FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO250)
Takashi Amano: cyclist, photographer, designer and aquarist. The godfather of aquascaping. This is about aquariums inspired by Amano san.
When I was a young boy all I wanted was a dog. But since my mother was afraid of dogs I got anything but a dog. One of the substitutes was an aquarium. I loved the aquarium I saw at a friends house so I worked my parents until they gave in.
When I moved out my parents still kept it for a couple of years in the living room. I’m still fascinated of aquariums but I don’t have one despite the fact that I live in my own big house. The main reason is that I travel a lot. Another one for the time when I finally retire I guess.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
When we still lived in Vienna I bought an aquarium book which was very different. It was the book of ADA (Aqua Design Amano). The pictures of the fish tanks were fantastic. They looked completely different to what aquariums looked at that time and of course completely different to my own aquarium. Amano created under water landscapes that looked like a forest or a grassland or something out of a fantasy game. Now many years later I found out that there is a shop in Vienna right next to where we used to live that focuses on aquascaping and sells ADA fish tanks and equipment.
As it rained on the very first day of my holiday I decided to go there to see those wonderful underwater landscapes myself. In order to capture them in full glory I brought my camera. But before I took the images I spoke with the owner about the equipment and the maintenance.
We also talked about aquarium photography and how amazing the new iPhones work regarding dynamic range and colours. They also use a real camera for the pictures for their website but every shot needs post processing to look its best. And that’s true. Even with my Fuji X-Pro3 I needed to adjust colours and contrast slightly to get a nice and consistent look. So there is some light post processing on the images I took with my Fuji but none on the images I took with my iPhone 12 Pro max.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
And here are the shots I took with my iPhone 12 Pro max. That’s crazy. I take images of an aquarium with a smartphone.
I remember that I took some photos of my aquarium when I was a teenager. I used an 1000 Watt photo lamp. The lamp was so hot that it heated the water in the aquarium after a couple of minutes and I had to turn it off. There was no chance to take images with the original lamps because those neon tubes were not strong enough. Today aquariums are lit with very powerful RGB LED lamps so there is no need to use a flash or a strong halogen photo lamp to get good pictures. I’m still impressed by what new smartphones can do today. I still prefer to shoot with a real camera but those smartphone cameras have come a long way.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (5.1mm, f/1.6, 1/100 sec, ISO32)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (5.1mm, f/1.6, 1/100 sec, ISO50)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (5.1mm, f/1.6, 1/105 sec, ISO80)
I just love aquariums. The most impressive I have seen so far are the Kaiyukan Aquarium in Osaka, Japan which has whale sharks on display and of course the wonderful Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Those are just amazing. To stand in front of the big glass while sea turtles or sharks swim by is something truly special.
But to create a little world and put it right next to your sofa in your living room is something truly special too.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (5.1mm, f/1.6, 1/100 sec, ISO50)