Aquarium Flashers

Right off the bat, it's not what you think. But I applaud you for thinking it, because that's just funny.

No, I was just thinking about this as I was looking through some pictures from the Boston Aquarium that I took in August. There was a guy next to me trying to get a good shot of the jellyfish tank, but every photo he took he was disappointed in, mumbling after each attempt that they just weren't coming out right. All he was able to get was this huge white spot where the flash had reflected off the glass into his lens.  I tried to be friendly, and I told him that he'd have more luck by either bumping up the ISO and canceling the flash, or by pressing the lens up against the aquarium glass so the flash could go off but not reflect back into the camera.

Note: Jellyfish do not taste as good as they
sound. And yes, I've tasted jellyfish.
(Click to enlarge the photo)

He looked at me silently for a second, and then walked away.

I was offended by that. I was just trying to help him get the picture he wanted, but he obviously didn't appreciate it.  I saw others making the same mistake over and over again, but after that first time I was too self-conscious to say anything.

So here it is for all to see. If you want to take a flash photograph of something behind glass, press the lens up against the glass so that it's touching all the way around. That way the flash won't be visible, and it'll look like the glass wasn't even there.

Also, don't give people the stinkeye for trying to help when you need it. Even if you're not interested in the help, at least they offered.