📸 How to Take Stunning Aquarium Photos with Just Your iPhone
Capturing the beauty of your aquarium isn't always as easy as it looks. Reflections, glare, and fast-moving fish can quickly turn a great shot into a blurry disappointment. But with just a few simple tricks—and your iPhone—you can take clear, vibrant photos that truly show off your tank.
Whether you're documenting your aquascape, sharing fish pics on social media, or just want to remember a perfect tank moment, mastering aquarium photography is totally doable (and fun!). We’ve put together a quick step-by-step guide to help you reduce glare, improve lighting, and get crisp underwater shots—no fancy camera required.
🐟 Step-by-Step iPhone Aquarium Photography Guide
🧼 Step 1: Clean Your Glass
Start by thoroughly cleaning both the inside and outside of your aquarium glass. Even tiny smudges, algae, or water spots will show up in your photos.
Don’t forget:
Use a magnetic glass cleaner or algae scraper inside the tank.
Wipe the outside with a microfiber cloth.
💡 Step 2: Turn Up the Aquarium Lights
Make sure your tank lights are brighter than the room lights or any ambient daylight. Fish and plants look better when lit from within, and brighter tank lighting helps reduce glare from outside sources.
Pro Tip: Turn off any nearby lamps or overhead lights, and close blinds to block natural light.
📱 Step 3: Hold Your iPhone Close to the Glass
Hold your phone lens as close to the glass as possible, ideally without touching it. This reduces reflections and eliminates focus issues caused by light bouncing between your phone and the tank.
Avoid: Standing too far away or shooting at an angle—this increases glare.
🔄 Step 4: Use and Rotate a CPL Filter
Attach a clip-on CPL (circular polarizing) filter to your iPhone’s camera. Then slowly rotate it while watching your screen. You’ll see the reflections on the glass shift or disappear entirely.
This is the magic step—it removes glare and makes the colors pop.
📸 Step 5: Frame Your Shot and Capture
Tap on the subject to focus (like a fish or plant).
Slide your finger up/down to adjust exposure.
Use burst mode for moving fish or live mode for subtle motion.
Steady your hands or use a tripod for sharpness.
Bonus Tip: Take several shots from different angles. Fish are fast and unpredictable!
❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting to clean the glass (even tiny smudges ruin shots!)
Using a dirty CPL filter
Shooting too far from the tank
Overexposing your image with too much light
Not rotating the CPL filter—it only works at the right angle!