Aquarium Shot

[Raphael Emond]

Hi!
I'm starting to be confortable with fish pics. But there some things I want to know.
How do you overcome the problem of low-light/wide aperture/shallow DOF in aquarium tanks. And still got natural lighting?

Here a shot I took yesterday.
What can I do to make it better?

http://pages.infinit.net/emond/Web Lion Fish.jpg

[Attic]

I think you've a great capture there and you only need to print and hang it. Great shot.

[Mike_Canon5D]

Looks like a real clean glass and the shot is very clear. Nice and sharp, excellent work with ambient light.

[Raphael Emond]

I've done quite a bit of PP to remove small air bubles stuck inside the front glass...
It's why the shot look so clean

[brunester]

great shot,
i once borrowed my friends monopod(682?) that could turn into a tripod.
i used that in the Monterey bay aquarium and it worked ok cause there wasnt an wind/whatever to tilt it. im not sure i understand your question or that im qualified to answer but just use a tripod. since the fish move around alot its nearly impossible to get a wide DOF
-eric

[Raphael Emond]

The question is more what you use with your flash to retain natural color.
Since some aquariums use near UV light to bring out the colors of the fishes.

Using available light is very frustrating. Toward ISO and SS.

[BrandonSi]

Fantastic shot.. Aquariums are very difficult.

[Raphael Emond]

Here's another shot...
Different WB

http://pages.infinit.net/emond/Web Lion Fish2.jpg

[calicokat]

These shots look great, I have used flash to shoot aquariums. the secret is to take the flash off camera and hold it off to the side or down or up towards the fish. Experiment, you just do not want it straight on. Bouncing it into a tank can help, again, lots of experimentation :) But these look good as is

[Raphael Emond]

Thanks for the tip....

I happend to have a off-cord :)

[CanonCam]

Are you all using a polarizing filter for these aquarium shots?

[Broncobear]

these are great shots! Now I want to go out and buy an aquarium
:-)

[Raphael Emond]

No, I don't have a polarizer for the 50 1.8

[5D692]

Great shots! I spent an entire day at the Shedd Acquarium in Chicago, IL recently where I took over a hundred shots using only available lighting. After all was said and done, I ended up with only about a dozen or so keepers. I wish that I had brought my monopod with me as I found that my hand is not as steady as I thought. :eek:

[krazziecliff]

Well I'm guessing your having trouble with the purple spectrumed aquarium lights. well it depends on wut lights u keep on, turn the actenic blue tubes off, turn the purple off...if u got metal halides...i think it replicates sunlight really well so the colors look as close to natural as possible. if u want ur marine aquarium to look like u shot it at a reef, try the combo of actinics with a low powered or blue tinted metal halides. IMHO flash is totally not necessary...and if u just have to use it, then bounce it off styrofoam. n oh yeah...best time to photograph an aquarium, a day after ur recommended 30% water change...hehehe...keep em hungry (SPCA this is purely for artistic reasons) N u'll get them staring at the cam...plus since they r hungry...they tend to focus at the camera thinking somethings coming.
I'm no expert at taking photographs at all, but have had aquariums for 20 yrs now...so i guess dat helps.

[Raphael Emond]

This is really some great help here... Next I go to my brother, I will try these tricks..
Thanks... For the hungry trick...!!