PHOTOGRAPHING FISH 105 



to end in its efforts to escape, but after a few min- 

 utes of useless excitement it will usually calm down 

 and lie on the bottom. Now is your time to focus 

 and arrange your camera. We will say the fish is 

 twelve inches long and the aquarium thirty inches 

 long. It is obvious that if a fairly large image of 

 the fish is wanted, only a part of the aquarium, per- 

 haps eighteen inches, will be covered by the plate. 

 To avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and an extra 

 chance of failure, place two marks (small pieces oi wet 

 paper will answer, don't use paste or mucilage) on the 

 glass at the extreme edges of the part covered by the 

 plate. This much done, set your shutter according to 

 the exposure to be given, and then coax the fish away 

 from the bottom. This may be done either by 

 means of a stick or with the hand. It usually 

 requires a great deal of patience and not a little time 

 before the fish can be induced to go just where one 

 wishes, but as so much depends on its being well 

 posed, it is better not to be in too great a hurry. 

 When focussing on the fish be sure to look down on 

 it through the water, otherwise you cannot tell how 

 far it is from the front glass. In the same way, 

 before you release the shutter be sure the fish is at 

 the same distance from the glass as it was when you 

 focussed the camera. In case you cannot induce the 

 fish to remain clear of the bottom, there are two 

 things to be done : one is to raise it with your hand 



