Photographer Benjamin Von Wong Takes Amazing Photos Of Model Posing Underwater With Sharks, All For A Good Cause


It is estimated that less than one percent of the world’s population is artistic when it comes to visual arts. Either it be photography, painting, drawing, sculpting, or the like, less than 70 million people on average have such a talent. Though the number seems minute compared to more than 7 billion people, the rarity of the artistic world is no longer minute thanks to technology, especially social media. Thanks to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other sites and apps, people are finding that some artists aren’t so exclusive when it comes to painting bowls of fruit or figure studies.

With that in mind, what does an artistic person need to do to truly stand out from others. The first way an artist can do is to be artistic with a gimmick. These can range from using non-traditional mediums, combining two different art styles, or being creative despite having a physical defect that may or may not be debilitating towards artistic ability in general.


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The other way to standout is for an artist to emphasize a cause with their art. For example, Kate Clark is a well-known sculptor and she is using taxidermy to create animals with human-looking faces. The cause for it is to show the disconnect between humans and the animal kingdom, that we’ve lost our connection through the years.

For photographer Benjamin Von Wong, he is using both as he recently released photographs of a model posing underwater while surrounded by sharks. The surreal scenes he captured however were all for a good cause.

Shark Shepherd 1
Benjamin Von Wong is gaining plenty of attention for his “Shark Shepherd” photo shoot he recently released (Image via Benjamin Von Wong’s Official Website).

As one can see from Benjamin Von Wong’s photographs of his “Shark Shepherd” photo shoot, they look more surreal than real. According to Von Wong’s official website however, they are all real. Every photograph is shot on site at a coral reef located in Fiji. Many parties helped with the shoot too. The model, Amber Bourke, is an Australian free diver who flew herself in. Indonesian designer, Ali Charisma, donated the dress Bourke wore underwater. Finally, Barefoot Islands resort provided food, housing, and a shark team of support divers. Working altogether, Von Wong captured something amazing that most people would think was Photoshopped in the comfort of their home.

As a matter of fact, many did accuse Benjamin Von Wong of Photoshopping the images. However, he was able to prove them wrong by providing a video showing the process in action. To be fair, Photoshopping would have been better on a budget of both money an time, but there is something to be said about the traditional methods that seem to be pushed aside by the more tech-savvy methods dominating the art stratosphere these days.

Benjamin Von Wong could have taken these amazing photos just to add more amazing work to his portfolio, but there is a good cause behind them, as reported by Huffington Post. Many shark species are heavily endangered because of the practice of finning which is the cutting off of the shark’s dorsal fin while the rest of the shark is tossed back into the ocean to die. The reason why dorsal fins are harvested is for shark fin soup, a rare and expensive delicacy in Asia, especially in China. Conversationalists are trying to save the sharks, pushing their importance in a healthy ecosystem, but it is tough to do so when sharks are seen as killers. Von Wong challenged that perception with this photoshoot in which he says the sharks were more like “squirrels in a park” in which they swam away quickly when divers got too close.

“I wanted to create a series of images that would help break those stereotypes.”

The photo shoot was made in collaboration with Shark Stewards, a non-profit organization that works for shark conservation in California, as well as the rest of the world. Benjamin Von Wong and Shard Stewards hope Shark Shepherd photos will promote a petition to establish a Southeast Asian shark sanctuary and no-kill policy for them too.

[Image via Benjamin Von Wong’s Official Website]

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