134 



PHOTOGRAPHING FISHES 



absorbs much of the light, so that only bright days should be used. The 

 angle of the sun at noon is a little too much overhead to strike fully on 

 the side of the fish, although this can be remedied and the speed much 

 increased by the use of a reflecting mirror in addition to the direct sun. 

 This sometimes makes a beautiful effect on a silvery fish. Our photo- 

 graphs of Pterophyllum scalar e, Trichogaster trichopterus and the Banded 

 Sunfish were done in this way. 



When a black background is wanted, procure the darkest medium 

 obtainable and construct a shade above it, so as to cast a shadow on the 

 background itself. Nothing seems to be sufficiently black if the sun 

 strikes directly on it. The water should be as free from particles as 

 possible, particularly when using a dark background. 



It is desirable to cover the camera with black velvet to prevent 

 reflections in the aquarium. 



Some operators use flashlights, but to the writer nothing seems as 

 good as direct sun, preferably from April to September, although it was 

 outdoors in February, with the sun glaring on recently fallen snow, that 

 the author made his best photograph of a goldfish— the frontispiece of 

 the present edition. 



In photographing down through the top of an aquarium it is neces- 

 sary to suspend a glass at the surface, so that the bottom of it is wet 

 and the top dry. This obviates blurring caused by refraction due to 

 ripples. Where clear waters prevail in nature there is no doubt that fine 

 photographs of the natural bottoms of the shallower bodies of water can 

 be made through a glass-bottom aquarium, slightly submerged in the 

 water. 



Fig. 112. Photographing Arrangement 



The distance between aquarium and background should be sufficient to prevent a 

 shadow falling on background. The aquarium is raised so that the board below will be 

 out of the picture. 



