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Female mako shark off Cape Point, South Africa
 

Some underwater photographers live by the motto “take only photos, leave only bubbles.” But our new Photographer of the Week expands on the mantra by also “making waves.”

Andrea Kozlovic is not only an underwater photographer, but also an underwater advocate. The Canadian-born shooter specializes in megafauna underwater subjects such as whales, dolphins, and sharks. Despite having only begun a foray into shark photography in 2015, Andrea became a finalist in the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

“I want to utilize my skills in photography to convey the beauty and emotion that sits just behind the eyes of every animal I encounter,” says Andrea, who volunteers for the likes of One Ocean Diving and Sea Shepherd. “My goal is to show the world that these animals can feel, and with that, maybe I can help humans find their connection within nature.”

Connecting a viewer with an underwater animal is often difficult, especially when the subject is perceived as alien or even scary. Andrea’s images of sharks—in particular—are quite disarming by focusing on the emotion contained in the animal’s eye contact.
 

Moose, a baby Atlantic spotted dolphin in Bimini, Bahamas
 

Blue shark eye close-up off Cape Point, South Africa
 

Female oceanic blacktip shark at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa
 

Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bimini, Bahamas
 

Female oceanic blacktip at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa
 

Amber, a resident oceanic blacktip at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa, has a cheeky personality and will always come up to the same divers. She is recognizable by her personality and the damage to her jaw from a run-in with a fisherman
 

Whale shark feeding at Isla Mujeres, Mexico
 

Atlantic spotted dolphins form a heart in Bimini, Bahamas
 

Stingray in the shallows at Honeymoon Harbor in Bimini, Bahamas
 

For more of Andrea’s work, please visit her website, www.makingwavesphoto.com, or her Instagram page.