How to Photograph Aquarium Tanks

I am going to the city aquarium to shoot multiple tanks and multiple angels. They will not let me take lights, tripod or anything just the camera. Any advise on how to get good shots with just the camera flash?

The problem I see is the flash bouncing off the glass tank. So, I am still trying to figure this out.

THANKS<
Richard

The best thing to have is a rubber lens hood, press it upto the glass, this will cutout any reflexions.

Your flash will only scare the fish, best not to use.

yeah, in tropical tanks, reef tanks etc (basically all the exciting colorful fish/corals/plants) the lighting will be very good.

just get as close to a piece of the glass that doesnt have handprints or nose grease on it and fire away.

rubber hood is a good idea too.
no flash.

Thats frickin' genius, never thought of that.

lol....Thanks everyone...I just know that inside the tanks it is dark...so I was not sure how to do this...Again Thanks

Bring a very small spray bottle w/glass cleaner and a rag to clean where your lens/hood will be pressed to the glass

And just make sure while you are zooming in and out no fish swims buy with big TEETH! that would surely knock you off your feet......its like JAWS eating you up with the magnification factor...when you get up all you see is a little puffer fish.... "what was this guy thinking!" (say's the fish)

Great shot Buddy

sometimes you can bounce the flash at an angle and reduce the glare..

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do without the flash if you can, the hood thing sounds like a good idea. also, try to shoot as ead on through the glass as you can. shooting through that thick glass at angles can kill the quality completely.

There has been some good advice here. I shoot at a slight angle to the glass if I have the flash attached to the camera. It is definetly angled up and I use a diffuser on it. I try for most fish shots to use the flash overhead and pointed down into the tank. This is more natural lighting for fish as they are receiving their light from above as well. Here are a couple of samples. As you can tell here, make sure your glass is cleaner than mine

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I run without a flash, the ISO boosted, and the aperture wide. This is through 2 seperate (plexi?) glass walls.

If they have a regular schedule for cleaning the water-side of the glass, you might want to do your photography soon after that.

399Retouch

Mullet wrote:
There has been some good advice here. I shoot at a slight angle to the glass if I have the flash attached to the camera. It is definetly angled up and I use a diffuser on it. I try for most fish shots to use the flash overhead and pointed down into the tank. This is more natural lighting for fish as they are receiving their light from above as well. Here are a couple of samples. As you can tell here, make sure your glass is cleaner than mine

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Mullet what kind of cichlids are those?