Digital SLR Photography - UK (2019-10)

W

HILE THERE AREN’T any colourful Nemos

or Dorys, or magnificent sharks, at the

new aquarium in ZSL Whipsnade Zoo,

there’s still plenty to photograph at what is an

incredibly important conservation project. The

aquarium is dedicated to conserving some of the

rarest, most critically-endangered and unique

freshwater fish on the planet, such as the La

Palma pupfish, which are extinct in the wild.

Showcasing a secret world beneath the water,

the aquarium is home to fish that have developed

astonishing abilities to survive, such as the dusky

narrow hatchetfish, which jumps out of the water

to pluck low-hanging fruit and seeds from trees

in Brazil and the Caribbean mangrove killifish,

which can survive out of water for as long as 66

days. The one thing that most of the fish you’ll

want to photograph on display have in common,

however, is their size. Many don’t exceed a

couple of inches in length and this only

exacerbates the challenges associated with

photographing skittish subjects through glass, in

low light. But if you’re looking for a new challenge

and interested in photographing species you’d

never have the chance to in the wild, a trip to ZSL

Whipsnade Zoo is a worthwhile day out.

PH TO

L L

KEEP DRY WITH

UNDERWATER

PHOTOGRAPHY

TO MARK THE OPENING OF THE NEW AQUARIUM AT ZSL WHIPSNADE ZOO,

CAROLINE SCHMIDT SHOWS YOU HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH ITS NEW RESIDENTS

CAMERA: NIKON D850/LENS:NIKON 60MM F/2.8 MICRO WITH RUBBER LENS HOOD