Photoshopped? Nope, this Model Actually Swam with Sharks
Benjamin Von Wong created the jaw-dropping ‘Shepherds of the Sea’ series to promote shark conservation
“It all started with a very simple idea,” says Benjamin Von Wong, “to create a shark shepherd, fifteen metres underwater in the middle of these caves, typing down a model with a beautiful white dress and sharks swimming around.”
That certainly sounds far from simple, but it was this image of an ‘underwater shepherd’ that drove Ben to create the stunning images you see here. Von Wong dropped out of a career in engineering in 2012 to create “pictures people think are Photoshopped.” I spoke to him today to figure out how this latest project came to life.
‘Shark Stewards’ is an organisation that works to combat the shark fin trade but, as Von Wong points out, he had never heard much about it, especially in Canada, where he’s based. Whilst researching potential projects for 2016, he came across their website and began to read. He realised quickly that this was something he wanted to get involved with.
Shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia, and although the fins are very low in nutrition, the soup is seen as a status symbol, selling for up to US$100 per bowl. Although certain numbers of sharks can be caught legally, many fishermen bait sharks, cut off the fins and dump the bodies, a highly illegal practice which threatens long-term survival of many species.
After expressing a desire to work with Shark Stewards to help raise awareness of this issue, the project quickly sprang to life.
“As a photographer looking to create meaningful work, this was the perfect opportunity for me to create a series of images that would promote their beauty while advocating for their protection,” he says. “Deciding to participate in this project and go diving with sharks myself gave me the opportunity to learn so much more about the species.”
“Sharks are almost always depicted as menacing and terrifying, yet it is humans that are responsible for killing them in the millions just to make soup. I wanted to create a series of images that would help break those stereotypes and show that it is possible for us to co-exist together in perfect harmony.”
Von Wong had just one issue — he didn’t know anyone in Fiji that would be able to assist him with the shoot. “Finding a dive shop that would be interested in helping me transform my vision into reality was a huge challenge,” he says. “Not only did they have to be available, they also had to believe that creating a shot like this would be possible.“ He arrived in Fiji with a clear vision but no idea of how exactly he was going to execute it.
After a few days of pitching his idea to dive shops in the area, Von Wong eventually found the contacts he needed (with the help of some local supporters). In the end, Tourism Fiji and the Barefoot Collective both got on board and helped to get the project off the ground. “They would provide us with a full team of support divers as well as their in-house marine biologist and shark expert Thomas Vignaud,”
As soon as the shoot began, the practicalities of the project became challenges in their own right. There were practical limitations to the underwater shoot (oxygen supplies, large support teams, specialised equipment) and photographic limitations (lighting conditions, wardrobe, water quality). When I asked Von Wong about the trickiest element of the shoot though, he was quick to point the finger at his elusive subjects — the sharks themselves. “It didn’t take very long for the entire crew to get in position and to select the best position that Amber [the model] would take based on the location, but waiting for the sharks to come and then to wait for them to hopefully get in the right position was really challenging.”
The white tipped reef sharks would hover around us curiously only to scamper off if anyone got too close
Despite the reputation of sharks as aggressive and intimidating, Von Wong says he would compare them to shy squirrels rather than menacing monsters. “the white tipped reef sharks would hover around us curiously only to scamper off if anyone got too close,” he recalls.
Over the course of three days, Von Wong used a Sony a7R II inside of a Nauticam A7II housing and a 170mm dome port to get the shots he needed. “There were no additional strobes or lights for the simple reason that I didn’t have the manpower to operate them.”
I quizzed him about his choice of a mirrorless system. “I found that the A7r-ii system was significantly better than any DSLR kit that I had ever used,” he said. “The fact that it is mirrorless makes the shooting experience significantly better since it is far superior from the traditional Live View. It also has a similar dynamic range to that of the D800/D810 which is what truly allowed for these shots to come alive.”
Von Wong has made a recent effort to move away from Photoshop and other post-production software, trying get as close to the finished product as possible in-camera. “I’ve been getting so much mixed feedback on the post-production,” he told me. “Some people love that they look like paintings and others hate them.”
“The truth is that shooting underwater from a slightly far distance means that particles will start to interfere with the images. Not only do these particles create those beautiful rays of light, they also create a sort of haze — think of it as an underwater smoke machine. Add onto that — if you don’t want everything to look completely blue, you pull the white balance back and then suddenly everything becomes so much more vibrant and real.”
This project accompanies a change.org petition to create a shark sanctuary in Malaysia, which you can sign here. Von Wong will be focusing this year on more conservation and advocacy, using his photography to raise awareness about different causes around the world. “Right now I’m working on a trip in Bhutan to speak for cultural conservation and a trip to New Zealand to hopefully help raise awareness for the Maori people and the Kauri trees.” Given the work that he’s produced so far in 2016, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
This is an edited version of an article that first appeared on Bokeh.
