Since the inception of this page, I have had many requests to share some of my techniques and tips for taking good photos of fish. I have responded to those requests as they have come to me. Several suggested that I add a section to this page to include such information. Since the requests have been numerous, I have finally decided it would be easiest to post my photo tips here rather than try to response to all of the individual requests. So, here goes!

Most Important Ingredient

In one word - patience! While fish may be quite naturally photogenic, they usually don't like posing for you to take that perfect picture in 10 easy seconds. Because they move so quickly (especially my African cichlids), it is very difficult to capture the perfect picture. The following items will give some incite into the equipment and techniques which will make the photos more enjoyable, but nothing beats a good amount of patience. I have literally lay myself down in front of an aquarium with the camera to the eye for a good half hour just waiting for that particular shot I was after when the fish was positioned just right with the fins spread the way I wanted and in the right spot in the tank so the lighting brought out the best of all the colors. The photo listed on this page of the female Labeotropheus fuelleborni with her brood of fry, one sticking out of her mouth as she was releasing them to feed, actually took me 15 years to get! Because the brooding female is very protective of her fry, I could never get close enough with the camera to take such a photo. The equipment would scare the females so quickly that all the fry were taken back into her mouth before I could get off the first shot. Until, finally one day, I had an incubation tank in a family room which was heavily trafficked and setting at a level high enough so that the female was not constantly spooked. She became so accustomed to people that I was about to watch her release her fry on several occasions. So, that was my cue to get the camera and finally to get a shot I had been trying to take for so many years. So, patience is indeed the key to good quality photos.

Minimum Equipment Required

You will not get good quality photos at the close range needed to photograph aquarium fish without at least a 35mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera with macro (close focusing at least 12") ability. You may get some mediocre to fair shots using a point and shoot camera but those will be few and far between.

Another must is a decent, off camera flash. By that I mean one which is removable as opposed to a built in flash. A flash extension cord is helpful and leads to the best photos but there are techniques which will enable you to work around this if the equipment is unavailable (as long as your flash has a tilt head which can be adjusted, usually between 90-180 degree angles).

I do not recommend auto-focus cameras be used in the auto-focus mode. I do use such a camera (Canon EOS Elan), but always put the focus on manual when shooting fish. The aquarium glass has a tendency to fool the infrared sensors on most auto-focus cameras and make it difficult to get a photo which is in proper focus.

Best Film to Use

If you ask 100 different photographers (amateur and professional alike) this question, you can be certain you would get 100 different answers. The brand is not so important as long as it is a good quality and produces the kind of results which are pleasing to you. I personally use mostly slide film but have also taken some good photos on film designed for color prints. The rule of thumb here is that the slower the speed (ISO or ASA setting like 64, 100, 200, 400, etc), the better the general quality of the final product. Some would chose a faster speed because of the quick motion of the fish, but that aspect can be compensated for by the electronic flash. Having said this, film quality has changed significantly even in the past couple of years and there are some excellent quality films even in the 1000-1500 ISO range which produce good clarity without that usual graininess associated with fast films. However, when compared to a much slower film, that graininess is very discernible (at least to the trained eye).

Camera/Flash Settings

Aperture settings are commonly referred to as the f-stops and represent the size of the lens opening. The larger the f-number, the smaller the size of the actual opening. SLR cameras allow you to adjust this setting on the lens itself. Something to remember is that smaller lens openings (larger f-number) give more depth to the photo and larger lens openings less depth (blurs the background).

In photographing fish I have found the best results to be with the smallest openings. It is necessary to get as close as possible to the tank to fill the camera view area with as much of the fish as possible to get a good close-up picture. This makes focusing more difficult and the slightest angle in the fish's positioning to the lens can mean a focused head and out of focused tail or vice versa. The smallest opening possible (largest f-number like f22) enhances your chances of getting a better photo with clearer focus.

Smaller lens openings, however, present another problem to consider. Smaller openings need more light to get proper exposure. This is where the good flash comes into play. Because you are photographing at such close range, the tendency is for the photo to be over exposed since most common flashes are designed to lighten subjects between 5-15 feet from the camera. Some flashes (the better ones) have adjustable flash output. If you have such a camera, you can reduce the output to 1/4 or even 1/8 of the normal settings when you are shooting so close to your subject (often less than 12 inches).

Special Techniques

Briefly mentioned above, fill the camera viewfinder with as much of the fish as possible if you are taking and individual photo.

Try to get a clear focus of the eye. As long as the eye is in focus the picture is much more acceptable even if the tail is out of focus. This a general rule for taking any "animal" photos. If you look at the photos you consider best, no doubt you will see a clearly focused eye is common to all.

If you have a flash cord which allows you to hold the flash above the tank, you will get better results. A head-on flash is certain to produce bright spots in your photos and they usually are positioned in the spots which are most undesirable. You can get some interesting effects (like some of the dark backgrounds in some of my photos) by holding the flash at various angles to the front glass of the tank or from the sides of the tanks. Another way (the only sure way) to get a dark background is simply to drape a dark cloth behind the tank.

If you don't have the ability to move your flash off camera, you can use a little ingenuity to compensate. My most recent photos have been taken with the flash on camera. However, the key is to not shoot straight on to the front glass with the full power of your flash. I use a flash with a tilt head which is pointed straight up toward the ceiling when I shoot. I use a simple piece of white cardboard (like a shirt box) cut to a rectangle about 6" x 10" with a small stem (like a fat T) which I attach to the back of the flash with a rubber band. I then bend the cardboard slightly so that the flash will bounce off the reflective white surface and soften the light hitting the tank so that the harsh light spots are eliminated.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Most professional photographers will readily admit that they probably shoot at least a 100 photos for every great one which is published. It takes practice to become familiar with your camera's capabilities and especially that of your flash or reflective surfaces like glass at such close range. And make notes! Shoot a couple of rolls with different setting combinations for each shot. Write down the photo numbers and the settings corresponding with each. Then, when the film is developed, identify the best ones and concentrate on using those settings for future shots. You may waste a few rolls of film initially, but it will save you many bad shots in the future.

I don't want this to turn into a book so I will conclude by reiterating the three keys I consider to be essential which are the right kind of equipment, experimentation, and PATIENCE. If you use any of these tips and get some good fish photos to publish on your Web page, let me know so I can take a look at them. Good luck!

Digital Photography

The basics of photography as stated above still apply to digital photography.  Over the last several years, I have been using a digital camera exclusively.  In fact, a year ago I gave my SLR film camera to a "budding" photographer.  The great thing about digital cameras is the ability to instantly view the results of your shoot and the ability to delete and re-shoot when the photo does not come out as it should.  If you take a lot of photos, it doesn't take long to recover the cost of the camera in film and developing costs. 

While you can get some excellent photographs with simple point and shoot cameras, the digital SLR cameras that are now beginning to flood the market are excellent choices.  As does an SLR film camera, the digital SLR gives you the options of interchangeable lens, external flashes, and more creative control.  If you are serious about fish photography, a digital SLR is a good investment.

There are a couple of cautions for using the digital point-and-shoot cameras.  Almost all have built-in flashes and that means you  really do need to experiment with angles in order to make sure the most noticeable thing in your photos is not a big white spot where the flash has reflected off the glass.  Here is the advantage of digital film.  You can keep shooting and deleting until you get it right.  All of these type cameras use some sort of auto focus.  Some of the more feature rich cameras may offer manual  focus options.  Again, shooting through glass with rapidly moving subjects and often times much more dimly lit, makes it difficult for auto-focusing if not impossible with some cameras.