
In the wild, you’re most likely to find the common moon jellyfish, which can live in temperatures from 6° to 31°C. This little beauty, often recognisable by a dainty four-leaf clover crest on its bell, is almost totally transparent, so how would you go about producing a photograph of it? Light passes straight through these near-invisible monsters, and one enthusiast sensibly recommends a controlled environment: a darkened room, a tank containing jellies and a digital camera with a very large memory.
This is all very well for the photographer, but not too jellyfish-friendly. Jellyfish are used to large spaces where they can drift on the sea currents, and you may find your model simply sits at the bottom of your tank sullenly rather than floating majestically in front of your lens. Also, if you don’t return it to the sea soon after taking the pictures, the jellyfish will die (if it hasn't already injured itself on the sides of the tank).
If you’re a keen snorkeller with a waterproof camera on hand, you can snap moon jellies in their natural environment. The Jellies Zone has some excellent advice on equipment, and tips on using the sun to backlight jellyfish. (Backlighting is likely to catch other particles in the water, so you might want to keep your Photoshop skills up to scratch for later.) Unlike most fish, which scatter when they sense a diver with a Nikon, you can get reasonably close to jellies. This may not be advisable if your subject is a Portuguese Man O'War, but then again, some human supermodels can be rather venomous too...

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