Photographing Big Animals
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Go big, or go home.
The ocean is full of colorful reef fish and intricately designed tiny critters, but it’s hard to beat coming face to face with a giant. Whether you’re shooting a toothy great white shark or a pod of playful dolphins, big animal underwater photography can be hugely rewarding.
But photographing big animals can also be extremely challenging. You have to know the right location, the right time of year, and the right operator to get your camera’s lens as close to the big boys and girls as possible.
That’s why we’ve created the Ultimate Guide to Big Animal Underwater Photography. This evolving guide now features 45 of the most-desired big animal destinations around the world. We’ve collected the best places to visit for the greatest chances of a memorable big animal experience, helping you check off your photography wish list.
The guide is organized on an interactive map, where you can browse subject by destination, or you can go directly to the animals via the left-hand menu or the linked thumbnails below. Each big animal destination features practical information for the best possible encounter, along with tips from top professional underwater photographers to help you nail the shot.
CREDITS – EDITORIAL: Brandi Mueller, Ian Bongso-Seldrup, Joe Tepper. MAP DESIGN & PROGRAMING: Ian Bongso-Seldrup. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Daniel Botelho, Amanda Cotton, Ellen Cuylaerts, Steve De Neef, Rodrigo Friscione, Mike Gerken, Carol Grant, Shawn Heinrichs, Erick Higuera, Steve Hinczynski, Charles Hood, George Karbus, Davide Lopresti, Brandi Mueller, Daniel Norwood, Nuno Sá, Allison Vitsky Sallmon, Daniel Selmeczi, Bartosz Strozynski, Joe Tepper, Christian Vizl, Matt Weiss
- Big Animals – Blacktip Reef Sharks
- Big Animals – Bumphead Parrotfish, Malaysia, Indonesia
- Big Animals – Dolphins, Bahamas, USA
- Big Animals – Great White Sharks, Mexico, South Africa, Australia
- Big Animals – Humpback Whales, Dominican Republic, Tonga
- Big Animals – Minke Whales, Australia
- Big Animals – Mobula Rays, Mexico
- Big Animals – Oceanic Whitetips, Bahamas
- Big Animals – Potato Cod, Australia
- Big Animals – Sailfish, Mexico
- Big Animals – Seals, South Africa and Other Locations
- Big Animals – Thresher Sharks, Philippines
- Big Animals – Tiger Sharks, South Africa, Bahamas
- Big Animals – Whale Sharks, Mexico, Philippines
- Big Animals – Crocodiles, Mexico
- Big Animals – Blue Sharks, USA
- Big Animals – Dugongs, Red Sea, Philippines
- Big Animals – Basking Sharks, UK
- Big Animals – Humboldt Squid, Sea of Cortez
- Big Animals – Leopard Seals, Antarctica
- Big Animals – Ragged Tooth Sharks, USA
- Big Animals – Mantas, USA, Mexico, Yap
- Big Animals – Bull Sharks, Mexico, Fiji
- Big Animals – Hammerhead Sharks, Galápagos, Costa Rica, Bahamas
- Big Animals – Mako Sharks, USA, Portugal
- Big Animals – Manatees, USA
- Big Animals – Mola Molas, USA
- Big Animals – Sea Lions, USA