BW Great White Shark
I took this image in Isla Guadalupe with the natural sunrays beaming down and reflecting off the shark.
I took this image in Isla Guadalupe with the natural sunrays beaming down and reflecting off the shark.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at Isla Guadalupe which is a protected island off of Mexico where hundreds of Great White sharks gather every season.Time
I believe is was around 2pm ona sunny clear day. Crystal clear waters as well.Lighting
Isla Guadalupe is known for its clear waters and bright lighting which always helps when trying to photograph underwater there. I almost always try to use a strobe to get the natural colors of the animal to show.Equipment
I used a Nikon D810 DSLR in a SeaCam housing and double strobes. Setting was F4, 160 Sec., ISO 110. Using a Nikkor 16-35mm lens. I was below the shark.Inspiration
I go nearly every year to film and photograph these beautiful sharks in hopes of promoting shark conservation. More than 70-100 million sharks are slaughtered for their fins or for sport. Sharks are critical for maintaining healthy oceans. Through my images and experiences that I can share with other people and kids at school (presentations) they can usually see their natural beauty and that they are not the man eaters the media has portrayed them to be. They are still wild animals and you are in their home as their guests so I always treat them with respect. Sharks on average only kill about 6-8 humans a usually in the waves or poor visibility situations where they don’t know what you are. Hippos kill many times (~500) more humans than sharks do per year.Editing
Underwater photography needs post processing because the red colors are almost non-existent. Usually when filming underwater, to get natural colors, you’ll need a good lens filter to bring the red back and bright lighting. With post work you can enhance the natural colors in photography so you actually see what you experienced live.In my camera bag
Too much, I have my DSLR, an underwater housing with various ports and a large dome with about 2-3 different lenses. Spare batteries and chargers as well as a 360 camera, and drone. Not including all the other stuff like my Mac laptop, HDs, SD cards, etc.Feedback
Read about your camera and it’s options. Now days cameras have so many different settings it’s hard for me to remember all of them and more difficult with a housing. Practice, practice and more practice until you get comfortable with the settings and lighting. Most important when shooting underwater is to always know how deep you are and how much air you have left in your tank. I usually have a dive buddy who Is not a photographer to watch my back not only for air and depth but also for other sharks. Practice your post production work as well. I use Adobe Lightroom because it’s simple enough to get basic colors, saturation, sharpness, etc. in line. I’m not versed in Photoshop so I don’t use it. I just don’t have the time and patience to learn all those features too. But maybe one day I’ll get there.
