Getting clear, crisp photos of our fish and tanks can sometimes be a challenge when we are limited to using our phones; here's how you can achieve the best results.
-Firstly, you need to set the stage; make sure your glass is clean and your water/tank is clean! This may seem like a no brainer but you definitely don't want to have to dodge those pesky water spots or deal with foggy murky water while trying to photograph a moving target (aka your fish).
-Address your lighting. Good light is key to crisp photos. For me, I know my fish will come to the front glass when I approach the tank for picture taking, so I pull my lights forward a bit to make sure the front part of the tank is properly lit. Lights directly overhead can wash out colors though so play with it a bit to see what works best for you.
-Snap photos while in video mode. Recording video auto focuses for you so all you have to do focus on your target once to lock it in and hit the shutter while keeping your subject in frame.
-Get as close as you can without using zoom. Fish can sometimes be skittish so while you may want to snap a photo from the couch in order to not startle your fish, you won't get the best quality photo since zoom can reduce resolution. I have army crawled into a room in order to get close enough for a photo.
-Patience, patience, patience. Fish can't be told to pose so luck does play into this a bit. Sometimes you'll take 50 blurry photos in order to get one or two that work!
-Crop and edit accordingly! The star of your photo is your fish so why include distracting elements that take away from your subject? Here's an example:
The raw image; (dirty back glass, filter parts in the frame, gross anubias leaf, and my BP’s mouth in the bottom left corner. Not very nice to look at)
Cropped and vignetted:
Makes a difference, right?
Anyway, I hope that helps some of you.
If you have any tips you'd like to share, please do!
-Firstly, you need to set the stage; make sure your glass is clean and your water/tank is clean! This may seem like a no brainer but you definitely don't want to have to dodge those pesky water spots or deal with foggy murky water while trying to photograph a moving target (aka your fish).
-Address your lighting. Good light is key to crisp photos. For me, I know my fish will come to the front glass when I approach the tank for picture taking, so I pull my lights forward a bit to make sure the front part of the tank is properly lit. Lights directly overhead can wash out colors though so play with it a bit to see what works best for you.
-Snap photos while in video mode. Recording video auto focuses for you so all you have to do focus on your target once to lock it in and hit the shutter while keeping your subject in frame.
-Get as close as you can without using zoom. Fish can sometimes be skittish so while you may want to snap a photo from the couch in order to not startle your fish, you won't get the best quality photo since zoom can reduce resolution. I have army crawled into a room in order to get close enough for a photo.
-Patience, patience, patience. Fish can't be told to pose so luck does play into this a bit. Sometimes you'll take 50 blurry photos in order to get one or two that work!
-Crop and edit accordingly! The star of your photo is your fish so why include distracting elements that take away from your subject? Here's an example:
The raw image; (dirty back glass, filter parts in the frame, gross anubias leaf, and my BP’s mouth in the bottom left corner. Not very nice to look at)
Cropped and vignetted:
Makes a difference, right?
Anyway, I hope that helps some of you.
If you have any tips you'd like to share, please do!
