The light source comes from a fluorescent desk lamp equipped with two 15 watt bulbs that provide more than ample light to photograph without a flash. At first, backgrounds and landscapes were not a high priority to me, but I soon became very sensitive to the monotonous repetition. I began using several different colors for backgrounds not only to add variety, but also to find the hues that create the best contrast. Generally, darker colors produce the most contrast, but lighter colors add a softer influence that I sometimes find very appealing. Ideally, I want to recreate each fish's habitat on a very small scale.
Substrates are very important considerations especially when photographing bottom dwelling species.
One of my favorite, all purpose, but perhaps overly shot substrates is red flint gravel that I have found available from pet stores in my area. However, their are several fishes that would be found in distinctly different substrates such as sculpins in rocks and sand darters, as the name implies, in sand. I also use aquatic plants a great deal especially when photographing killifish and minnows. Probably my most frequently used plant is coontail because of its abundance and wide distribution, but whenever I am collecting fish that I intend to photograph, I will throw in a few plants from the site to satisfy my purist ideals. I have run into a few small and simple problems that can develop into larger headaches if they are not taken care of before placing the fish into the photo tank.