411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

SHARK PHOTOGRAPHY some basic tips

Nikon D810 16 to 35 mm Wide angle zoom . It is vital to wait until the annoying fish allow a clear shot otherwise a hundred overexposed Mado shots will result. This was as clear as it got.

Diving with sharks and rays is exhilarating. I love close encounters with sharks. The challenge here is to capture great photos and take home the memories.

That is a lot easier said than done! Some hopelessly polite friends will applaud your out of focus and underexposed second rate shots and tell you that you should be a National Geographic professional. However, the reality is that you cannot call a stone a diamond. You have to put a lot of effort in to improve your photos. Here are a few tips that I have found to be useful to get better shots. Getting close to sharks is about safety first. Sharks are apex predators and dominate their ecosystems. When you enter the aquatic realm, you meet the shark in its role as “King of the jungle” so to speak. You had better respect this or else! Try to learn about shark personalities. You can approach a relatively sedate shark such as a Port Jackson shark or a Bracheolurous Cat shark slowly and carefully. They might move away from you but they may allow you a photo or two. Remember, they can bite. Wobbegongs are another relatively sedate shark but with a huge proviso. They will allow you to approach. If you get

too close, they will make a threat pose to you to warn you off. It could be a sudden shift onto their huge pectoral fins or an angry shuffle. All this is accompanied with the wobbegong death stare! Watch out for wobbegongs doing push ups in front of you. It is how they launch themselves to attack! Never trust a Wobbegong. I can tell you for a fact that the Wobbegong is working out how it is going to take you out. They all have a strict code of behaviour based on the “Make my day, punk” attitude. They are the apex predator. They own the reef. You are trespassing onto their turf. You had better be careful. That is why they will claim fish that spear fishers have on their line. As far as the Wobby is concerned, it owns those fish and the spearos has no right to steal them from its reef. Still, they make superb photo subjects. To get the shot, I pre focus my camera to say one metre and create my composition from a safe distance of a metre and a half. Then, I sneak in slowly and I extend my arms forward slowly and carefully until I feel that I have reached an

85 Dive Log Australasia #411 April 2025

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