Aquariums

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• Osprey Whisperer Registered Users Posts: 3,803 Major grins

  February 17, 2008 edited February 17, 2008

  You probably want to avoid any flash but ratehr set your ISO as high as you are comfortable with (I use 1600). You will want to use as high a shutter speed as the low light situations will allow, but will suffer with very little depth of field as you will most often be shooting wide open or close to it. (large aperture).
  
  Trick or two for moving fish is to pan with them. You most likely won't be able to comfortably use a tripod in a public aquarium. If you can...USE IT. Back to the panning technique. Lock your arms/elbows tight up against your chest and pan at the waist....keeping the camera as steady and level as possible. Anticipation of the fish's direction is always a challenge.
  
  Anotehr technique is to pre-focus on a spot in the aquarium you see the fish frequently pass by/in front of. If you prefocis on a spot and wait for a fish you will have better luck and keeper rate than trying to keep up with the moving fish. You can use manul focus here if you like. Focu on a rock for instance. then back the focus point up a couple/few inches, as the fish will actually be in front of the rock. Then WAIT. Patience is a virtue...but I don't have the time.
  
  You can often times run into problems with your white balance and the somewhat unusual lighting that are used in some aquariums. Might try auto white balance at first and look at your previews. You also want to nail exposure and using your histogram is a big help. If you can get exposure "right" you can help reduce the noise you will get in your shots.
  
  Lots of info online about shooting aquariums.
  
  Good luck.
  
  Here are a couple from the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Canon 20D with 50mm f/2.5 macro lens. ISO 1600. f/3.5 @ 1/60 panned.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Mike McCarthy
  
  "Osprey Whisperer"
  
  OspreyWhisperer.com

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