Alex Mustard displays on a visit to the Bahamas, and asks if that is the ‘end’ of shark porn

It has been a really busy begin to the diving 12 months for me. I’m writing as I wrap and pack on the finish of a visit to Tiger Beach within the Bahamas. The Bahamas is a implausible vacation spot for shark pictures. The Bahamian Government confirmed nice management in declaring their territorial waters one large shark sanctuary again in 2011. And this laws isn’t only a Paper-Park, however has actual chunk.

In 1993, long-lining was banned within the Bahamas, after which in 2011, with the specter of a shark fishery opening up, the Government introduced on this further safety for sharks and their habitats, which prohibits business shark fishing and the sale, import, and export of shark merchandise. One of the primary causes this laws obtained widespread assist was as a result of Bahamians might see the advantage of sharks. Not solely do sharks assist preserve a wholesome and productive marine surroundings, however shark-tourism has lengthy been large enterprise throughout the archipelago.

Nassau is legendary for reef shark dives, as is Grand Bahama. Cat Island is understood for its oceanic whitetips, Bimini is famend for nice hammerheads, Eleuthera for lemon sharks, and the Exumas for nurse sharks (and people swimming pigs)! I’ve additionally had nice encounters with reef sharks in San Salvador and Long Island. Not forgetting my goal this time – Tiger Beach, which isn’t a seaside or island, however a submerged sand financial institution, in a distant offshore space, closest to the island of Grand Bahama. The tiger a part of the title is, nonetheless, effectively deserved.

When diving with tiger sharks, pictures at all times comes second to security. The first security determination is whether or not such excessive dives with doubtlessly harmful predators are for you. They are completely not for most individuals. So by no means use the justification that simply because others have accomplished it that you must too. And don’t join with out doing all your analysis – don’t simply learn the promotions, be sure you speak to individuals who’ve accomplished it and profit from their truthful recommendation.

The subsequent alternative is discovering the correct operator, who you’ll be counting on for secure and pleasurable encounters. We went to Tiger Beach with the proprietor/ operators of Epic Diving, who’ve been doing this every day for over 15 years and have an analytical and calm strategy to their dives with tigers. They take down just some small morsels for the sharks – bait isn’t for feeding, however for controlling the sharks. They by no means feed any of the opposite shark species at Tiger Beach, which helps preserve the whole lot calm.

The security briefing was intensive, however distinguished within the recommendation was to at all times preserve eye contact with the tiger sharks. They are ambush predators and in the event that they clock you’ve noticed them, you keep away from stirring any predatory instincts. In apply, for photographers, this boils all the way down to not getting absorbed in your digital camera – so no reviewing photographs or navigating menus! And a lot of the time you find yourself capturing from the hip, aiming the digital camera with out wanting by way of it. Fortunately, when utilizing a wide-angle lens that is a lot simpler than it sounds. They predominant mistake to keep away from is to not level the digital camera on the head of the shark, however as an alternative intention it extra on the pectoral fin, so that you’ll compose the shark evenly throughout the body and don’t reduce off its tail.

These dives are run in shallow water, kneeling, overweighted on a sandy seabed. This makes it simpler to look at all of the sharks, because the dive is 2 dimensional, fairly than three. A sandy seabed, bathed in tropical solar, and lined in clear, shallow water additionally makes underwater pictures level and shoot easy.

The easiest method is to shoot with obtainable gentle. This leaves extra capability for concentrating on the sharks and you should utilize the facility of Lightroom to complete the pictures after the dives. When working with out strobes it is very important use a fairly quick shutter speeds of at the very least 1/a hundred and twenty fifth, to verify the sharks keep sharp, notably if they arrive shut. I set my digital camera on Underwater White Balance, however I count on to have to regulate it additional submit dive. Processing such photographs entails two phases, first a world adjustment of White Balance and importantly the addition of Vibrance with Contrast and Clarity.

Then choose the shark utilizing Subject Selection and make some additional White Balance tweaks, drop the Saturation and improve the Whites, which has the impact of wanting like flash. Just don’t overdo the sliders on the choice and make the shark completely black and white, as it would simply appear like you caught in on the image!

Flash will give the photographs extra of a kick, however be ready to get backscatter at occasions when the sharks or the divers get excited and fire up the sand. Fortunately, the brand new Backscatter Exterminator magically eats this sort of picture for breakfast. I’ll let you know extra about this groundbreaking software program in subsequent month’s column. If you get some wet days then these are excellent for working in lengthy exposures with flash, switching to entrance curtain flash and utilizing accelerating panning, to create a movement-streaked background behind the shark. When it’s sunny you simply can’t get all the way down to the required shutter speeds (slower than 1/fifteenth sec).

At Tiger Beach, divers are usually lined up both aspect of the information who’s managing the bait. At the beginning of the journey divers all wish to be near the feeder chasing essentially the most motion, however over time realise that the ends of the traces are one of the best spot. Here you gained’t get as common or as shut passes, however you’re going to get the possibility for cleaner extra pure feeling footage. When I first beginning photographing sharks the ‘Skin Diver Magazine’ look, or ‘shark-porn’, was what everybody was chasing. This was a shot displaying man dominating beast, with shark mouth agape and baring enamel. But simply because the divers as Tiger Beach migrate to the more-naturalistic alternatives with expertise, so I believe the photographic targets of our neighborhood have matured.

Increasingly, photographers are chasing photographs that place these predators of their surroundings. And fairly than wanting to indicate sharks being fed, photographers are aiming to create pictures that talk that sharks are a part of thriving marine ecosystems. As Sylvia Earle says “if you are lucky enough to see sharks, it means you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid when you are in the ocean and you don’t see sharks.”

Find out extra at Alex Mustard