joseph premanandan wrote:
i not making a blank statements.even if the staff members in the aquarium may not mind you using a flash(most of the times they do),the fishes and the other creatures live in water do! you do not want to startle or scare them for your selfish reasons of taking a picture of them.you might as well increase your ISOs. to accomplish your task,joseph
Before this degrades to an argument instead of advice, I have shot for the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and this is basically their policy, and makes a fair amount of sense.
Most, if not all aquariums are "Low Light" observation platforms. Which means the subjects are lit and the outside has low light so the viewers are able to view the organisms without the extra glare from the surface of each tank. Specimens are then unable to see the people outside their environment.
No flash is recommended for two main reasons. Some exhibits will have a special sign designating no flash due to the species being represented is a "deep water" species unaccustomed to any light at all let alone a flash. In these cases, they want to restrict the light to the requirements of the species habitat.
The other reason for the resistance to flash is one of annoyance to all the viewers engaged in viewing each species. Since it is usually dark, human eyes have adjusted for the low light and the constant flash is annoying for the visitors more than the fish in the aquaria.
Utilizing available light is the best method when possible when shooting with many people viewing.
As for spooking the fish, that is not usually an issue. Almost all, if not most underwater shooting from divers use electronic flash without any known effects to the organism.
My suggestion would be to always talk to someone to gain permission or obtain restriction requirements. That is why, in a previous post, I suggested going to a local pet shop or finding someone with a tank of their own. It is more convenient, less busy, and you can concertrate on the photography and not people getting in the way. The fish, for the most part, don't care.