Taking the perfect shark image requires time, practice, and some technique and knowledge. In part one of this series, we covered various aspects of shark photography, including developing a shooting process, knowing where to aim your camera on the shark, as well as knowing your sharks and area.
In part two, we dive a little deeper into composition and the different situations and circumstances involved in shooting shark images. So before you tuck your phone in its underwater case, grab your mask and fins, and read on to find out how to take even better shark images.
Natural Produces the Best Results
One of the biggest debates in shark imaging is whether to use a natural situation or a baited scenario. As a general rule, capturing images in a natural, unbaited situation is always better since they tend to produce the best and most natural results. This is doubly true if you are looking for images where you are further away from the animal and are not after any close-ups or when it looks like the shark is about to eat the camera.
While you should always pursue natural photography, sometimes baited situations are the only way to go. For instance, if you want to capture some images of a great white, these are best done from a cage. Invariably, this will involve using bait to attract the sharks and bring them closer to the cage so that you can shoot them.
A very similar situation happens, for instance, at Tiger Beach, where you are outside a cage but can capture some stunning images of tiger sharks. The only way to attract and keep the sharks in the area is to use chum and bait. While this is not ideal, it is one of the few ways you will get to spend time taking portraits of these majestic apex predators.
Overall, observing a shark in its natural environment without the frenzy of food is the perfect way to capture an image showing these majestic species' true, shy, and curious nature.
Attracting Sharks To You
In a natural, non-baited situation, attracting sharks to you can be a little tricky. However, there are several things you can do that help get sharks interested in you, which in turn means they are curious to approach you to find out more.
Listen To The Bottle
One very popular technique or hack you can try to attract sharks is known as bottling. To “bottle,” you will need to slip a small ribbed plastic water bottle (500ml or 750ml) in your BCD pocket. Once at the target depth, take the bottle out of your pocket and roll it between your palms. Apply sufficient pressure to make the bottle crackle as you roll it backward and forward.
This crackling sound is supposed to attract sharks who will approach to investigate, giving plenty of opportunities for you to shoot the perfect shark image. Why this technique can work is anyone's guess, although one of the theories is that the crackling sounds are very similar to those made by fish bones being crunched in sharks' mouths.
One thing to note is that your mileage will vary with bottling. While some people swear by this technique, others have found it ineffective and frustrating. However, on balance, it does seem to work to a degree and is worth trying as a friendly alternative for attracting sharks without the use of bait.
Thrashing
Swimmers are often told not to thrash on the surface since it attracts sharks. Which is exactly what you want to do underwater to get them to come close so you can capture the images you want. However, if you are going to try thrashing the water to attract sharks, be aware you need to strike a balance. If you don’t thrash hard enough, it will be ineffective and will not pique the interest of any sharks.
However, on the other hand, if you thrash too much and make too much noise and commotion, then in all likelihood, you will upset the sharks and scare them off. So, finding the right level for the conditions and species of shark you are dealing with is key to getting thrashing to work for you.
Get Below Your Subject
One of the easiest and quickest ways to improve your shark images is to improve your underwater positioning. Encountering a shark is exciting, and we tend to start shooting away. But wait! Instead of snapping away as soon as you see a shark, try and position yourself below the animal or at least at its same level, and then shoot away.
Positioning yourself below the shark opens up some stunning compositional opportunities. Shooting from above, you end up with great pictures of a shark's back. And just like a series of pictures of a person’s back, a shark's back is equally uninteresting. Sure, there are some amazing artistic images of backs, but most are not.
Getting below the shark lets you capture its face and mouth, as well as its underside, fins, gills, and such. Since sharks tend to swim with their mouths open to force water through and over their gills to breathe more often than not, pictures from slightly below can capture the mouth, which creates action and emotion in the shark image.
Couple that with capturing the contrast in color and shapes between the shark's underside and back, and you have a much more exciting image of a shark when it is taken from below.
Things can get even more dramatic and artistic if you descend further and can shoot a silhouette of the shark against the surface, even though you lose the details of the animal in the image. Humans can recognize the shape of the shark, and the fact that it is silhouetted between the diver and the surface creates excitement and intrigue in the image!
Patience is Key with Shark Images
There are two sides to being patient when it comes to taking shark images underwater. First, sharks tend to be shy, retiring creatures despite their fearsome reputation. If you are impatient and spend your time darting about in every possible direction, trying to capture everything you can, you will turn the sharks off.
You need to be patient and move slowly and deliberately. This will mean you do not put off the sharks; they will actually want to venture close to you, enabling you to get the awesome shark image you have been after for so long. So be patient and slow; you will be rewarded with some close passes that produce awesome pictures.
The second part of patience is holding off on pulling the trigger. Often, in the excitement of being next to a shark, you start shooting as you start to get close. This can often result in you missing “Your” shot from that position.
As a shark passes, there is only a short frame where it will be perfect. If you start snapping too early (impatience), you will likely lose that spot as your camera reloads. So learn to be patient, hold your nerve until the shark is almost perfect, and start shooting. This will give you a better chance at getting that perfect shark image than if you start snapping away as soon as the shark is in range.
Focus On Teamwork and Awareness
The bigger the sharks, the more fun it is to take images of them, and that is why shooting some of the big guys, like tiger, hammerheads, and bull sharks, is an awesome experience. That being said, when it comes to capturing images of apex predators, teamwork and awareness come into play to get the best pictures and ensure everything is going off safely.
You should always try to be with a buddy and ensure that you cover each other's back. This is especially true in baited situations with bulls, tigers, or other relatively large sharks. That being said, you don’t waste opportunities and can still be looking through your viewfinder, thereby taking some awesome images while mutually supporting and covering each other.
To be safe, you need to be fully aware of what is happening in the water around you and where all the animals are. This also increases your chances of snapping some excellent pictures since you are aware of where to look and what to keep an eye out for.
Review Images Post Dive
It can be very tempting after hitting the trigger to bow your head down and start reviewing your picture to see if you have struck gold with your shark image or not. This should really be avoided at all costs for a couple of reasons.
In a situation with many sharks swirling around, particularly where bait is involved, you need to stay focused on the sharks and be aware of their relative locations. This is a critical safety issue in these situations, and losing sight and awareness can be very dangerous and result in you receiving an unpleasant bite or even worse.
Even in an un-baited situation, you still want to keep your eyes out for the sharks. Not only for your own safety but also to ensure that you can keep an eye out for new image opportunities as they come close when passing by.
The 3-second rule
You will often hear underwater photographers talking about the 3-second rule. The rule comes into play since it is impractical never to review your images underwater to ensure that your exposure, shutter speed, and aperture settings are dialed in.
You can review an image and or make alterations in 3-second blocks. So you can take 3 seconds to look down and review your image. After looking up and reestablishing awareness of your surroundings, you can look down for a further three seconds while you adjust one or two of your settings.
Needless to say, the more familiar you are with your camera settings, the easier this becomes since you can cycle between your settings by feel alone. This is why it pays handsomely to become familiar with your camera controls and repeatedly practice on land until you are an expert with your camera.
