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Up close with a great hammerhead in Bimini, Bahamas
 

If you ask any shark-obsessed underwater photographer why they love sharks, you probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear an answer along the lines of, “Because they need all the friends they can get.” That’s precisely the sentiment shared by our Photographer of the Week, Steve Hinczynski.

His childhood fascination with sharks led to scuba certification as an adult and his first dives, hoping he would encounter a shark. These “ordinary” dives were often disappointing for Steve—rarely would he come across a shark—but he noticed something else: Most of the other divers were happy not to have seen any sharks. It seemed to Steve that even the people who should know better had fallen prey to the media hype about bloodthirsty killers roaming the oceans and were more than happy not to bump into one.

So like any shark lover and soon-to-be bona fide published underwater shooter would do, Steve made it his quiet mission to set the record straight. By his own admission, Steve isn’t on the “front lines” of the shark conservation battle, but he’ll never miss an opportunity to correct misconceptions about his favorite underwater subjects. Accordingly, you won’t find the typical fearsome “all-teeth” perspective in Steve’s portfolio, but something rather more accurate: beautiful, regal images of these kings and queens of the ocean.
 

The glowing eye of a curious blue shark, Rhode Island, USA
 

A great white mugging for the camera at Guadalupe Island, Mexico
 

Night diving with lemon sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas
 

A sand tiger cruising along the Atlas wreck in North Carolina, USA
 

Pilot fish chaperone an oceanic whitetip shark off Cat Island, Bahamas
 

Brown eyed lady, Tiger Beach, Bahamas
 

The lightning fast mako shark, Rhode Island, USA
 

A whale shark snacks at the surface, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
 

Steve Hinczynski in action at Tiger Beach
 

Check out more of Steve Hinczynski’s exceptional elasmobranchs at www.stevexphotography.com.