How to take better fish pictures?

[OnoIgotICH]

I cant really get a nice fish shot, I keep getting a glare in the eye and its not really defined.

I have a 300mm lens and without flash I keep getting dark pictures, and when i allow more light in its too slow and the fish moves.

Can someone help me with my settings so I can maximize my shots?

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

What exactly is your lens and camera? For example: 70-300mm 4-5.6f IS. Your f-stop will detrimne amount of light entering the lens. The higher the number the less light that enters the lens. The less light that enters the longer the shutter is open to expose the film to get a proper exposure. If you are getting dark photos that is why, Not enough light for the f-stop you are using. tell me what lens or lenses and camera you have and Ill get you to get the right photo. And are you familiar with apature, shutter speeds and depth of field? Send me a photo that you have tried so I can get an Idea of where you are starting from. Bret@blakejohnphotography.com

 

[Poseidon]

Bowfront tanks are notoriously difficult to take pictures through to begin with. In addition to what was suggested above, a good place to start is ISO 800 (or more) in order to achieve a faster shutter speed with less light reaching the sensor because of the variable aperture of most 300mm lenses.

 

[clippo]

Send me a photo that you have tried so I can get an Idea of where you are starting from.

post it up here too please?

 

[spline9]

If you can use a flash on a cable that will allow you to aim it down into the water will help tremendously. Flashing in front of the glass will produce glare unless the lens is right against the glass.

If you have any supplemental light, see if you can add it by hanging it over the water (dont let it drop in!) and see if that helps.

Also see if youre on aperature priority. If so, see if you can get the aperature to a smaller number (wider aperature). Maybe try a different lens, too. You may have one that is faster.

 

[maroun.c]

Do you mean you are trying to use a prime/fixed 300 mm lense on aquarium shots? if so then you will have to be shooting from the edge of the room to get a fish to fit in the frame or the lense to focus. If you have a 70-300mm zoom lense then it would be a different story but still that does not make it very easy as all 70-300 mm zooms have a longer minimum focusing distance than you want for a fish shot. Also to shoot a fish at 300mm you have to have a shutter speed of 1/300 and faster to be able to freeze the motion caused by handshake then you still have to go a bit faster to freeze fish movement. I have yet to see a tank lighting that allows yo uto shoot at 1/300
as indicated above we need more info on what gear yo uare using and a picture of the typical results you are getting to be able to help you better