How To Photograph Aquarium Fish

Many people like to photograph their pets, or take pictures of animals, but if you keep fish then it can seem impossible to get a good photo of them. They are swimming through water, after all, and separated from you by the glass wall of their tank. Added to that is the problem of the dim light that may be good for fish, but does not help the camera.

There are a number of things you can do to improve your fish photographs. To begin with, opt for a digital camera rather than a film one, as it will allow you to take plenty of shots without spending a fortune on getting them all developed in order to pick out the good ones. You are photographing live animals under difficult conditions, so you should not expect every picture you take to be a masterpiece.

Using a digital camera will allow you to take as many shots as you need, and only keep the best ones. You will also find that using a tripod helps enormously. Although this might seem counter-intuitive as you will be taking pictures of moving objects, the fish are limited within the boundaries of the tank, and setting up the camera on a tripod will keep your camera steady to prevent blurring. The low light levels mean that the camera will switch to a slower shutter speed. This makes it even easier to create a blurred picture if the camera is not held steady. You will still be able to move the camera if you keep the levers of the tripod fairly loose, but your movements will be much smoother than if you do this by hand alone. Waiting for the fish to come to you rather than chasing them with the camera can also result in some great shots.

When photographing through glass it is essential to make sure it is as clean as possible. Marks and dirt, and particularly smears on the glass will show up much more in photos than to the naked eye. Give the tank a thorough clean before you begin your photography session. In order to avoid reflections in the glass you should turn off all the lights in the room. Keep an eye out for any unexpected glare, and get rid of it- light from the numbers on a digital clock, or coming through the chink of a curtain can still be enough to ruin a shot. You can always use you body or some other screen to keep light off the glass if you can’t turn it off at the source. You should also turn off the pumps in the tank, as they can stir up particles and create bubbles in the water that will show up on the photo. This will also stop any movement of plants in the tank, which could otherwise blur the shot.

In order to get the best pictures of your fish it is a good idea to set the camera up in front of the tank and leave it there for a few days, so that the fish learn to ignore it and behave naturally when you get around to actually taking some pictures.

How to Make Money with Stock Photos

Both professional and amateur photographers are able to make money by providing stock photos for use by businesses that need pictures for publication and the web. There are now websites (such as PhotoDaisy) which bring together photographers with clients, allowing the beginner to start profiting from their photos even before they have built up a large portfolio, and taking much of the difficulty out of finding buyers for professional photographers.

Stock photos are different from those taken on assignment, when the photographer is hired to go and get a shot of a specific subject. A stock photo is a picture that is already available when the client comes looking. Although they are usually cheaper, stock pictures generate more sales and can reach more clients than those taken on assignment. There is no provision for the costs of taking the photo though, as would be provided by a client sending a photographer out for pre-arranged pictures.

The sorts of photos that sell well as stock images will have a broad and general appeal. Photographers should think about specializing in a particular type of photography, one which fits their skills, and in which they can build up a large selection of photos. They will then be able to build up a reputation as a supplier of a certain type of images, so that clients in need of such photos will turn to them.

Photos of landscapes, gardens, food, hobby activities and technology can be good as stock material. It is important to think about the sort of clients who need stock photos, and what they will be looking for. General pictures will have a wide appeal. Gardening and home magazines may be interested in shots of plants, for example, as might florists, flower arranging groups, and anyone who wants some pretty pictures flowers to brighten up a website. Photos of major news events can also be profitable, particularly if the story is of national or global importance, but being able to get them will depend more on location and luck than getting planned shots of landscapes or other non-specific subjects.

Using a website to market your stock photos will take much of the pressure off the photographer, and allow them to spend more time actually taking the photos. This will be particularly useful for those who are less prolific, as there will be little incentive to spend long periods of time trying to sell just a handful of photos, and there will be no chance to build up a long term relationship with a particular client. Even professional photographers prefer to use websites to do this sort of work for them, as many clients will look to these rather than chasing individual photographers. Stock photography websites are more convenient for both photographer and photo buyer.

The photographer should consider how easy the website is to use, how established and well known it is with clients, and the rates they can expect for photos that they sell, before choosing which site to join.