Sharks are feared by many. Over the years, they’ve been given a bad name and demonized by the media. In reality, they are not.
Sharks are a great asset to marine ecosystems. But that doesn’t stop some countries from killing sharks. If you remove the sharks from the ecosystem, the ocean becomes unbalanced. You can find out more about it here. Marine Life
Benjamin Von Wong is a man who advocates for the protection of sharks. This Canadian photographer traveled to Fiji recently to capture sharks in their habitat. He also photographed model Amber Bourke under water alongside those sharks.
“There is an entire world under the ocean, which we rarely think about or have the opportunity to see. Von Wong said, “I wanted to capture all this magic and mystery in a photo.”
Each shot was taken with Bourke weighing down a “perfectly illuminated rock structure, where the light was falling.” Once everything was set up, she received a shepherd’s crook, and waited for the sharks.
There was limited oxygen in the water during the shoot and only a two-hour time window was available each day (between 11am-1pm) for photographers to capture sharks that were active. Von Wong, his team and experienced divers spent a total six hours in water over three days.
Von Wong stated, “I hope by creating this series we can transform the way that we view sharks and show that there are things that are truly beautiful and worthy of protection.” “Just as sharks are shepherds of the ocean, we are shepherds of our own generation and can make a change and have our voices be heard.”
Von Wong’s work is magical, but it also has a deeper meaning: shark conservation requires our attention. Von Wong, along with conservation partner The Shark Stewards, are collecting online signatures to create a Malaysian sanctuary for these magnificent creatures.
You can read more about Benjamin Von Wong and his work by clicking here.