Aquarium Photography

After much trial and tribulation with taking hundreds of fishy photos to get maybe six good ones, I decided to do some online research into aquarium photography. I learnt alot.

* The mantra that was repeated everywhere was patience, patience, patience.

* Preparation of the tank is vital. Before hand make sure the tank is cleared of all debris (floating leaves, uneaten food etc), the water is clear and the front glass been given a good clean. A background or piece of cardboard at the back of the tank will eliminate cords and tubing showing making for a nicer photo.

* Wear solid, dark clothing to eliminate you being seen in the glass reflection.

* Just prior to taking the photos, turn off the pumps and filters to eliminate water movement and improve clarity.

* Turn off the flash.

* In the menu settings under white balance, take it off auto and select fluorescent.

* Take the camera out of auto focus mode, select the macro mode feature (usually depicted as a flower)

* Take the ISO speed off auto and choose 800 or 1000. When you take pictures on a higher ISO setting, the camera has to be extremely still, use either a tripod, table or other flat surface. Leaning the camera against the front glass will also stabilise it.

* Take notes! Take lots of photos with different setting combinations to work out which ones work best for you, note which photos are which combinations so when checking your photos you can see which parameters you had better results with.

* Expect to take lots and lots of photos.

* Use very strong aquarium lights or add lighting from the top of the tank when not using a flash. The more lighting the easier your camera will focus and take clearer pictures.

* Focus on a specific spot in the aquarium and wait for the fish to come to it. Resort to adding small amonts of food to the very front of the tank to encourage the fish away from the back of the tank.

* Use a special "photo tank" so you can better control tank conditions such as poor lighting and to narrow down the area the fish can swim/hide in, saving you time. A friend also suggested to me if you have a spare piece of glass, set that a few inches from the front so your fish can be easily seen.

* Check out digital camera sites that focus on aquarium photography. I found these two sites really useful -

http://rkdzines.com/cichlidcellar/Photo%20Tips.htm

http://www.discushatchery.com/phototips1.html

In conclusion, know your equipment, experiment with various lighting and camera settings, and have lots and lots of patience.