By Ray Jordan

 Good koi photography is not easy but can be accomplished with some practice and knowledge. Helping someone else take koi portraits is very helpful and will save you a lot of wasted shots. Study the best koi photography in koi magazines to get an idea of proper composition and results. I am going to offer some tips and suggestions on taking koi portraits. Koi portraits are the type of photos you need to submit to a koi magazine or for a koi photo contest like AKCA Koi of the year. Pond photography or group shots of koi in their pond are a completely different topic and are in fact more difficult in my opinion than koi portraits.

 There are two key aspects to taking good koi portraits:

 1) Equipment: camera, lenses, filters, flash, printers, tubs etc.

 2) Technique: photographic techniques useful to getting better koi portraits

 EQUIPMENT:

 CAMERAS:  Any good quality camera can be utilized. 35mm, Digital or even Polaroid’s can be used to produce good results. Better cameras do not guarantee better photos. Photographic technique and a good amount of luck play a large role in how your photos will turn out. Digital cameras are here to stay and the future of regular film and regular film camera seems likely to all but disappear. If you are planning to buy a camera I would suggest you make it digital. For purposes of this article I am going to focus on using a digital camera but the basic techniques would be the same for any camera. 

The key features I would look for in a digital camera are:

Speed of Capture (very important) How long from the time you push the shutter until the photo is captured. Koi move quickly you want a fast capture rate. Yes, faster speeds are mostly found on medium to high end models.

LCD Screen: Large easy to see LCD screen in sunlight

Quality Lens that has threads in the front to accept a polarizing filter to reduce surface glare.

Built in flash that will recycle rapidly

LENSES: The quality of the lens determines the quality of your photo’s. Some newer digital cameras are built to utilize regular photographic lenses which generally have better quality than fixed nonchangeable lenses.  A good lens choice is something like a  28mm - 75mmm zoom. This provides the ideal range to cover most koi photo situations. Zooms are also very useful as they allow you to zoom in on the koi without having to get so close that you spook your subject.

AUTO FOCUS: Auto focus is a very helpful but you need to understand it’s limitations. Red pigment on curved surfaces totally confuses auto focus systems causing out of focus photos.  To avoid this, focus on the pupil of the eye, or the leading edge of the dorsal fin as your auto focus needs an optical contrast to auto focus on.

Printing Digital Photos: Use a special photo printer with special photo inks and paper or take your camera/disk to photo processor to process your photos. Printing photos on a normal home printer with regular paper creates a poor image.

Koi Portrait Techniques:
Now comes the tricky part.  Forget trying to get a decent portrait in your pond. It just won’t happen. It is very helpful to have an assistant to help your handle and photograph koi. Not only can they do the koi netting and such to help you keep your hands and camera dry but also can help with positioning the koi etc.

 Photo Tub:  The color and shape of photo tub is important. Use a medium blue tub as lighter or darker colors tends to affects the koi and photo colors. Rectangular tubs work much better than round as koi tend to swim around in a circle right next to the edge in round tubs.

Water Level: Too shallow and the surface will be continually be and the koi shape will look deformed.  Too much water will also distort the koi image. Usually you need to cover the raised dorsal fin by about 2-3 inches to get it just right

Tub and Photo location: Select a location that is safe as possible for the koi and in a solid shaded area. Never leave a tub with a Koi unattended or make sure the tub is securely covered.

Photo Angle/Position: You want  to take the koi portrait from the front head on at about a 60 degree angle to the water level. Shoot from too low a angle and the koi’s head appears gigantic and the rest of the body tiny. Shoot from too high an angle and the flash will bounce off the surface and obscure the koi. Shoot in portrait/vertical position vs landscape/horizontal position. Do not waste time taking shots of the koi from the side, rear or odd angle. Straight head on is what you want.

Framing: Do not zoom in to close. You need the entire koi in the photo from head to tip of tail. Try to keep the koi in the center of photo. Another advantage of digital photography is you can use photo software to crop or rotate your photo;s slightly to the desired effect.  Make sure the koi is in the center of the tank and not hugging the sides or has it’s nose in the corner.  It is important that the photo emphasizes the imposingness of the Koi . The most important features are the pectoral fins. The pectoral fins should be extended in a normal relaxed position and not clamped to it’s sides or twisted/reversed as the koi back pedals out of the frame.

Patience: This is the hardest part for me. You need  patience to wait until the Koi is still, don't try and chase it round the tub not only will this not work but  it will spook the koi and frustrate you. Take lots of shots this is another advantage of a digital camera you can tell when you need more shots or you have gotten the one you want.

Focus: Usually the camera will do this automatically. However it is critical that you keep the camera held very steady and squeeze the shutter gently without shaking the camera as this will ruin the focus. Place the focal target on the koi’s eyes or front dorsal ray and you will usually get pretty good results. If the tail is slightly out of focus it is OK but the front and eyes of the koi must be sharp to be a good photo.

 Flash:  Best results are obtained in a solid shaded light augmented by controlled flash photography. Keep your camera/flash angle at about 60 degees to the water surface to control flash from being reflected back into your lens.

Surface Glare: Glare is a major problem in koi photography. Having the ambient light coming in at a side angle will help but better is to use polarizing filters. Professional koi portraits are by photographing indoors where no natural light is shining on the tank water in the dark!

 EXTRA TIPS:

  ü      Practice Practice Practice – It takes practice to get the hang of koi photography.

ü      Find a koi photo buddy and help them take photos and get them to help you.

ü      Volunteer to help with photos at a koi show and learn from someone in person

Prepare properly - make sure you have everything ready before catching koi

ü      Be aware of  glare and angles

ü      Be patient, move slowly, and get away from anything that will spook the koi

ü      Take lots of shots