Photographing Saltwater Aquarium fish, HOW?

[chris_alcock]

does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how to photograph home saltwater

aquarium fish?

[michaelging]

Put some black paper or velvet on the far side of the glass on the outside of the tank. Light the fish from the top of the tank with a flash or a flood light, in a dark room to keep reflections from the glass showing in the photo.If you use a flood light,be careful even a small rise in the water temp can cause problems with the fish.

[michaelging]

example of what this set up will give you.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/2749008

[beau 1664876222]

Like Michael, I think they look cool on B&W film.<p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/1091974-md.jpg">

[phyrpowr]

Tip I read and used successfully is to put the lens flush on the glass, using a rubber screwmount lenshood to cushion/protect

 

Especially if using a camera mounted flash, to prevent glare

[dan_fromm2]

This is an old question that has been asked and answered many times in this forum. Search for answers, there's no point typing more on the subject.

[tsantes]

http://www.ximinasphotography.com/lessons/index.html

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/gr/index.php

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=118

[jeffpolaski]

Dan, I really liked the idea of inserting a piece of glass to keep the fish close to the side of the aquarium. (The fish might not like it...)

[david_millard]

I don't know how large or small your aquarium is, but in years past I spent a lot of time

photographing the fish and other aquatic creatures at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu.

 

The suggestion that you place your lens up to the glass may work, but it limits your

opportunities, and isn't a workable solution at a public aquarium. Instead, I aimed the

lens perpendicular to the glass, and used a flash at about 45 degrees to the glass.

Remember, the angle of reflection of the light off the glass is always equal to the angle of

its incidence.

 

At that time, I used a Nikon F4 or FE2, 105 and 55 Micro-Nikkors, extension tubes, and a

flash on a TTL cord on a bracket. I would use the flash bracket attached to the camera,

and the head swiveled, for photos at about .25X and larger, and detach the flash bracket

from the camera for lower magnification shots. I always wore dark clothes to minimize

my reflection in the glass. This setup gave me a lot of mobility, and I was able to produce

excellent images without interfering with other visitors at the aquarium.

 

My major challenge at the Waikiki Aquarium were fingerprints on the glass, but if I went in

the mornings before the crowds came, these weren't much of a problem, and the staff

were also very open to cleaning the glass if I requested.

 

For an aquarium at home, you could mount your camera on a tripod, and mount flashes at

45 degrees to the glass to the right and left of the camera, as well as having overhead

lights. This setup would give you a lot of flexibility.

 

Good luck with your project!