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.
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!
