Photographing your tank - Tips for clearer pictures

[EastBaySF]

I love to take pictures of the little guys in my tank but for the longest time I couldn't get the camera to focus on my subject. The Auto-Focus would move in and out of focus, or it would only focus on something in the background. Finally :idea: , I found my solution...

I take my pictures in the dark.

The trick is to use a small flashlight that will illuminate only your subject, this gives your camera the opportunity to focus on it because everything else is too dark for the lens to pick up.

It takes a little practice to coordinate everything, I usually end up holding a small flashlight between my teeth so I can use both hands on the camera. Of course a tripod makes this even simpler but it can be more difficult to maneuver the camera to just the right angle.

[phistio]

some good advice above...

here are some techniques and tips that VNVixen and i thought to mention:

1.) observe! take the time to know your tank mates and their habits. if a certain shy fish knows what time feeding time is, try and take pictures then. watch how the fish swim. learn their pattern so you can set up in a place to capture the perfect image when they're resting.

2.) be patient. if you're using a traditional camera, film and processing can be expensive. wait for the right shot. don't press the trigger, in hopes that you may or may not have gotten the shot.

3.) know your equipment. most of us have been making the transition to mid-level or "pro-sumer" digital cameras. the benefit, is the most digicams have some great features to achieve great shots. the downside, is that it can be somewhat overwhelming to learn how use the functions and modes properly. if your camera has a "macro" or "super macro mode" try and become familiar with the setting. it will allow you to get incredibly close crisp shots. (note: "macro" setting can usually be seen as a icon with a flower on it.)

4.) use a tripod!!! a tripod holds the camera steady, and minimizes vibration from the hand. In low level lighting conditions, the shutter needs to stay open much longer. even the smallest of hand jitter can ruin a great shot. If your camera has a time-release shutter, try using it in conjunction with your mounted camera. the shapest of images can be produced this way!

6.) be creative with composition. a well balanced shot with slightly blurred rock in the backround, and a subtle foreground with the subject sharply in focus tend to be more visually pleasing images. you can have various angles for the same subject. try getting as close to your subject as possible. getting close cuts out excess background noise and unnecessary content. a simple background forces attention on
the subject. as Americans, our eyes are trained to read and view art from left to right, top to bottom; keep in mind that when looking at the picture, your audience will naturally view it in this manner. by placing the subject off-center can make the composition more dynamic and catching to the eye. because placement is slightly off from the norm, our eyes will actually see it much quicker, because it is out of place. try to frame the content/subject in some manner, keeping something all the way around the focal point of you picture keeps the eyes from wandering off the page so to speak.


7.) watch your framing. while trying to combat the distortion effects caused by glass, or bent acrylic, try to take ?head on? shots. if your camera will allow, try to get right on the glass. it will reduce the chance for glare.

(for digital users)

I.) take pictures at the highest resloution possible. if you have more information to work with, no matter how small or large you make the image, files that have more pixels per square inch will give better results.

II.) at all costs try to avoid exceeding the "optical zoom." most digicams these days have both "optical zoom" and "digital zoom." the later of the two is basically a magnification of the "optical zoom's" range; which can reduce image quality.

III.) know your exposure times and f stop settings. some digital cameras may have in depth manual settings...other may not. they may not even allow you to set exposure time; however, you might have an exposure compensation feature, which allows you to over or underexpose your photos. this could be handy for taking some pictures under low lighting, or bright lighting conditions. you can also compensate for this in imaging software programs like Adobe?s Photoshop, or the like.

IV.) pre-focus all of your shots. a huge drawback to digital cameras is that
there is a bit of lag time between pressing in the shutter, and the time
that the picture is actually taken. if you pre-focus by partially pressing
in the shutter button, it will decrease the time between the shutter is
fully depressed and the picture is actually taken.

best of luck!!! :D :wink:

[r_jensen11]

Or you could simply use a manual camera, but where'd be the fun in that?

[EastBaySF]

The manual setting on my Sony is very finicky, it changes zoom level as the focus is adjusted. I've had to adapt by using my combination of low-tech and high-tech (flashlight and digital camera) for the best shots. :?

[r_jensen11]

No, I mean, a real manual camera. Not some new-aged automatic w/ manual mode camera. I'm talking 100% manual. Nothing is better, and I'm not being sarcastic!

[alanova]

Hi all, new to the forum! :mrgreen:

I am a freelance Photographer. So I hope I might be in some help in this department. Anyways, in order to take a clear picture of your little creatures (fish/invert), you'll need to stick the lens of your camera against the glass of your fish tank (either way with lights on or off) because a lot of the camera out in the markets are set for auto focus, and the infra red of your camera will only hit the closest object (which is your fish tank's glass to focus)

But like other people have said, if you own a SLR camera, or have any gain of manual control, you'll have a better chance to take good pictures! 8)

I think this will be the easiest way for point and shoot camera. Also, please make sure your lens doesn't bulge out, otherwise, you're gonna scratch your lens.