HOW do you get such good pics?

[fishfanatic2]

OK, so i got my first fish pics back today, and guess what-they're horrible. Apparently, the auto flash went on in every single one, causing amazing glare and blurriness. What are the lighting conditions when you take your pics, and any other important stuff? Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

I'll switch this over to our techniques forum, as I figure it fits in a bit better there.

As to how to shoot the fish. Number 1 rule is plan on shooting a few hundred shots and finding 3 or 4 you might like. And that's not an exaggeration! 8O :?

Some people use flash, but I've never had good luck with it; I find that it always washes out the colors of the fish and makes them look unnatural. I just use the tank-lights. I hear you can get good shots with an off-camera flash mounted above the tank.

Shutter speed varies depending on what you're shooting. I usually end up around 1/90s to get the fish, and even then get a lot of blurry shots. By the time you get up to 1/180s and 1/250s, you lose so much light, even with a large aperture, the shots are almost irreparably dark.

Are you shooting digital or film? Digital is far easier, IMO, simply for the instant viewability of the shots if nothing else. There are a few people around here who shoot film, though, so maybe they can chime in with advice if that's what you're using, too.

 

[mkirda]

Some people use flash, but I've never had good luck with it; I find that it always washes out the colors of the fish and makes them look unnatural. I just use the tank-lights. I hear you can get good shots with an off-camera flash mounted above the tank.

Well, I *ALWAYS* use flash. If you shoot slide film and try to shoot fish under tank lights, the colors will always be waaaaayyyyyyyyy off.

You will need an off-camera flash cord. Shoot with the camera lens as close to the glass as possible. Set the flash off to the side or above, then aim it at the fish. It is best to use a camera body with good TTL flash capabilities. Some do far better with matrix metering functions in TTL mode than others... (Sharkky's experience sounds like his camera body handles TTL poorly, leaving the fish overexposed...)

Some of the best shots I have seen of fish is to put them in a small, thin tank, maybe 2-4 inches wide, but taller. The flash gets clamped on the edge of the tank, then pointed at the fish. Many professional shots I have seen use this technique. It makes the background black, fish just sort of hangs there in the blackness.

The very best shots I have seen take even more work and equipment. You need a real flash, with modeling light, a light diffuser, and it needs to be mounted above the tank, normally near the ceiling. Obviously no canopy. The modeling light provides the lighting for the auto-focus, but the flash provides the power. A setup like this is meant for studios: You've seen the equipment needed at weddings, or at school photo days, or even in many photo portrait studios. The umbrella setup would probably work, but a full-sized softbox would be far better. Maybe less obviously, a good waterproof flashmeter would also be needed...

I've only gotten decent photos when I try fish that tend to 'stop' in place.
Hawkfish, some gobies, blennies, Cardinalfish, etc. Tangs and such, no luck at all. I also have no desire to take 300 pics at a time... This is definitely a time when digital would be 'better'... 8 rolls of Velvia, with processing is quite expensive...

Regards.
Mike Kirda