How to Photograph Your Angelfish A few pointers for the novice angelfish photographer…

What you need…  Angelfish to photograph  A good setting to frame the picture  Proper lighting  Camera to take the picture  Patience

An Angelfish to Photograph

Select beautiful angelfish  Select angelfish with nice colors or markings for the variety.

Select healthy angelfish  Select angelfish that look like they are bursting with health and vitality – not droopy or listless ones This chocolate veil angelfish has rich color, full and erect fins, good body symmetry, bright red eyes, and looks alert and vigorous. These qualities make it an excellent choice for photographing.

Fins should be in perfect condition  Not torn or ragged  Not bent or clamped  Look for straight fins that don’t sag, and a tail that doesn’t sag or droop

Framing the picture

Clean the aquarium!  Do a water change the same day or the day before so the water will be crystal clear.  Remove algae on the inner tank walls.  Remove water spots on the outside. (vinegar works well)  Clean algae and scum off of any tank ornaments that might end up in the picture. Dirty tank bottom detracts from this picture.

Remove clutter from the photo area  Reposition or hide heaters, heater cords, and other items that will detract from the picture.  Remove “cutesy” tank ornaments Air line tubing detracts from this photo.

Use appropriate colors  With a gravel bottomed tank, use a color of gravel that will set off the angelfish nicely. (Koi angelfish juveniles look sickly against red gravel.)  Select a nice backing for the tank – can be blue paint or construction or poster paper.  You don’t want a photo with household clutter or embarrassing poses by family members showing through!

Lighting  Use overhead lighting, with extra lights above the aquarium for good illumination.  Turn off other lights in the room

Should you use a flash?  A flash can reveal features that ordinarily aren’t seen – such as underlying striping.  Will tend to wash out color  You can reduce glare by shooting from a slight angle Glare from using a flash.

A camera  In this day of digital cameras, the average person is better off with a digital camera. Why?  To get good photographs, you will end up taking lots and lots of photos.  You can adjust your settings and try different things until you hit on the right combination without spending a fortune on film.

Patience!  Wait for your angelfish to take a good pose.

Frame the picture to feature the fish  If you include the whole aquarium, the angelfish will look small and features will not show up

Now some patience…  Photograph the fish from a good angle to capture the features you want to show off.  Take lots of photos!  Send your best picture in to the TAS Photo Contest, and perhaps you will be the winner – with a picture of your angelfish that you are truly proud of!

The End