Shark Photography - Can It Be Taught?

by Wolfgang Leander

A few weeks ago somebody asked me whether I was a professional shark photographer - well, you all know I am not, so I told the guy that shark photography was just a hobby, and that I learned taking underwater pics by doing.

He then asked: "What precisely does it take to become proficient in shark photography?"

Some tough question!

I said: "Simply put, as in any type of photography, you have to have a burning passion for your subject - in this specific case you have to love sharks. Other than that, you need to train your eye for some basic rules such as composition, contrast, and drama.

How can you go about that? Easy. Go to the best school there is: Look at the work of the masters - that's what I did.

See what David Doubilet does. Analyze and absorb his images; the art of pros like him should be your standard.

No shark photographs are more boring than those where you can tell that the author saw the sharks and thoughtlessly released the shutter. You have to have the images you want to take already in your head before you frame your subject."

Folks who know me call me a purist: I have an old Nikonos V, and only two moderate wide angle lenses (28 and 20mm) - I would never use a fisheye because of the distortion. Extreme wide-angles, preferred by many underwater photographers, make for interesting, sometimes very dramatic effects but they do not reproduce reality. And I am for the real stuff. Anyway, that is the way I feel. De gustibus non est disputandum.

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