How to get fish pics

[Ashlyn]

How does everyone get the amazing fish pictures with just a phone? I struggle with getting the perfect fish pictures as some do. The pea puffers are afraid of the phone still, unless its feeding time, but the other pictures just don't focus well through the water. Does anybody have any tips?

[Odd Duck]

Funny you should say this.  This is the BRILLIANT pic I took the other day of a cory I just adopted from a friend that also gave me her tank.

The next one is a pic of my clown pleco.  Staggeringly good photography, don’t you think?

It can be very frustrating, for sure, and sometimes you just can’t get good pictures.  Sometimes you have to be happy if it meets your goal on why you were taking the pic.  If you want gorgeous, artistic stuff, you need to have immense patience, good timing, and sometimes just a big dollop of luck.

I don’t know that any of my photos are really very good, but I do know they turn out a lot better if the star of the show is very close to the glass and it needs to be VERY clean glass.  If the subject is moving fast, well, good luck with that.  It takes far better equipment than I have to get a good photo on a fast moving fish or shrimp.

For me, I get as close as I can to the glass and still stay in focus on the subject, then I zoom the least amount necessary since it doesn’t actually improve your detail to do a digital zoom.

I did get a slightly better pic of the cory later, but even the first one was enough to make an ID which was my goal.

 

[isaly]

A tripod helps. A cheap one is fine if you're not using a heavy camera. If you're using a phone, get a mount for that to fit the tripod. You need something to hold the camera steady. Camera movement blurs pictures.

Fast shutter speed/short exposure time freezes movement. Lots of light will trigger automatic exposure to use a fast exposure time. Lots of light will also give better color/contrast.

Get close to the glass. Turn room lights down/off to minimize glare and reflections from the tank surface. Take advantage of your tank light. If it's easily adjustable you can use that to your advantage.

Just take a bunch of pictures and see what works for you.

Some of those iPhones have nice cameras but they can be pretty pricey. I like a dedicated camera because I don't like smart phones—hate effectively paying for internet service twice. I don't have one at the moment but will be getting hold of one soon.

Edited December 28, 2021 by isaly

[Flumpweesel]

Don't chase the fish  get settled in an area they are active in and wait. A chair can help with this.

Anything on the glass makes focusing a nightmare do get out the magic sponge and then do the outside with vinegar.

My camera loves to focus on plants and likes to blur all those pesky fish that keep getting in the way.

[Guppysnail]

I move the tank light to the very front and shut off room lights. It helps but I still don’t get the amazing shots like some folks here that I’m envious of. 

[gardenman]

In many cases you can force your phone to focus on what you want in focus by touching the thing you want in focus on the screen. And some phones are just better at taking pictures than others. My phone (a Tracfone Motorola Moto G Stylus 2021 version) has a macro mode that lets you get pretty close and that helps if what you're taking a picture of is towards the front of the tank.

[Cinnebuns]

 One tip I once heard is pretty solid, but I also have not always used it. Take a video then you can use a still of that video as a pic. I have done this a couple times but I usually opt for one of the other tips that have already been given. 

[PineSong]

I am always happy to see people's tips for this because I struggle with it, too. I did watch several videos on YouTube about this subject, including one with Jimmy, so you might find good advice there, too.

For your fish that is afraid of the phone, if you got a tripod you could leave the camera on the tripod in front of the tank when you're not on  your phone, so the fish gets used to seeing it and doesn't have a fear response when you bring it out for pics. If your tank is on a surface where there's room beside the tank, you could leave your phone propped up even without a tripod, like leaning it against a can of soda or something.

[Ashlyn]

Thanks everyone! I'm off to try some new tips! 

[Ashlyn]

Here is some of the fish pictures I got (three of my favs) I found that staying in one spot and not following the fish really helped. I had a phone tripod laying around, as well as a ring light that I set up real quick. I have room to improve, but I'm really grateful that I got some help!

[HH Morant]

1. Clean both sides of the glass - if not the whole aquarium, just an area where you will be shooting.

2. Turn room lights off to avoid reflections on the aquarium glass.

3. Select a time when your water is clearest - after a water change, before feeding, etc. Generally clear water is achieved by over-filtration of the biological kind, although transitory improvement can be obtained with mechanical filtration if particulates are the problem.

4. Try different camera settings. Sometimes the "portrait" setting on my phone's camera takes better fish pictures.

5. Get a clip-on macro lens if you want close-ups. I have one, but don't use it often.

6. Take a lot of pictures. The best way to get one good picture is to take 20.

Edited December 28, 2021 by HH Morant

[Tanked]

Adding to the other advice offered, some phones focus better at a distance, so I will take a wider photo, and crop out the parts I don't want.

[isaly]

On 12/28/2021 at 10:25 AM, Cinnebuns said:

 One tip I once heard is pretty solid, but I also have not always used it. Take a video then you can use a still of that video as a pic. I have done this a couple times but I usually opt for one of the other tips that have already been given. 

Yes. You can go through the video and choose the frame you like best.