So you have been keeping fish for years and have decided that you want to show the world your incredible fish and their homes. You get out your trusty camera and start snapping away. You upload the photos to your computer only to discover that not a single one is worth using! So, frustrated you try again, only to repeat the process. Whether it is a blurry fish, flash back, or blindingly bright overexposure, trying to capture your fish with a camera can be a very frustrating experience. I have been there and will give you some tips and tricks that I have used to improve my photos over the years. The focus here will be on using point and shoot cameras to capture aquatic subjects.
Preparing the Tank
One of the most important aspects of aquarium photography is preparing your subjects for their session. It is important to remember that anything in the water or on the glass will show up in the photograph, and usually in the exact spot that it ruins the photograph. I usually start by cleaning the glass very thoroughly. On smaller glass tanks I typically use a razor blade, as it seems to do the best at getting the glass perfectly clean. For larger tanks either an algae scrubbing brush or a lot of patience with the razor blade ensures perfectly clear glass. Next I typically do a water change of between 10 and 25 percent doing my best to remove as much loose or floating debris as possible. The next step is to let the tank run for several hours or even overnight to pull out the remaining debris. If you have access to a diatom or micron filter to run on the tank, run it as well to remove the fine particulate within the aquarium. Finally, just before you start the session, clean the outside of the glass. If you choose to use Windex, spray it onto your towel, not directly onto the glass. Windex is deadly to fish and spraying it directly on the glass may cause some to float into the tank. Saltwater tanks with protein skimmers are especially vulnerable, as the skimmer will literally inject the spray fumes into the water. I have found that using purified water works very well to get the glass crystal clear. Give the tank a final look over to see if there are any spots that were missed and take care of any that you find.
Preparing the Room
This may not be something you would consider important, but remember, glass is highly reflective. If the room receives a lot of natural light, you may want to shoot only after dark. Bright natural light can cause unwanted reflections on the aquarium. Also turn off any lights, televisions or monitors that are directly across from the aquarium, leaving them on may cause an undesirable reflection and could also reveal what you were watching. Generally having it as dark as possible in the room is the best way to go about photographing an aquarium.
Using the Camera
The biggest piece of advice I can give when trying to take pictures of aquariums is to know your equipment inside and out. This may mean actually opening the owner’s manual and reading it. It is to your advantage to know what the 16 buttons on the back of the camera do and also what the different symbols on the turning knob on top of the camera mean. Also knowing how to navigate the menu system and set some simple functions will aid in helping to make your photos even better. Most cameras have at least 4 different modes for you to choose from. These modes usually include a fully automatic mode, portrait mode, sports/action mode, landscape mode, and macro mode. Some cameras also incorporate a manual mode. There are three modes that typically work well for aquarium photography: fully automatic, sports/action mode, and macro mode. Manual mode also works well, but not all cameras have it.
Probably the biggest thing to do when getting ready to do a photo session is to be sure that your camera’s batteries are fully charged. Nothing is more frustrating than setting up to take a lot of photographs only to discover that your batteries are dead! (And yes, I have done this) My personal preference is to have two or three sets of rechargeable batteries for the camera. This way if one set runs out you have a second set you can use while the first set is charging. This allows you to take as many pictures as you want with out worrying about running out of juice for the camera.
If you have a tripod available, you will also want to set it up. A tripod will help significantly in getting clear shots, especially if you are not using a flash. If you do not own a tripod, using a stool or something of similar height can also work. I would stack various levels of books on top of my stool to achieve the height I needed for the photos. It worked quite well and made my photographs turn out noticeably better than attempting to take the same shot free hand.
Choosing the Right Mode
As stated earlier, there are several modes that work well for aquarium photography. For taking close ups of your fish, macro mode will probably work best. This mode adjusts the camera’s focus to work in close range, usually within a range of two inches out to roughly a foot. This allows you to get right next to the glass to use as much as the frame as possible to photograph your subject. If you are trying to photograph a particularly fast moving fish, you may want to consider using the sports/action mode. This mode is designed to stop action and as such is a good choice for taking photos of fast moving fish like danios. The final mode that can work for aquatic photography is full auto. In general, I would only use this mode for full tank shots. I found that in general it was the most likely to get a good full tank shot with or without a flash.
