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06/06/2005 10:08:01 AM · #1 |
Hi All,
I'm new to this hobby, having purchase my first real camera last week. I'm going to be going to an aquarium where they have lots of glass. I was wondering what setting to use on the camera to take the best pictures (especiall in the shark tunnel). I'm concerned about using a flash with all the reflections, and I'm not sure what settings to use without it.
Thanks
-Joe
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06/06/2005 10:11:12 AM · #2 |
These are tough... low light... moving subjects.... I have not come close to mastering these shots.... any experts out there?
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06/06/2005 10:12:25 AM · #3 |
Aquarium's are difficult places to take photos in. Flash is a no-no, apart from the reflection off the glass I would not expect the staff to like you using it. Switch to manual focus, depending on the amount of light I would shoot at iso 800, also Shoot in AV mode.
Mike
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06/06/2005 10:16:22 AM · #4 |
May want to contact Jinjit.
She has done some beautiful work in her Aquarium folder:  |
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06/06/2005 10:45:34 AM · #5 |
I was going to offer the same advice, ask Jinjit. I went to an aquarium recently and wished I had talked to her before going. I spoke with her after and she gave me great pointers. :)
my fav Jinjit photo: 
Message edited by author 2005-06-06 14:46:26.
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06/06/2005 11:09:53 AM · #6 |
Truly difficult shots. Like others have suggested - a tripod would be nice, a high ISO (as high as you can without sacrificing too much in the way of noise), and manual focus (combined with a large aperture) will help you out the most. These settings can have a lot in the background, so the wide aperture will help you blur out some distractions (unless you want everything in focus - but depending on your shutter speed, you might just get motion blur from the fish & sharks).
If you must use flash (and if it's permitted), do it at an angle.
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06/06/2005 12:28:11 PM · #7 |
i shot this at an aqarium through the glass, iso 800 1/100th 2.8 but you will realize that the light changes in there, dont use a flash what ever you do, animals get bad red eye |
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06/06/2005 12:31:39 PM · #8 |
For what it's worth, and depending on the camera, auto-focus may try and fight with the subject and the surface of the glass. (take it from one that shoots through a car window often).
Getting the lens as close to the glass as possible will make a big difference too, eliminating reflections from the surface of the glass. |
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06/06/2005 12:40:14 PM · #9 |
Glass + Flash = aaargh!!!! It is very hard to get good aquarium photos. I have only tried on my own fish at home..so I'm sure a very large public aquarium will be much harder.
APERATURE: F/11 ISO: 1600 SHUTTER: 1/60 sec.
Message edited by author 2005-06-06 16:44:21.
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06/06/2005 02:37:35 PM · #10 |
Oh what a cool thread! Sorry I only saw this one now!!
hmmm... I really was wondering how come everyone started to comment on my fish photos all of a sudden... but do continue! every one will win a personal PM and a comment of his own! LOL 
Well, I've been shooting some fish in the past two years for some stores publicity adds and such (plus, I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with the sea, including an impossible sea-sickness)
so I guess I could suggest a thing or two, although I must admit that most of the really really good shots are pure luck.
Also, I should mention that until now I always used a Point & shoot camera. Not a dSLR (this will hopefully change soon, but I am not giving my cp4500 away that fast!)
As been said before, flash is not a good thing. It has several disadvantages:
1. it makes the fish go crazy. they go into stress and then you have to work real hard to find them again.
2. it reflects all over
3. it kills many of the great natural colors when used through the glass and water.
On the other hand, if your aquarium is not lit enough you just might have to use it. In this case I suggest you either use an external flash. One that you can point at different angles then where your camera is pointed.
In my case it's a lot easier cause of that twisting joint the Nikon CP4500 has. but if your camera doesn't have that, you'll need to have a separate flash.
Point it in diagonal direction from the top down, just like the natural light of the aquarium.
But as much as possible, avoid using a flash.
If the aquarium is lit enough, you better have some polarizer filter. I have found this one to be most helpful against the drops of water (and sometimes salt) on the glass. Strange, I know, but true.
I completely agree with Brad about holding your camera as close to the glass as possible, and as much as possible, make sure that the angle between your lens and the glass is closer to 90 degrees.
Most of those aquariums have very thick glass. In the sharks case by the way, it is a double glass. If you point it in some diagonal direction, the image might get completely twisted.
As for the auto-focus, that sounds right to me, but I wouldn't know. Never had the supported lens yet.
As for the settings of the camera, in most cases it's set to have the widest (lowest) aperture to get the shallowest DOF, as much as possible - Macro mode, and the fastest speed that goes with that.
And the most important thing IMO, which is a good advice about photography in general, although I admit I never really take it myself, unless I'm infront of those aquariums (yeah, I'm addicted) is... be patient.
Watch the fish for a while before you shoot them. You'll find that most of the time their swim is very repetitious. They don't change their course too often. after the second loop you'll know where to expect them. Point your camera to the place where they will be in half a second. Not to where they are now.
I think that's pretty much about it.
From some friends I heard that RAW is a good format to get all those tiny details all over. I wouldn't know for I never had a supported cam before, but feel free to experiment and let me know! ;-)
Oh and Fetor - that shark is AMAZING!!! Wow...
Edit: also, forgot to mention the obvious: TRIPOD !! as much as possible use that.
I know it might sound a little strage cause fish tend to move all the time, but you'll be surprised at how much it can help you. Especially when you point to shoot where the fish will be in a sec ;-)
Message edited by author 2005-06-06 19:51:15. |
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06/06/2005 03:48:56 PM · #11 |
hello!
aqaurium shots can be fun & challenging all in one feel swoop.
I recommend a circular polariser, a lense with a low ap. ( the lower the better) & a flash (if you put your lense flush against the glass, you can use your flash.
You'll need to use a fast shutter speed, definitely nothing slower than a 50.
I've had several shoots as aquariums & had lots of fun. I took this at mystic
good luck!
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06/06/2005 06:02:03 PM · #12 |
Joe,
Don't bother with flash unless you like looking at photos with big blurry white spots in the middle. :)
And congrat on your camera and getting started in photography.
Use the lowest ISO that allows you the shutter speed you can get away with without blurrying the shot due to camera shake. A decent rule of thumb for minimum shutter speed is inverse of the focal lenght (e.g. when shooting at 20mm, shutter speed should be atleast 1/20 of a second or faster). If you are steady, you can go a bit slower.
You can set the camera to a P mode and ISO 800 and use the dial to get to the shutter speed just fast enough to get a shot without camera shake. If you find that you get a really high shutter speed, decrease the ISO to reduce noise.
Use your histogram to guide you in exposure. You may also want to consider removing your filter to reduce flare and use a hood and put it against the glass to reduce glare if you can. You can also use your left hand to shield flare as well. Remember, some lenses like the kit lens zoom out as it focuses, so if you are too close your lens may accidently hit the aquarium glass.
When you are new, it is a common thing to just start snapping away b/c digital is free, but instead, slow down and compose your shot in your mind, then with the camera, look and adjust the settings (Shutter speed/aperature/ISO/FEV), firmly support the camera/lens with your left hand, SQUEEZE (not push down) the shutter release as you slowly exhale, review your shot, and make any setting/composition adjustments and reshoot if necessary. Don't go too fast, go slowly, and always ask yourself "how can this shot look better?" before moving on to your next shot.
Most importantly of all...
HAVE FUN...
P.S. feel free to look at my site with the museum type shots and click on the camera details link to get focal lenght, ISO, and shutter speed values to give yourself an idea of settings used.
Message edited by author 2005-06-06 22:22:44.
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06/06/2005 06:10:18 PM · #13 |
I got some decent shots at the public aquarium following what those below have suggested.
My home aquarium...a whole nother story there. the fish move MUCh faster and less prediciably.
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06/06/2005 06:25:03 PM · #14 |
Lucky one :)
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06/06/2005 06:26:12 PM · #15 |
i took these at mystic....no flash just careful not to catch my own reflfection
   
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06/06/2005 06:43:21 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by buzzmom:
i took these at mystic....no flash just careful not to catch my own reflfection
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very nice shots.
I dug back thru my hardrive and found this one from 2003 at the local zoo's aquarium. A 1Mp point and shoot...tons less knowledge than i have now, and some color balance.
Message edited by author 2005-06-06 22:43:56.
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06/07/2005 03:50:50 AM · #17 |
Just wanted to let everyone know that I was tooling around looking for a certain kind of fish on google and ran across this website. Not sure if it is right or just a repeat of what Adi has said as I haven't read the whole thread yet.
//www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=24
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06/07/2005 04:29:10 AM · #18 |
It also helps that the target is stationary. This big lug was front & center in his tank. I shot this hand-held because he was people watching from his tank. Even so, like Jinjit said, it takes patience to get a decent shot. Smears on the glass, slime on the inside of the tank, people hovering over you, moving fish, thickness of the glass, dark tank environment, reflections, etc. are some of my difficult experiences taking pix of fish. However, careful planning, the right time of the day, and a little luck, and you should come away with some great shots.
You might want to start with a reef tank; the lighting is usually a lot brighter and there's less swimming than in the shark/big fish tanks.
Hope this helps.....good luck. |
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06/08/2005 02:30:40 PM · #19 |
Great information everyone. This website really provides a wealth of informaion. June 17th is my trip to the aquarium, so I will let you all know how it goes.
-Joe
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06/08/2005 02:40:31 PM · #20 |
Circular polarizer will help to combat certain reflections. Turn the filter will take out some reflections if you don't put the camera right up to the tank itself.
It may be good to take a towel or some kind of fabric to wipe down the area of the glass that you will shot because during the day handprints and other things seem to appear on the glass.
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06/08/2005 02:47:47 PM · #21 |
Taken with Canon 10D, the flash a 550EX was held at 45 deg to the glass. The image has all the EXIF data so you can see the settings I used
Message edited by author 2005-06-08 18:48:47.
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06/09/2005 08:37:45 AM · #22 |
| It's been awhilesince I took any shots like that, but I agree with Rooster's post above. I was adviced to put the lens right against the glass and I was amazed at how well they turned out. I believe I used flash when the light low and reading below 60. My diagonal shots turned out good too for the most part. I don't think any of it is guaranteed, just have to take lots of shots. |
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06/09/2005 09:47:31 PM · #23 |
Well,
This thread has inspired me to do some aqurarium shots as well.
I think I'll be going to the Aquarium of the pacific in Long Beach, CA this Sunday.
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06/10/2005 12:33:48 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by yido:
Don't bother with flash unless you like looking at photos with big blurry white spots in the middle. :)
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not exactly true ya know...
if you can avoid that - avoid that. but you can use flash if you're careful.
I added the shatter/speed/iso settings to all my aquarium shots if anyone's interested. I wrote in the photographer comment if I used flash or not.
about half were taken with flash. some were taken at a speed slower then 50. do you see any big blurry spots there?
there are no "no-no-"s here. just lotsa fun! ;-) |
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06/10/2005 05:43:49 AM · #25 |
Tweaked this one to be mild digital art about a fish leaving home.
This salt water aquarium had a black light to bring out the florescent highlights in the coral. I would strongly suggest shooting in RAW mode so that color balancing can be made later at the computer prior to final processing. Otherwise everything might just come out with a weird color cast to it.
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