (much with mistaken titles, bad quality…),
which have matter only in the forums threads in their consistency and supporting comments…
It’s something like my “back yard”… not for guests…

About my new hobby – Aquatic photography, I had starting of it just a year and half before.
There is a site, and a few Pals there, helped me to learn much about that kind of photography:
http://www.aquatic-photography.com
Its APF team of professional photographers, helps to anybody interested about…
They wouldn’t give you a “magic recipe” for making good pictures,
but if you follow their advices and take a good look at most of the particular special topics about
definitely, your skill will become much higher…!
Please, don’t ask from me, like “professional” to teach you about Photography!
I’m still a schoolboy about that and my technical English is really not enough good, to express all my conceptions about…
Writing even, any single post in English, takes for me too much time for correct translating every word,
check spelling…(sometimes, much of the words just missing in my PC “SA Dictionary”)!
Usually, I have only a few stolen minutes, just to run quickly on my favorites forums
or sleepless night hours to prepare some photos for my forums threads…

! Edit: This June ‘2007, I was invited from APF Team to be a Specialty Moderator of
”Aquatic DSLR Gallery & Aquatic Critique Corner” forum section
And obviously, it has to get accustomed to this new duty…


About my equipment:
My camera is CANON 350D + two of my favorite lenses:
EF 50 mm/f2.5 Compact-Macro and EF 50 mm. f/1.8 II
In the beginning, I made my photos with a bright tank lightning
or used the camera’s flash with diffuser…
Next period, putting externally Speedlite 430EX over the tank…
And lately, I made my shots with Canon Speedlite 580EX situated over the tank,
wires connected with the camera in “master” mod
and Speedlite 430EX like straight “fill” flash (slave mod)…The both are with diffuser!

My usual settings:
Shutter Speed: 1/200 seconds
Aperture Value: f/14-22(dependent on the fish specific and fishes position)
ISO Speed Ratings: 100-400(dependent on the fish specific)

That what I want to say for the final is:
- There is no “universal recipe” ” for making good pictures…!!!
- Every situation, dependent of so many things, is different…
- There is an equipment level minimum from where you may start to make really good pictures( DSLR camera, special lenses, external flashes…)
- Never underrate the good lightning – as brightest is it, so detailed could be the picture…!

About my photos…
I try always to choose only the best from them and show only the exclusive things!
(Not just to share some of my fishes,tanks set up…!)
I try to make some kind of Art-photography by the best expressive style as I can!

When my photos were only 200-300, I had make some variety of resolution for the different forums requirement,
But now, they are too many…and multiply permanently…
Because of that I decide to make all of them in minimum,
but enough expressive and optimum resolution – 800/600pix, and size around 150Kb.
May be it’s not quite satisfy for the people with slow Internet connection,
But it’s my categorically decision and I hope will be enough people, appreciated it, meaning their best quality!

I got plentiful of tanks(more than 60), but most of them are mainly functionally than aesthetic arranged…
Much are overstocked and plants are just for background…
other - just “plants-jungle” of growing plants for future decoration…
An exception to that are a few big show-tanks in my pet fish-store, which you will see lately…
I don’t like talk much about and show the whole views of my tanks, because they are not anything special…
and I don’t wanna recommend my way of keeping to anyone!
Even, showing some of the best of them – there is always some “experts” begun to judge me
and give their precious advices, thinking I’m so much needed them…
That’s for now. I hope didn’t bore you much with all above…

So, before taking enough new resent photos of my big Discus/Rainbows/Tetras tank, I’ll share these,
I made a few months ago:


















Enjoy!

[Night_Owl]

I love the photo's mate

great looking fish

great looking tank

and great colors

thanks for sharing , keep 'em coming

I've been looking into the whole fish tank photogrphy for a while now, so i have to thank you for your link to the Aquatic Photograpy Forums see what I can learn

[Aqualife]

Thankyou for the time and effort you made to make this post and give's us alittle glimsp of Hristo,Those photo's are stunning to say the least,Discus look extremely healthy and of very good quality and also the plants.

[AndrewA]

WOW! THEY ARE AMAZING top nothc mate never seen anythign like it. you have some talent. keep up the good work

[shake]

Thanks for sharing these and your other great photos Hristo. Look forward to more great photos from you.

[rufus]

WOW!

Thankyou Hristo for sharing about yourself, it's great to know you're so open with us

Thanks for the link to the APF also, I'd read about it before, but wanted to check it out - as soon as I get my digital camera for christmas I'll be on there a lot! It's also nice to know we're one of you favourite forums, and you spend some of your precious time on posting those gorgeous pictures for us. Thanks Hristo - I for one hope you stick around here for a long, long time.
Oh, and btw - best of luck with your pet store over christmas

[AQUASAUR]

Thank You for the friendly words and the compliments, Pals !
May be the Discus fishes are my Big love from the hole Fish Kingdom I have…
I call that my tank, with those plentiful of “Colored Dancers” - “Discustec”
Especially, every time They see me coming…it’s like some music is turning on…
And Discotec begins…

So, that is some more off these Dancers:

[AQUASAUR]

Here are my Favorites:











With the last photo, I was take the “Grand-champion prize” finishing last year
of American’s Cichlid Forum photo-contest…

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/photocontest/ --> View Last Round's Winners >> --> Hall of Fame --> 2005 2nd Half Winners

[Patchy]

Those are lovely pictures and i must admit that is a very beautiful tank and well maintained with so many fish inside!

[barrabob]

Hristo thanks for sharing those hints about the flash hanging over the tank, I can tell that you are a perfectionist with what you do your shots are always amazing.

I use a Fuji s5000 and the best way i can do it is by waiting for night and taking a picture with light out in the house and the tank lights on and use no flash which makes it ard to get it to focus properly inside the tank but i dont get a reflection off the glass that way.

Obviously if i could put the flash over the tank and take the photo from the front things would improve.

Thankyou for sharing.

[AQUASAUR]

Hey, Pal, as I said - Every situation, dependent of so many things, is different…
Situated the external flash above the tank is helpful only for some situation and kind of fishes…
It’s not much felicitous if the fish is enough big or with upper “shining surface”…
because of the deep shadows on the bottom fish side!
Of course, the slow fishes, like Discus…you may shoot only with bright tank lightning!
Much of the photos above are made exactly by this way!





But if you wanna take much details, definitely – you will need 2 external flashes
– above and straight “fill” flash…and special compact-macro lens also!

[duck]

You got to love the discus,You really bring out the colour with your Photo's

[ching4ever]

Nice tank and discus. After see your pic, I only know that my friend's discus tank are sucks!!

[AQUASAUR]

Hey, Pals, is it in Australia the Discus fishes are enough popular…?
Is it any Association about their keepers and breeders…any championships…?

Yeah, from all my favorite fishes – the Discus is “my Big Love” !
I try permanently to refresh my Discus collection
and till this time I got every specimens had imported in Bulgaria…
Here is a photo series of one our BG Discus farm,
where I bought some new “members” for my collection lately:

[AQUASAUR]

Originally Posted by AQUASAUR

Hey, Pals, is it in Australia the Discus fishes are enough popular…?
Is it any Association about their keepers and breeders…any championships…?

....No coment again...!??
Hey, Pals...is that mean - there is no any serious Discus breeders, Asosiations... in Australia...!?
or You just dont care about...!?