How To Take a Picture of a Jellyfish

Underwater photography is a fun hobby. You will be able to experience life underwater and at the same time document the creatures that you see with the pictures that you take. Whether you plan to take pictures in the ocean, the deep sea or the Great Barrier Reef, you will surely capture photos of creatures that you never even knew existed. One of the most fascinating underwater creatures to take pictures of is the jellyfish. Jellyfish come in different sizes, colors and forms.

Here are some tips on how to take pictures of a jellyfish:

• Use a digital camera. For beginners, it is better to use a digital camera. It will be easier to control and take pictures. You can practice in an aquarium first before going to the deep sea to take pictures of jellyfish. Make sure that your digital camera is water resistant. If not, you can use a casing for the camera that will prevent water from damaging it.
• Stay in shallow waters. Another useful tip is to stay in shallow waters, especially if the sun is high. This is because the sun is the source of the food for algae, and these algae grow on the skin of jellyfish. By staying in shallow waters, there is a bigger chance for you to get to see a bloom of moon jellyfish. Take pictures of jellyfish at a distance, as some species of jellyfish are dangerous.
• Natural light. The best time to take pictures is right when the sun is overhead. This will give you enough natural light so that you can take pictures without using the camera’s flash. If you take pictures when the sun hits the water at an angle, you will not get as much light, because the light will reflect off of the surface of the water.
• Buoyancy control. One of the things that you have to practice when taking underwater photos is buoyancy control. You can practice doing this in shallow waters. Practice your underwater breathing, and stay as steady as possible while hovering over your subject. If you have control over your buoyancy, you can keep your hands steady and produce better pictures.
• Camera settings. The best settings to use in underwater photography are to choose a high ISO setting and a medium shutter speed. This will prevent you from having blurry subjects and dark backgrounds. You can take a few practice shots before trying to take pictures of jellyfish.

These are some of the helpful tips in taking pictures of jellyfish. If you are a beginner, it will be better if you go with an experienced diver or an underwater photographer so that you can learn things from them. When you have had enough practice, you can take pictures of other creatures, such as sea lice, corals, dolphins and even the largest underwater creature, the whale. You can learn more about underwater photography from websites, such as aquaviews.net. When you get better at the craft, you can start buying more equipment that will help you improve the quality of your pictures.