Aquarium - how to?

[myloplex]

Errmm not sure if posting here is approoriate.

Does anyone know how to shoot fishes in a typical freshwater aquarium (home) using a dedicated macro lens?

Setup?
Tips etc?

[Trigger Happy]

from what i've tried and observed before: don't use flash, watch out for bg light so its a good idea to switch off all other lights, have good overhead tank lighting and a fast lens. and loads of patience unless your fishes are sluggish like my goldfishes

[tomcat]

1. Clean the tank wall thoroughly to remove any dried water stains as they would show up very clearly in the photos. Make sure that the water is clean too and no algae is on the walls.
2. Switch on aquarium tank light.
3. Switch off room lights if they tend to reflect in the glass wall.
4. Shoot with flash at an angle to minimise the reflection of the flash light back to the camera.
5. Shoot in manual mode at high shutter speeds eg. 1/250s to freeze the motion of the fish(es) and at small apertures eg. f/8 to get good depth of field. This is especially possible if your camera and flash supports high speed flash synchronisation.

Examples of what's possible...

http://www.pbase.com/pschia/cichlids

http://www.pbase.com/pschia/oddballs

[ywh]

If you're not going to use flash, be prepared to use at least ISO 800 with your lens wide open. Lastly, you will not achieve a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the movement of most fishes unless you limit their movement which I do not rec.

The normal and rec method is to use at least 2 flashes 45 deg from your setup so that any reflections will be countered. Off any ambient light if possible, drape a black cloth over yourself as you yourself may cause a slight reflection. Having your lens as near to the tank as possible is one way to cut off much of the reflection if you are unable to control the ambient lighting. A luxurious setup will have a third flash firing from the top of the tank. Ensure that both the glass and water are sparkling clean!

[zac08]

As mentioned by Tomcat,

a CLEAN glass is VERY important. You may even want to have a separate tank just for photography.

As for lighting, you need plenty as light travels slowly in water. With a dark BG or substrate, you're likely to lose the lighting strength.

Use a tripod, set it perpendicular to the glass tank to minimise reflections. Pre-focus on a spot where you know the fish will swim pass. Set to a aperture with a longer DOF (f8 and above)

I have tried using 2 flashes both left and top of the tank to increase the lighting, but this also depends on your tank deco layout as well as type.


Cheers,

[slooow]

i like this alot.... hehehehehe

[jeryltan]

you mean like this?

Originally Posted by myloplex Errmm not sure if posting here is approoriate. Does anyone know how to shoot fishes in a typical freshwater aquarium (home) using a dedicated macro lens? Setup? Tips etc?

[jusri]

imo using a CPL filter would also help to cut out the reflection..

[letdoit]

hi, sorry borrow yr thread.

how to shoot aquarium fishes whereby make the background black?

Heard is top using light/flash? fast shutter speed???

[Tattoo]

Like my discus fish

[hacknet]

hey man! ive been trying to shoot my arowana too! my main problem is light, i need much more light... are there clip on polarizing filters that i can buy to add on to my canon s3?

whats a good way to light my tank without acutally putting lights in the tank? i worry that the water will muck up what ever good light you put in...

thanks man!

[Trigger Happy]

Originally Posted by hacknet hey man! ive been trying to shoot my arowana too! my main problem is light, i need much more light... are there clip on polarizing filters that i can buy to add on to my canon s3? whats a good way to light my tank without acutally putting lights in the tank? i worry that the water will muck up what ever good light you put in... thanks man!

wouldn't you spook the arowana with flash?

[ywh]

Polarizers will not work if you are shooting directly in front of the tank. It will work if you are shooting at an angle but distortion due to the tank glass will be visible. Get your lens as close to the tank as possible to avoid reflections.

As for lighting, I dun reckon you put lights IN the tank but in the cover itself. However, these lamps whether FL, PL or metal halide usually do not offer enough output to use a fast enough shutter speed. I would use 2 flashes, 45 deg on each side of the camera. Set the shutter speed to the camera's sync speed to avoid ghosting and fire off. If budget, a third flash on top of the tank will be good too.

[hacknet]

Originally Posted by Trigger Happy wouldn't you spook the arowana with flash?

yup, sometimes. sometimes the guy is alright.

[Trigger Happy]

Originally Posted by hacknet yup, sometimes. sometimes the guy is alright.

you're stressing it and likely kill it one of these days... please don't do it, its not worth the shot

has anyone thought about setting up a tank near a window and shooting in the DAYTIME with the sun behind your back and into the tank? wouldn't that provide sufficient light?

[hacknet]

i worry about the fantastic reflection...

[cwtan12]

The main reason I bought a DSLR is to shoot fishes. These are the photos taken about a month ago, a few days after I got my first DSLR. I should have cleaned the tank wall before taking the photos!

Betta Macrostoma


Betta Patoti

[hacknet]

how much lighting do you have in your tank?

[dogcom]

Wow!

Originally Posted by jeryltan you mean like this?

[An drew]

[quote=cwtan12;2945985]The main reason I bought a DSLR is to shoot fishes. These are the photos taken about a month ago, a few days after I got my first DSLR. I should have cleaned the tank wall before taking the photos!
QUOTE]

Wow, your shots are great!

Now I go to scrape algae....