How do you take good CANDLING Pictures?

[ADozenGirlz]

I just set some FBCMs and Ameraucana eggs three days ago. Most of them appear to be developing an embryo.

I'm not a photographer and barely know how to use my Cannon Powershot Elph Digital Camera. By some accident, I have taken excellent candling photos in the past, but I have NO idea how I did it.
Can anyone tell me how to take good candling pics in the dark?
Thanks!

This was a fairly light-shelled Blue Splash Marans egg last month. I guess it wasn't nighttime when I took it.

 

[debilorrah]

You need to look at silkiechickens thread sticky at the top - her pics are AWESOME!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Does she describe HOW TO take the pics in the thread?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I'm not a photographer of any sort but have taken several runs of photos for documentation for the Kinder Major's 4-H projects. Some were just bad and some were pretty decent. On the screen anyway. They lose something when printed out though better quality paper may have improved that.

One thing I have noticed is that you can get a lot better photo if you have no light leakage around the egg. The ONLY light that should be seen should be what comes through the egg itself. Leakage around the egg serves to wash out the faint detail you're trying to capture. I'm sure with a real camera there are a lot of settings you can make, but I use a point and shoot like many others so I can't advise about that. Eliminating the light leakage is the thing that I've found that helped the most.

Edited to add: Also, the room should be totally dark. No light other than what is coming from the candler. We wait until nightfall to candle now.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

A.T. Hagan :

I'm not a photographer of any sort but have taken several runs of photos for documentation for the Kinder Major's 4-H projects. Some were just bad and some were pretty decent. On the screen anyway. They lose something when printed out though better quality paper may have improved that.

One thing I have noticed is that you can get a lot better photo if you have no light leakage around the egg. The ONLY light that should be seen should be what comes through the egg itself. Leakage around the egg serves to wash out the faint detail you're trying to capture. I'm sure with a real camera there are a lot of settings you can make, but I use a point and shoot like many others so I can't advise about that. Eliminating the light leakage is the thing that I've found that helped the most.

Edited to add: Also, the room should be totally dark. No light other than what is coming from the candler. We wait until nightfall to candle now.

I tried the total darkness photo with my point and shoot camera last night, no luck.