Photafish system: An affordable device for fish photography in the wild

Abstract

This paper describes the Photafish System, an innovative technique for capturing high-quality digital images of live freshwater fishes and other aquatic organisms in the field. This system may improve and facilitate the visual documentation of such organisms to illustrate guidebooks, populate online databases and support scientific papers, particularly taxonomic ones. The system was designed and tested to produce Taxonomically Informative Photos (TIPs) of living specimens and employs an Aquarium Assembly for Photography (AAP) distinguished by its portability and low cost. Using Neotropical freshwater fishes as a model, we propose an optimized protocol for documenting the morphology of live specimens to support taxonomy, as well as awareness and conservation of freshwater biodiversity. This paper addresses the technical aspects and challenges of field studio photography in remote locations. Tricks gleaned from personal experiences with nature photography are also shared. Finally, we briefly discuss the advantages and weaknesses of our approach.

Evaluation of Age-Dependent Changes in the Coloration of Male Killifish Nothobranchius Guentheri Using New Photoprocessing Methods

“…The methods proposed earlier are better suited for the estimation of large-sized fish with homogeneous coloration [ 46 ]. In our opinion, the methods proposed in this study for evaluating the coloration of male N. guentheri have advantages as compared to evaluation methods used previously [ 34 , 35 , 37 ].…”

“…In digital imaging, there were two key goals: to ensure the reliability of the color display and to ensure the repeatability of the data obtained. Previous studies provided detailed descriptions of the principles underlying fish photography [ 34 , 35 ]. Photofixation was conducted in accordance with the protocols outlined in the aforementioned studies, taking into account the purposes of the present research and features of the coloring of the fish species in the present study.…”

“…Photofixation of living objects to quantify coloration is a complex methodological task [ 36 ]. Photofixation protocols previously described by a number of researchers [ 34 , 37 , 38 ] were modified based on the species-specific characteristics of N. guentheri . The study design is presented in Figure S3 .…”

“…In our experiments, to obtain photographs suitable for further processing, the criteria were as follows: the fish remained motionless during the whole imaging period (see Section 2.2 ), the left lateral part with all morphological features of the fish [ 26 ] was visible on the image, and for reliable coloration evaluation, all the photographs of the fish were taken under identical lighting conditions (4200 K) and using the same camera settings (ISO 400−500, F 5.6, 1/60 s). Due to the strict standardization of the imaging conditions, color balance image calibration, usually used in similar studies [ 34 , 39 ], was not required.…”

Some Aspects of Development and Histological Structure of the Visual System of Nothobranchius Guentheri

“…To assess the morphoanatomical changes in the fish eye during ontogenesis, individuals of different sizes and age composition were photographed using the techniques described by other authors with some modifications [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. The fish were sedated in a solution of MS-222 (0.1 mg/L) [ 30 ], after which their physical activity significantly decreased.…”