Tom Ryan outlines the steps he follows when planning, building and submitting his aquascapes for the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) in which he placed an amazing 22nd in 2024.
This is the last of a series of 6 articles covering the following stages of contest aquascaping:
PLANTING, MAINTENANCE & ADJUSTMENTS
FINAL PHOTO
Taking the final photo for aquascaping contests
To be honest, taking the final photo for submission is both the least and most enjoyable part of the process for me. Often, I will be apprehensive leading up to capturing the final photo for an international aquascaping contest.
The fact that it all comes down to one click of a button does make me a little apprehensive. However, you have prepared for this moment and you have done all you can to ensure the scape looks at its best.
To ease the nerves, there are a multiple techniques I use to ensure it is smooth and (relatively) stress-free:
Test your photography equipment!
You will definitely want to experiment with your lighting and photography equipment prior to the final photo day. This will allow you to dial-in your camera settings through a trial photoshoot. You can set your shutter speed, ISO and aperture size on your mirrorless or DSLR camera to give you the best results.
This will ensure the atmosphere of your work in the final photo represents the overall theme you aimed for. Also, prepare your equipment the day before the photoshoot. That way, it is ready and easy to use, meaning there is one less thing to do before taking the photo. Refer to Part 5 on photography for more general details about how to set up your camera.
If you want to practice, or have an aquarium you want to share without entering a contest. You can submit your photos here to have a chance of featuring in Practical Fishkeeping Magazine!
Work out your preferred fish position
Fish photography is hard. So, spend some time watching your fish and work out the exact schooling behaviour and position of the fish you wish to capture.
This will limit any compromise or a 'change of heart' you might have on the day. This will mean you can easily discount photos that do not meet your criteria when selecting your best one.
Surface agitation
I would recommend that you learn about the use of surface agitation in aquarium photography. This links with part two on the ideology and concept evolution.
Depending on the vibe you wish to create, surface movement could be a pivotal part of the final photo. For example, to add to the sense of flow and dynamism, use plenty of ripples on the surface.
For a more peaceful aquascape, you may opt for no ripples or movement. This would work well for a habitat with slower moving fish, like gouramis in a flooded meadow. You will also get a more 'true' reflection without any surface movement.
For ‘Closing’, I wanted to enhance the impact and dynamism of the stones. I therefore chose to use a high rate of surface agitation using a hair dryer! Note the position of the hair dryer makes a difference to the ripples on the surface.
I chose to place it centrally behind the rear glass to reflect the position of the end point. This adds a 'halo' effect over the centre of the two main stones!
Limit maintenance on the day of the final photo
Complete a water change and any fine-tuning the day before. This helps to ensure you have good water clarity for the final photo.
The key is to not make any changes to the plants, hardscape or substrate at this stage. This should have happened one to two weeks before as you want to avoid everything looking too fresh and clean. Some algae actually helps to enhance the feeling of the passage of time in your work. Try not to put your hands in the tank before taking your photo as you may ruin all your hard work!
Lighting and CO2
Make sure to turn off CO2 on the day of your final photo. Also, turn on the aquarium lighting at least one hour before the photoshoot. This is unless you want to go for a specific 'look'.
To get stem plants to have closed leaves (to replicate sunrise), then turn the aquarium lights on just before you take the shot. The window for this is short as the stem plants will soon return to their normal daytime state.
Therefore, I don't recommend this techniques it is incredibly difficult. Unless you are going for a specific theme I would ensure the plants are fully open before taking any photos. Always turn off pressurised carbon dioxide on the day of the photoshoot. This is unless you are using Riccia fluitans!
In ‘Closing’, I made the decision to leave CO2 on until just a few hours being the photoshoot. This meant I was able to capture the pearling effect of the Riccia. This is something that brings a sense of nostalgia to any aquascape. You do want to turn it off early enough to avoid the 'noisy' CO2 bubbles showing in the final photo!
A photo of pearling Riccia by Shutterstock
'Closing' comments
I prefer controlling as much as possible to get a higher success rate in capturing the 'perfect' photo. For me, I like to limit the photoshoot to only one variable: the fish position. Patience is key with this.
You will not get the perfect photo that you want on the first try. The fish generally don't swim in the position you want, when you want them to.
For ‘Closing’, I used a variety of methods to try to get the fish to school as I wanted. I had most success by submerging my aquascaping tweezers to mildly startle the fish. They always seemed to shoal best during a small maintenance session.
Usually, I take between 150-300 photos in one session, lasting up to 2 hours. I find, the longer the photoshoot, the more resistant the fish become to following your 'schooling' instructions. So, anything lasting more than 2-3 hours I tend to avoid.
I like to use my planting tweezers to encourage fish to show their shoaling behaviour.
Now comes the best bit, you'll usually get a 'feeling' that you know that the photo you've just taken is ‘the one'. For all else, this is the moment of euphoria you've been waiting for.
For ‘Closing’, I knew the exact position and schooling behaviour of the fish that I wanted to capture, but I learnt the hard way. Aquarium photography is easier said than done! In the end, it came down to two photos and I chose on the basis that one heightened the sense of flow I wished to create from the main stone (Oyaishi).
And, well, the rest is history. I look forward to competing against you in next year’s International aquatic plant layout contest!