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Photographing Bettas By: Victoria Parnell-Stark Submitted: 4/28/2009 Setting up bettas to be photographed (Sarawut Angkunanuwat) Setting up bettas to be photographed (Sarawut Angkunanuwat) When I first got started in the hobby, having good photographs of your bettas was virtually unheard-of, and if you wanted to show off whatever line you were currently working on, you had better take them with you to a show! Bettas were purchased sight-unseen from other IBC breeders, and some of the very best fish produced during that time were never seen by anyone except their breeder. But now we have the internet, and with it such commodities as digital cameras with built-in macro settings and fancy-schmancy lens attachments. It is now possible to run to your fishroom, snap a picture of your betta, upload it to your computer, and show it to your friend in Italy in about 10 minutes. This has proved invaluable in procuring stock from other breeders and sharing your projects with others, and at some point almost every betta enthusiast has tossed around the idea of taking pictures of their little finned beauties. However, this can be a frustrating process, as most of our first attempts at betta photography are at best mediocre and sometimes even downright disastrous. So how can you get a great photograph of your betta? Now at this point some of you are thinking, "HAHA! You? You're going to teach me how to take betta photos? I've seen your photography, you suck!" And that is correct, I do. I take photos with a FinePix 2600z that can be had off eBay for around twenty bucks; I think this camera is roughly 200 years old. However, it's trusty...it's efficient...and the few times I did shed out big $$$ for state-of-the-art models, I never got results nearly as good. But it's no secret that compared to the fish photography I've seen from some of the Asian sellers on Aquabid and elsewhere, my photos look like they were taken by Blurrybob McShakeyhands. And so, in the interests of improving my own technique, I decided to interview the top 5 Asian breeders whose photos I admire the most. The most common theme among all photographers interviewed was good lighting. Most of them use a light source close to the surface of the water, with a dark or neutral background and no flash. Suporn Khumhom of Bluebetta uses a discontinued Nikon D70s, an interchangeable-lens digital SLR camera. He puts his fish in small glass containers of about 4x6x2 so that the betta has room to flare, but won't wander off. He shines a table light down on the jar from above, and away he goes, producing photos such as these: Copper gas, photo by Suporn Khumhom Vinita Tippimul of Nicebettas smiled when I asked her my questions, and insists she's not professional about her photography at all. Three years ago they used the Olympus E1 model, and have since switched to the very affordable Olympus E410. The trick to using a camera such as this is the set-up. Vinita uses a gray cloth as a background for most of her bettas, sometimes switching to black for light-colored individuals. To get the fish to 'perform' she chooses a male that her subject betta wants to flare at. This can take some trial and error, since not all bettas will flare at just any other betta, so she may have to keep switching them until she finds one that provokes a reaction in her subject. If he is still being difficult, she will use a mirror, but she tries to avoid this as the photos do not turn out as well. A standard flashlight serves as an efficient light source, and a good macro lens is instrumental. Vinita uses the macro Olympus lens, purchased separately. Here are some examples: Metallic marble and copper/red, photos by Vinita Tippimul One of the best betta photographers I've seen on AB in recent years is Kit Watchara of Aquastar71. His bettas are always showcased at their best with crisp detail and excellent, soft color. Since Kit can make even a sub-par betta look like a million bucks, I asked him what he was doing differently. He also uses a Nikon, the E5700 model, which will set you back a bit but produces amazingly detailed pictures with very true-to-life color. He takes his photos using standard fluorescent light coupled with the camera's built-in macro setting, and also prefers to have his subject flare at another betta, to avoid the reflective glare from a mirror. He said that the color black was the most challenging betta color to photograph well, since the darkness of the betta made it difficult to focus. Blue Butterfly and Copper, photos by Kit Watchara One photographer who never seems to have trouble photographing blacks is Teeruch Poparnich, bettas known as Xman. Teeruch uses a Fuji F-5500 using the built-in macro setting on a black background. He says the most important step to remember for color and clarity is to use a light source from above, close to the surface of the water. Flash is not required. Here are some photos from Xmanbettas: Black copper butterfly and melano, photos by Teeruch Poparnich Last but not least is a breeder whose photographs and bettas I have long admired, Sarawut Angkunanuwat of Siamimbellis. Sarawut uses a Finepix s9600 model digital camera, but prefers to use natural light. He places the fish in small glass tanks and takes his photos while they flare at each other. If one is reluctant to flare, he will sometimes use a mirror. "I sometimes spend an hour for one nice fish picture, depending on how fast they move while they flare," he says. He also uses flash for his irid colored bettas, but finds it unnecessary when photographing non-irids. Red dragon plakat, photo by Sarawut Angkunanuwat I'm constantly surprised when I actually get asked how I take my photos, since I genuinely do not feel they come out very good. Sufficient enough to accurately portray a fish for sale, yes, but rarely do I get a shot I am actually proud of. However, if your goals aren't to sell fish and you merely want to show your friends or post pics on a message board, the Finepix 2600z from Fuji is a tough little camera for the price, and does a very decent job. I put my setting on macro and use a desk lamp with the neck angled so that it shines down directly onto the photo box, no flash. The photo box itself is a 6x6 square plastic display container used for small collectible toys. Really. I bummed it off a 7 year old, and it's been the best container for photos I've ever had. The trick is to keep the outside of the plastic very clean and dry, and I wipe it down with a vinegar solution prior to adding the water. I am usually pressed for time, so I'll do whatever it takes to get a fish to give me a nice flare. First I try another betta, but if the subject doesn't respond I will show him his reflection in a mirror. I actually have no qualms about ruining a great betta shot by using a mirror, and this is evidenced by the fact that my photos notoriously have my camera and/or hand reflected in the background :-D. If he still doesn't seem interested (not unusual; they can really freak out when put under that light), I may even add a 'teaser' female to the jar with him. This usually does the trick, even with very reluctant bettas. Even after all this, if your fish continues to give you trouble flaring, card him up (blockhis view from other bettas) for a few days, then try again. I think a betta is probably easier to photograph than a lot of other aquarium fish, simply by virtue of his behavior. A betta male will tend to approach a rival  (or his reflection) head on with gill covers raised, and then turn hard to the side with fins fully flared. He will usually hold this position long enough to get at least one good shot, even from my cheapo camera. Sometimes you have a male that gyrates his body a lot, or one that is very fast and aggressive and it's hard to focus on them. Just be patient and try a few different things. Even changing the placement of the mirror/rival male can help. It may take some practice, but soon even a very novice betta photographer with a limited budget can produce photos like these:

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