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When it comes to photographing the ocean’s predators, it doesn’t get much bigger and more bad-assed than great white sharks. And when we’re talking about capturing the king of the ocean, it doesn’t get much better than a tiny island off of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

At Guadalupe Island, underwater photographers get up close and personal with great whites in some of the best conditions: aquamarine water with visibility extending beyond 100 feet. Such ideal conditions make it possible not only to come home with standard images—if any shot of a great white can be called “standard”—but also to push the limits of creativity.

On a recent trip to Guadalupe, I decided to take my great white shark shots to the top of the photography food chain using slow shutter speeds. A slow shutter and a pop of strobe light combines to add just enough blur to communicate a sense of movement and action to the viewer. And, for an added challenge, I switched on a large dome port to capture some exciting split shots.
 

Settings: f/14, 1/8s, ISO 200

Settings: f/14, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/14, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/13, 1/10s, ISO 200

Settings: f/16, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/20, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/20, 1/6s, ISO 200
 

Settings: f/14, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/20, 1/6s, ISO 200

Settings: f/9, 1/200s, ISO 200

Settings: f/9, 1/200s, ISO 200

Settings: f/9, 1/200s, ISO 200

Settings: f/6.3, 1/160s, ISO 400

To see more of Rodrigo’s amazing images, check out his website, rodrigofriscione.com, and follow his Instagram page.