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Secrets of Professional Aquarium Photographers

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Some secrets of professional aquarium photographers can eliminate glare from the aquarium glass.

Some secrets of professional aquarium photographers can eliminate glare from the aquarium glass. They can get a perfect shot – even in a public aquarium where you don’t have control over the lighting conditions.

Trying to capture a photograph of a particular fish can be difficult. Since some fish can move quickly – suddenly darting to and fro – it becomes difficult to get a clear focused picture.

Sure, you can use a flash which will allow the shutter speed to increase – resulting in a perfect still shot… but the glare from the flash has washed out your fish’s colors and is reflecting off the glass in the tank.

You can keep trying to fine-tune the exposure with your flash, or you can try using external lighting sources to illuminate your aquarium.

If you DON’T use a flash, you have underexposed pictures and blurry subjects. Or you can see reflections of yourself in the aquarium glass. Again – you have to adjust your camera’s ISO settings to compensate for low-light conditions.

If possible, turn off all lights in the room. All you want on is the lights in your aquarium. If you shoot at night, this will eliminate any stray reflections in the aquarium glass. This is when you put on that dark clothing.

Photography Master Class

Secrets of Professional Aquarium Photographers

  •  If you can – tape a white background to your aquarium, it will help your aquarium colors standout, and give your tank a subtle boost.
  • When you take a shot of the entire tank, position your camera in the front of the tank, midway up in the center. This position gives a better perspective and emphasizes depth of field.
  • Also shoot pictures from other angles. Keep experimenting with perspective.
  • If your smart phone or DSLR camera has HDR capability be sure to turn this on. HDR lightens darker parts of the image and it can often improve aquarium shots.
  • Some phones, and most DSLR cameras have the capability to shoot pics in RAW format. If possible, you want to use this format because it will allow for a higher level of correction and adjustment once you get to post processing. (via PhotoShop, for instance)

When you take photos of the aquarium, be sure to take lots of photos. No really. I mean LOTS. Digital cameras allow you to take an almost unlimited number of pictures.

After shooting them, you will then have many shots to choose from at different focal lengths and colors. Experiment with aperture settings, white balance, ISO and exposure to give yourself a good selection of shots from which to choose your favorite pictures.

Resources

Fishlore provides aquarium fish information for both freshwater and saltwater hobbyists. They present information in an easy-to-understand way so that more can enjoy our wonderful hobby! Their Aquarium Forum is very active, with both new hobbyists and old pros. This is a great resource if you have a question because there are lots of fishkeepers here at all times of the day or night to help you.

I wrote an article that might help – How To Remove Tank Reflection when Shooting Aquarium Photography

The main thing to remember is, don’t give up. Keep trying the different techniques of professional aquarium photography that we shared here and keep shooting until you get it right.

And most of all… have fun!

Photography Master Class

How To Remove Tank Reflection when Shooting Aquarium Photography

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I am frequently asked how to remove tank reflection in fish tank pictures, because fish photographers constantly encounter reflective surfaces. Whether using a flash, (not recommended) or shooting with available light, reflection in the aquarium glass is always something the fish photographer needs to consider.

There are a few techniques you can use that will reduce, if not completely remove tank reflection.

  1. Turn off the lights in the fish room. You want the aquarium to be the only illuminated object in the room. 
  2. Wear dark clothing, which will cut down on your reflection in the front glass of the tank.
  3. Use a “blind” to shoot your pictures. Cut out a circle in card board paper, then fit your camera into the circle. The blind should be large enough that your camera (and you) are not reflected in the glass.
  4. Use a rubber lens hood. These are flexible rubber hoods that fit over your lens. When pressed up against the aquarium, the lens hood completely eliminates all reflections from the glass. The rubber hood does not damage or mark the glass of the aquarium.
  5. Use a filter on your camera lens. If you don’t currently have a filter for your lens, then consider getting one of these to at least prevent dust and scratches from damaging the lens. Filters are available for UV, and light polarization – in addition to many others.

Remove Tank Reflection with a Rubber Hood

Luckily, reflection is easily prevented with the use of a soft rubber hood on your camera lens.

The soft rubber will not scratch your aquarium glass or acrylic, and the hood prevents reflections. It also ensures that your camera is held perpendicular to the glass surface, preventing refraction as well.

There are many soft rubber hoods for DSLR cameras, but the versatility of the Ultimate Lens Hood is hard to beat.

It fits all DSLR cameras and it is just as effective with my smartphone camera as it is with my Canon DSLR camera.

Ultimate Lens Hood

Remove Tank Reflection with a CPL Filter

CPL is an abbreviation for Circular Polarizing/Linear, or more commonly – just Circular Polarizing. 

CPL filters are rotatable, and they block different polarized light rays as you turn the filter. These polarized light rays cause unwanted glare and those reflections that are ruining your fish pics.

You use it by simply rotating the filter until you get the desired result. Sort of like sunglasses for your camera.

A polarizing filter reduces the amount of light entering the camera. A CPL filter can reduce up to 2 stops of light.

So, if you use it you may have to increase ISO by 2 stops, especially if you have already set the aperture and shutter values. Just something to be aware of, and adjust for.

UV Filter

The UV (Ultraviolet) filter is used primarily outdoors. It reduces haze on sunny days but has no effect on pictures taken indoors. If a camera lens is threaded to accommodate filters, a UV filter is often used mainly to protect the lens from scratches.

Ultraviolet light is an invisible band of radiation at the upper end of the visible light spectrum. The source of ultraviolet light is the sun.

The main reason I mention a UV filter here is because of their relatively inexpensive nature, they are perfect for protecting your expensive lenses. Think of them as lens insurance. You can easily remove them before a shoot if you need to, although that is not normally necessary.

Further Reading

In a previous article, I discussed the importance of Light Source Placement. Lighting is something to consider when trying to reduce tank reflection and glare.

Aquarium Photography Light Source Placement

No Flash Aquarium Photography

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no flash aquarium photography

No flash aquarium photography has many advantages over shooting tanks with a flash. Color is richer and more realistic. Just as you did with using a flash, it is recommended to adjust the white balance until the colors of your aquarium pictures closely match the real thing. In relation to flash photography, these photos will have more depth and less shadow to deal with.

Fish are constantly moving. Swimming around the tank looking for food, or hovering in place, their fins are always moving. Even when stationary, their mouths and gills are still in motion. For this reason, it is difficult to use slow shutter speeds in aquarium photography.

Another obstacle is low light conditions, which a slower shutter speed would help with. The slower the shutter speed, the more light is allowed to enter the camera. However, you have that pesky problem of the fish moving, or your camera moving and blurring the shot.

Endurax Camera Tripod

Resources

Aquarium Advice is an awesome website devoted to all aspects of fish keeping. They have a very active forum divided into categories so you can instantly focus on the information you need.

Also, check out one of my earlier articles – The issue of using or not using flash is discussed there, too.

Aquarium Camera Equipment and Gear Choice by Professional Photographers when Shooting Exotic Fish Pictures

Using a tripod helps eliminate the camera movement, and if you add supplemental lighting you can increase the lighting in your aquarium and achieve sharper images.

If your subject is a lazy Plecostomus for example, you can slow the shutter speed to 1/100 or even 1/50 of a second and shoot with a tripod.

However, if you set your camera for an exposure time of 1/250s you can take pictures without a tripod. It then becomes possible to quickly react to the movement of your subject.

In order to do this, you will need to open up the aperture as much as possible. This will get the maximum amount of light onto the camera’s sensor.

Tell Us About It

Have you used the no flash aquarium photography method in your fish shots? How did it go? Comment below and share your experience with us.

Aquarium Photography Light Source Placement

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Aquarium photography light source placement is one of the first things to consider when setting up for a shoo

Aquarium photography light source placement is one of the first things to consider when setting up for a shoot. Lighting is hugely important in aquarium photography.

Of all of our aquarium photography tips, this is the one that will make or break a fish picture.

Your subject needs to be the main focus of your shot, meaning that it needs to stand out more than the background. That is why I recommend using a spotlight over the tank. This will work the same way as a flash but without the glare or reflections. You can adjust the spotlight to make sure your subject is receiving more light than the background.

Another benefit of using a spotlight over the tank is your fish will look natural. I sometimes use side-lighting to diffuse shadows, but my main lighting source is usually from above the tank. After all, in nature, the sunlight always comes from above the fish.

Direct your light sources into the tank from the top, or in from the sides.  Try adding a spotlight over the tank and experiment with your camera settings.

If your shot is underexposed you can try adding more lights over the tank or go to a longer exposure time of 1/200s or 1/160s.

Keep shooting and try different combinations.

While aquarium photography light source placement is crucial, there are other things you can do to make the picture better:

If you can, increase the ISO of your camera. This will take a brighter photo, but when you increase ISO you can get a grainy look on your photos, often referred to as “ISO noise.” 

This effect is unnoticeable on most cameras until you get to really high levels – usually around 1500 ISO. How high you can go depends on the sensor. Each brand of a camera could be different. So, experiment. The ISO should be as high as possible without getting grainy.

Resources

Aquarium Advice is an awesome website devoted to all aspects of fish keeping. They have a very active forum divided into categories so you can instantly focus on the information you need.

Also, check out this article I wrote awhile back:

No Flash Aquarium Photography

Smile – Our “Best Camera for Aquarium Photography” Choice is Finally Revealed, and DSLR is Still the Champ

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best camera for aquarium photography reflex example

So, really… what is the best camera for aquarium photography? I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked that question. The truth is, it is difficult to select the “best” camera for shooting fish pictures.

The reason I say that, is because there are so many variables that make it almost impossible for any individual camera to excel in every situation.

Aquarium photography is not as easy as it first appears. In fact, it can be quite tricky. You are dealing with low light conditions and fast moving, unpredictable subjects. 

And to make it even more difficult, you are shooting through glass and water.

You can take a nice overall shot of the entire tank and it looks great! But when you try to get a closeup of your favorite fish, that’s when it gets tricky. Taking quality photographs of an individual fish is not easy.

Blurry images, under-exposed shots, reflections, washed-out colors, and poorly framed shots are more the norm than the exception.

No Flash for Me, Please

no flash in best camera for aquarium photography

Oh, by the way – this article is going to discuss cameras and equipment for taking fish pictures without the use of a flash.

A flash tends to wash out colors. Also, depending on the fish species, it can reflect off their scales. I will write another article about using a flash, but I really don’t like a flash for aquarium photography. I prefer using illumination from light strips and spotlights outside the tank.

The two main objectives in aquarium photography are:

  1. Sufficient light on the subject to allow a fast shutter speed, to freeze motion
  2. Sharp focus on the subject

The Best Camera for Aquarium Photography

I know… I just told you a minute ago that it was impossible to proclaim any one camera as the “best” for our aquarium photographic endeavors. However, I CAN proclaim a type of camera which is best suited for this task.

The best camera for aquarium photography is the one that enables you to adjust settings manually. The Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera is your best choice for fish photography, for that reason.

DSLR Is The Way to Go

The “point-and-shoot” cameras are great, as is your iPhone or Samsung smartphone. You can take some awesome photographs using these cameras, but they do not begin to compare with the versatility of a DSLR camera.

If you want to learn about photography and how to shoot great aquarium photos, then you need to get a real camera with manual setting controls.

Yes, you can still use the auto-focus, or the auto-exposure, or any of the fancy bells and whistles that the new DSLR cameras have – but the point is, you can select any of them to be set manually at your pleasure. That is the real power of the versatile DSLR.

They are more expensive than the point-and-shoot cameras… but then, you’d expect them to be more expensive, right? Look at it as an investment in your hobby. (That works for me, but with my wife, not so much.)

Sensor Size

There are two sensor sizes that most DSLR cameras utilize:

  • 35mm full-frame (36 mm × 24 mm)
  • APS-C (25.1×16.7 mm)

The full-frame is roughly equivalent to a 35mm frame while the APS-C is slightly smaller. The larger the image sensor, the more pixels, and information can be captured. This means you get more detail and a sharper image.

Lenses

As I mentioned earlier, the ability to change lenses on your camera is a huge advantage, and the reason I think the DSLR camera is the best camera for aquarium photography.

When taking pictures of your fish room or an overall shot of your aquarium, you might use a “nifty fifty”, or 50 mm lens. But when you want a close-up of your prize Discus spawning, you can easily switch to a 100 mm macro lens and get amazing detail.

Quality Lenses Will Make Your Wife Faint

telephoto lens

Quality lenses are expensive. There’s no easy way to say it, so I’ll just spit it out. You can easily spend as much, or more, on a quality prime lens as you spent on the camera body.

But if you shop around, you can find good deals as well. Keep in mind, you can use third-party lenses on your Nikon, or Canon… you don’t HAVE to spend your kid’s college fund to buy that lens you have been dreaming of. The third-party lenses are fully compatible with your camera, just make sure you specify which brand and model camera you have. The savings can be considerable.

For instance, this Rokinon 50mm F1.4 Lens for Canon EF is much less expensive than the comparable Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

If you are considering a macro lens, you will want one that can capture detail further back in your tank. I prefer the 105 mm, but 90 mm will work as well. These lenses will allow you to shoot fish that are further away from the front of the tank and still zoom in with amazing clarity.

Summary

While your smartphone does a great job taking snapshots, it is really not going to give you the professional level quality of aquarium photography that a DSLR camera will.

The same goes for point-and-shoot cameras. They have come a long way and they are getting better every day. But, until they allow you to switch lenses at will and adjust settings manually, a DSLR is definitely the best camera for aquarium photography. By the way, my favorite choice of camera is currently the awesome Canon EOS 6D Mark II – take a look, and you’ll see why.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. It turned out a little long-winded… so if you actually made it to the end, then I am impressed! Take a few minutes and comment below. I’d love to hear what your favorite camera is.

Further Reading

I previously wrote an article about this, kinda…

Aquarium Camera Equipment and Gear Choice by Professional Photographers when Shooting Exotic Fish Pictures

Best Aquarium Camera Settings

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Best aquarium camera settings

Before we get into the best aquarium camera settings, let’s review some of the basic things you should be doing to get the best shots.

Before you get started setting up your camera gear, make sure the water in your tank is sparkling clean. I like to do a partial water change the day before I plan to shoot photos and at the same time, I also clean the glass thoroughly. Make sure the gravel is clean, too. Once you are finished cleaning, give your tank a good inspection.

Are any pumps or cords visible? Did you miss any algae growth you need to clean off the glass? A little time spent cleaning your aquarium beforehand will pay off tremendously in the clarity of your pictures. Read this article

Aquarium Photography Basics

The timing of your photoshoot is important, too. If possible, shoot at night with only the tank illuminated. Turn off all other lights in the room. If you are shooting during the daylight hours, you can cut down on the light by closing the drapes, or hanging a blanket over the window. The goal is to decrease the light in the room so that the aquarium is more brightly illuminated.

Just before you begin shooting, turn off any water pumps so the water is perfectly still. Because you are shooting in relatively low light conditions, you will have to use a slower shutter speed. So any plants swaying in the current will result in blurred focus.

I recommend using a tripod and a remote shutter release. No matter how carefully you press the shutter button on your camera, the slightest movement or vibration will be amplified when taking closeups or a macro shot. Resulting in blurry pictures.

Make sure you remember to orient your camera lens at right angles to the glass to reduce refraction distortion. Finally, activate your camera’s image stabilization option, if it has the technology. This will optimize clarity.

Use Manual Settings for Aquarium Photography

You will get the best aquarium camera setting when you learn how to use the manual settings on your camera. Using auto-focus is generally not desirable because of the low-light conditions. Your camera may have trouble focusing – often referred to as ‘hunting’ for focus – resulting in images that are less sharp than if you manually focus.

Aquarium lighting makes it more difficult for cameras to detect colors and reproduce them faithfully. That problem can be corrected by using the white balance setting, either on your camera, or post-editing with PhotoShop, or a similar image editor. Keep trying new variations. Adjust different settings until you get accurate colors.

Best Aquarium Camera Settings: Aperture

Your camera’s aperture priority mode enables you to pick a certain aperture while the camera automatically selects a proper shutter speed to match. Or you can set both the shutter and the aperture manually.  
Use a larger f stop number and a slower shutter speed to get a greater depth of field.

If plants are swaying, or if you are shooting corals in a reef tank and the polyps are moving even slightly, you can set the f-stop lower and increase the shutter speed to get more clarity. When you make these adjustments you will notice that you lost some depth of field. It’s a trade-off. LOL, You have to experiment with the settings until you get it right.

Photography Master Class

Best Aquarium Camera Settings: ISO

You can set your ISO setting to a higher value, which will increase the light sensitivity, but the higher you go, the grainier the resulting image. This is referred to as “ISO noise”. Try setting your ISO at 800 – this will allow a faster shutter speed and a smaller aperture. Experiment with it and adjust accordingly.

Macro Lens

Even while using my tips on the best camera settings for aquariums, you need a good quality macro lens for the best results. The best two examples are the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro lens. There are other third-party lenses that work extremely well, such as Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, and the 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens for Nikon DSLR Camera.

Leave a comment below and share which lenses you prefer.

Using Flash with Aquarium Photography

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flash with aquarium photography

I don’t like using flash with aquarium photography. Well-placed lighting sources such as spotlights or overhead lighting work better for me. Sometimes I even use side-lighting. But, that’s just my opinion.

Maybe you want to try it. I will share some tips to help you if you choose to use a flash.

If you take a picture using a flash straight on into the tank… you are going to be disappointed. You will get glare from the glass washing out your picture. The best technique to avoid this is to shoot flash pictures from an angle to the glass. This will avoid the glare.

Increase the lighting inside the aquarium to its brightest setting. This will eliminate unwanted shadows and will give your pictures a better perspective.

Eliminate Glare

You can use a hood for your camera lens that will eliminate glare on the aquarium glass. Made with soft rubber, these hoods will not scratch the aquarium glass or acrylic. Click here to read more about camera hoods.

If you decide you want to try flash with aquarium photography, make sure you take plenty of shots. In this age of digital photography, we are not limited like we used to be in the age of film. Remember that? For those of you that are too young to remember 35-millimeter film… Rolls of 24 pictures meant you had to choose your shots carefully.

Those days are behind us now. Shoot as many as you please, and delete the ones that don’t work out.

Experiment with your camera settings. Compare your shots with the aquarium’s natural coloration and adjust your camera’s white balance setting to a different preset.  (Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, etc) This can help the color balance.

I wrote an article on aquarium camera gear and proper settings which may help you. Enjoy!

Aquarium Fish Photography Techniques Explained

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Aquarium Fish PhotographyTips for shooting inside public aquariums

Aquarium fish photography can add a whole new dimension of satisfaction to our accomplishments as an aquarist. One thing that seems to be universal in our hobby is the desire to show off our discus tank, our thriving reef tank, or that new filtration system we just installed. So it shouldn’t be surprising that a lot of aquarists are also photographers.

This website is devoted to sharing tips and techniques for taking awesome photos of your fishy friends.

Keep reading to learn how the aquarium fish photography professionals take those amazing shots we all wish we could do.

With practice utilizing the correct techniques and obtaining the right gear, you can improve your photos by leaps and bounds. Soon you will be taking aquarium photographs like a professional!

Aquarium Fish Photography Tips

1) If you are serious about aquarium fish photography, listen up. This is the most important tip I can share with you: When you are shooting closeups, make sure your camera is square with the glass of the aquarium. In other words, don’t shoot at an angle through the glass, shoot your subject straight on.

The reason for this is refraction. Refraction is the deflection from a straight path by a light ray when passing at an angle from air into glass or water. The greater the angle of departure, the greater the refraction effect. Straight on, there is zero refraction.

2) Turn down the lights in the room before you try to photograph a fish tank. Also, wear dark clothing. This will help eliminate reflections of the room furniture, or you, in the glass of the aquarium.

3) The best aquarium fish photography professionals will tell you that patience is the best asset in your gear bag. Wait for your subject fish to swim into the ideal spot for your photo. You pick that spot beforehand and wait. Eventually, your fish will swim into the area you need. Don’t track him around the tank snapping away… this will result in a lot of wasted pics because the exposure won’t be ideal, the image will be blurry, or you didn’t frame the subject the way you wanted to.

4) Make sure the aquarium glass is clean and the water is clear before you set up for your photo session. If you are shooting pictures in a public aquarium, you can carry a soft microfiber cloth in your gear bag to wipe away the smudges on the glass from little kids getting close and personal with their favorite fish.

5) In a public aquarium, don’t hog the display taking pictures. Other people may be wanting to check it out, too. Be courteous. Snap a few shots, then step back and let others move up to the glass. Again, patience is an asset. You can check with the guides to find out when the slowest times are. Typically, early in the day. That would be the best time for aquarium fish photography activities, uninterrupted by crowds of people.

Resources

Fishlore provides aquarium fish information for both freshwater and saltwater hobbyists. They present information in an easy-to-understand way so that more can enjoy our wonderful hobby!

I also have another article that might interest you:

Best Aquarium Camera Settings

FTC Disclosure

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