Photographing fish can be a challenge because of quick moving subjects accompanied with low light, not to mention glare. In this tutorial you’ll discover how to take some excellent pictures of fish in an aquarium with a simple wireless flash setup.
Equipment needed:
- Wireless flash
- Flash stand
- Softbox or umbrella (Optional)
This first image was taken in aperture priority mode with a large aperture. Unfortunately the shutter speed was far too slow for the quicker movements of the fish.
To compensate for the low light it’s common to try a pop up or hot shoe mounted flash. Unfortunately this results in a glare off of the glass.
Instead of shooting the flash through the glass, a more natural position would be above the glass, which would also help reduce the glare.
Using the flash and wireless triggering system, the flash is positioned above the aquarium inside of a softbox to help diffuse the light. In this example a Nikon SB-600 flash is being used with a 12 x 16 Photoflex softbox and a Cactus V4 triggering system.
Here is what the flash above the tank will do when fired.
Now when the photo is taken, the glare is removed, the shutter speed can be increased and the amount of light is much greater.
Author: Nicholas Moeggenberg is a photographer from Cincinnati, OH. He runs the online photo contest May the Best Photo Win.