Aquariums

Let’s Dive In!

Aquariums can be a fun and challenging place to explore your smartphone photography skills.

From colorful tropical fish to graceful sea turtles and glowing jellyfish, capturing these incredible creatures is both rewarding and exciting. With just a few simple techniques, you'll be amazed by what you can create!

Please note that virtually all the images on this page were captured on our Smart Phone without any enhancements needed. Whenever an edit or enhancement has been used, it has been noted beneath the photograph.

While many people simply stand back and take a quick picture, ignoring glare or waiting for the perfect moment, just a little extra effort can completely transform your images. Move around, watch the light, reduce reflections, and be patient. Small changes often make the biggest difference.

Avoid Reflections

Once you place your smartphone directly against the glass, you'll usually notice more than just reduced glare. The color balance often changes as your camera reacts to the lighting inside the tank, producing an image that can look dramatically different—and often even more beautiful—than what you see with the naked eye.

Experiment with Modes

Don't rely on just one camera setting. In this image, we used Panoramic Mode while standing beneath a glass tunnel, creating a unique perspective of the shark above us. The reflections from the water's surface, combined with the underside of the shark, produced beautiful colors and an image that feels far more dynamic than a standard photograph.

Look Beyond the Sea Life

The best aquariums celebrate art in so many forms—from beautifully designed tanks and creative lighting to sculptures, murals, and themed props.

Don't focus only on the animals. Incorporating these artistic elements into your photographs helps tell the story of your visit and creates images that are far more memorable.

Capture the Other Creatures

Many aquariums are home to much more than fish. Keep an eye out for beautiful birds, colorful lizards, frogs, butterflies, and other fascinating animals throughout the exhibits.

In the image above, we used the green lighting to our advantage. The light cast a beautiful green hue across the entire scene, perfectly complementing the lizard's skin and creating a much more dramatic photograph.

Celebrate the Details

Starfish, sea anemones, coral, and other marine life are filled with incredible colors, textures, and unique shapes.

Close Up Mode & Focus Tips

In the images above, we used Close-Up Mode (sometimes called Food Mode on certain smartphones) to capture the incredible details of these fascinating sea creatures. One of the most important tips is to tap the screen to tell your camera exactly where you want the focus to be. It can be a little challenging when your subjects are constantly swimming, but the extra few seconds of patience are well worth it.

Zoom In or Out

Whenever possible, look for simple, uncluttered backgrounds. In these examples, the solid blue behind the anemone helps the animal stand out beautifully, allowing their unique shapes, colors, and delicate details to become the true stars of the photograph.

Search for Texture

Sea life offers endless opportunities to photograph incredible textures, patterns, and details. Some of these fascinating creatures don't even look real—but they are! Every image shown here is a completely unaltered photograph captured with a smartphone. Sometimes the most amazing works of art are created by nature itself.

Capturing Colors

Sea life is filled with incredible colors, but what your smartphone captures can vary depending on your technique. The colors often change based on how close you are to the subject, whether your phone is pressed against the glass, and how much you zoom. Don't be surprised if your smartphone's automatic color balance produces an image that looks even more vibrant than what you saw with your own eyes. Experiment with different distances and angles—you may be amazed by the results.

Remembering the Experience

Sea creatures are incredibly unique, and we find that if we don't photograph them as we explore the aquarium, we may forget many of the fascinating animals and educational facts we learned along the way. For example, during this visit we discovered—for the very first time—that upside-down jellyfish actually exist! Your photographs become more than just memories; they become a visual record of the amazing things you learned and experienced.

Deliberate Distortion

Some smartphone modes—especially Panoramic Mode—can intentionally distort both the scene and the sea creatures themselves. And that's okay! These are your vacation photos, so don't be afraid to experiment. Try something unexpected, have fun, and create images that are as unique as your memories.

Look for Creative Lighting

Silhouettes can create unexpected and dramatic views of familiar subjects. Beautifully designed tanks often become works of art themselves. In this exhibit, the unique lighting allowed us to capture striking silhouettes of the jellyfish, while the colorful wall above extended the mood lighting throughout the room and beautifully complemented the display. Sometimes it's not just the sea life that creates a memorable photograph—it's the entire environment.

Be Patient

Some of the best animal photographs come to those who wait. Instead of chasing the perfect shot, let the animals move naturally across the tank. If you're patient, they'll often seem to pose just for you, creating expressions and moments you could never plan.

Enhancements Before & After

Our goal is always to capture the best image in-camera. Please note that virtually all the images on this page were captured on our Smart Phone without any enhancements needed.

The water and lighting created a blue cast that couldn't be removed in-camera. We enhanced the colors afterward to let the eel's incredible markings really pop—and we love the result!

Dirty glass and glare interfered with this photograph, so we used software afterward to clean up the image and enhance the colors. Sometimes a few simple edits can make a big difference while still preserving the natural beauty of the subject.

Please note that virtually all the images on this page were captured on our Smart Phone without any enhancements needed.

Simple enhancements can be done in many software systems. Today's smartphones offer powerful editing tools right inside the camera app. If you want to take your images even further, there are countless editing apps available—and even AI tools like ChatGPT can help remove distractions, improve colors, sharpen details, and make subtle enhancements. We always recommend capturing the best image possible in-camera first, then using editing to enhance your photograph rather than completely change it.

🐠 Tips for Taking Amazing Photos at Aquariums with Your Smartphone

👕 Dress for the Entrance Photo
Many aquariums take a family photo as you enter. Soft blues, greens, whites, and other solid colors usually photograph beautifully against aquatic backgrounds and create a timeless keepsake.

📱 Press Your Phone Against the Glass
To reduce reflections and glare, gently place your smartphone directly against the glass whenever possible. It's one of the easiest ways to capture clearer images of sea life.

🎨 Try Panoramic Mode
Panoramics aren't just for landscapes! Use horizontal or vertical panoramas to capture large tanks, dramatic exhibits, or even create fun artistic effects.

🦈 Be Patient
Great aquarium photos often come down to timing. Wait for the perfect moment as fish, rays, sharks, or sea turtles swim into the best position.

🎯 Tap to Focus
Tap your subject on the screen before taking the photo. This helps your smartphone focus on the creature you want and keeps the image nice and sharp.

🔍 Use Close-Up Mode
Many colorful fish, jellyfish, coral, and tiny sea creatures look incredible when photographed using your phone's Close-Up or Macro mode.

🏛️ Look Beyond the Tanks
Aquariums often feature beautiful architecture, artwork, sculptures, and creative exhibits. Don't forget to photograph the details that help tell the story of your visit.

🦜 Photograph All the Animals
Many aquariums also have birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, and other fascinating creatures. Explore every exhibit—you never know what you'll discover!

🎭 Look Up!
Some of the most interesting photographs are overhead. Check out the ceilings, lighting, hanging sculptures, and architectural details for unique compositions. Some aquariums even have tubes you walk through which can lead to truly unique images!

🎨 Celebrate the Color
Sea life is filled with incredible colors. Move closer, press your phone against the glass, and experiment with your zoom. Your smartphone's automatic color balance may reveal colors that look even more vibrant than what you see with your own eyes.

🔍 Search for Texture
Sea creatures are covered in amazing textures, patterns, and shapes. Move in close and look for the little details—sometimes nature creates artwork more incredible than anything we could imagine.

🐠 Capture the Unique Creatures
Don't just photograph the biggest animals. Every exhibit is filled with fascinating creatures and educational surprises. Your photos will help you remember not only what you saw, but what you learned.

📱 Use Close-Up Mode
Many fish, coral, sea anemones, and seahorses look incredible in Close-Up (Macro) Mode. Be sure to tap the screen to tell your phone exactly where to focus, then wait for the perfect moment. Remember that the closer you are to the subject, the less of the scene will be in focus.

⭐ Photograph from Different Distances
Capture both wide views and close-ups. Wide images tell the story of the exhibit, while close-ups reveal beautiful colors, textures, and details you might otherwise miss.

🎭 Try Something Different
Not every photo has to be realistic! Experiment with Panoramic Mode, creative angles, and unusual perspectives. These are your vacation memories—have fun and see what your smartphone can create.

✂️ Crop for Impact
Removing distracting backgrounds often creates a much stronger image. Sometimes a simple crop is all it takes to transform a photograph.

✨ Edit Your Images
Many improvements can be made right on your smartphone. You can also use editing apps—or even AI tools—to remove distractions, improve colors, and enhance your final image while keeping it true to your creative vision.

🌎 Tell the Whole Story
Photograph the entrance, exhibits, signs, architecture, gift shop, and even your favorite meal or snack. Together, they'll help tell the complete story of your aquarium adventure.