Medaka Photography Guide — Capturing Lame & Body Light
Photographing medaka: capturing shimmer and body light, black backgrounds, lighting angles, and top/side view techniques.
Key Takeaways
Photographing medaka: capturing shimmer and body light, black backgrounds, lighting angles, and top/side view techniques.
Capturing the beauty of medaka in photographs presents unique challenges due to their small size. The shimmer of lame (glitter-scale) varieties and the gorgeous body sheen can be breathtaking in person but often result in photos where "they don't look as shiny as expected." However, with the right techniques, even a smartphone can produce beautiful medaka photos. This article provides detailed photography techniques for bringing out the best in each variety.
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Lame Medaka Photography Techniques
The greatest charm of lame medaka is the sparkling brilliance scattered across their scales. Capturing this sparkle in photos comes down almost entirely to how light is directed.
Light angle: Since lame shines through light reflection, position lighting at approximately 45 degrees above the medaka. Light from directly above makes lame difficult to capture
Spotlight-style lighting: Concentrated spot lighting makes lame sparkle stand out more than diffused broad lighting. Adjusting the angle of a small LED light by hand is effective
Black backgrounds are essential: A black background is a must for maximizing lame brilliance. Use a black container or place black acrylic behind the fish
Take multiple shots: The appearance of lame changes dramatically with even slight angle changes. Use burst mode to take many shots and select the one where lame sparkles most
Utilize water surface reflection: In top-view shooting, there are moments when lame of a medaka swimming just below the surface reflects off the water surface, creating a double sparkle. Capturing this moment produces dreamlike photos
The optimal lighting also differs by lame color. White lame photographs best under cool blue-white LED light, gold lame under warm-toned light, and rainbow lame under natural light.
Body Sheen Medaka Photography Tips
Body sheen is the distinctive luster that appears along the dorsal line, the hallmark trait of Miyuki medaka. Photography requires its own unique approach.
Light direction: Body sheen is most visible when light hits from the dorsal side. Position lighting from diagonally behind toward the medaka's back
Showcasing full-body sheen: For full-body individuals where the sheen extends from head to tail, photograph from directly beside to show the length of the light line
Water temperature adjustment: Medaka body sheen tends to express more strongly at higher water temperatures. Keeping water at 26–28°C before shooting makes the sheen more prominent
Shooting in dark environments: Darkening the surroundings and concentrating lighting on the body sheen makes the line of light stand out sharply
Side-view is standard: The beauty of body sheen is most apparent from the side. Side-view photography using a photo tank (small photography aquarium) is recommended
The most common mistake in body sheen photography is lighting that's too bright, causing the sheen to get lost in the surrounding light. Keep overall brightness subdued to let the body sheen's own radiance stand out.
Top-View Photography Basics and Applications
Top-view photography is ideal for showcasing the patterns of patterned varieties (tricolor, kohaku, etc.).
Container: A black, flat container works best. Black NV boxes or black trays from 100-yen shops are handy options. Ensure the container bottom is free of debris or scratches
Water depth: About 3–5 cm is optimal. Too shallow stresses the medaka; too deep makes focusing difficult
Camera position: Shoot from directly above. Keep the smartphone parallel to the water surface. Use an overhead shooting stand if possible
Dealing with reflections: Position lighting to prevent the photographer's shadow from reflecting on the water surface. A PL (polarizing) filter dramatically reduces surface reflections
Calming the medaka: Fish are agitated immediately after transfer, so wait 5–10 minutes for them to settle before shooting. Covering the container with black cloth helps them calm down faster
Photographing multiple fish: When shooting groups from above, odd numbers (3 or 5) create more balanced compositions
Top-view photography reveals not just body color but also head shape and overall body balance. For competition record photos, maintain a precise top-down angle to show body symmetry.
Side-View Photography Setup
Side-view photography is best suited for showing body shape, fin form, and body sheen extension.
Photo tank: Prepare a photography-specific tank with narrow depth. Besides commercial options, these can be DIY'd from acrylic sheets. An ideal depth is 2–3 cm
Background setup: Attach black plastic board or felt to the back of the photo tank. Light-absorbing materials prevent reflections
Glass cleaning: Thoroughly clean the front glass of the photo tank with a cleaner before shooting. Fingerprints and water drops significantly affect photos
Lighting placement: Place the main light above the photo tank and a secondary light from the side. Side lighting is particularly important for lame varieties
Focusing: Focus on the medaka's eye as the standard. On smartphones, tap the screen to lock focus
Macro shooting: Since medaka are small, use the smartphone's macro mode or an external macro lens to capture fine details
The best timing for photo tank shooting is 1–2 minutes after placing the medaka. Prolonged confinement in a small space causes stress, so shoot quickly and return the fish to its original container.
Smartphone Practical Techniques
Beautiful medaka photos are achievable even without expensive cameras or specialized equipment.
Burst mode: Since medaka are constantly moving, burst mode for mass capture and later selection is more efficient than single shots
4K video frame capture: Shooting 4K video and extracting screenshots of the best moments is effective. Particularly useful for capturing the instant lame sparkles
Exposure compensation: When shooting against black backgrounds, cameras tend to overexpose. Setting negative compensation (darker) makes black backgrounds richer and medaka colors more accurate
White balance: Manually setting white balance to match LED lighting color temperature produces more natural colors. Auto settings may not accurately render lame colors
Post-shoot editing is also important. Slightly increasing contrast and sharpness makes medaka details pop. However, avoid excessive saturation adjustments as they create unnatural colors.
Photography Tips by Variety
Different medaka varieties have different optimal photography approaches.
Tricolor/Kohaku: Top-view to show pattern balance. White backgrounds may also enhance pattern contrast
Miyuki: Side-view to showcase body sheen length and intensity. Dark backgrounds make the light line stand out
Lame varieties: Lighting from diagonally above for maximum sparkle. Burst mode to capture peak lame brilliance
Long-fin/Swallow: Side-view to show the elegance of fins. Aim for moments when fins spread in a calm, current-free environment
Daruma (short body): Side-view to show the cute round body shape. Slightly elevated angles are also appealing
Transparent scale: The unique beauty of light passing through calls for backlighting (illumination from behind) to showcase transparency
What all varieties share is that the medaka's health directly affects photo quality. Shooting when colors are vibrant and fins are taut and perky is the most important point of all.
Find Photogenic Medaka on BriChoku
On BriChoku, you can purchase carefully selected beautiful medaka directly from breeders. Since you can check individual characteristics through the breeder's own photos, you can choose medaka with your preferred patterns and light qualities. Breeders may also share variety-specific photography tips when asked.
