Not just Shark
Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and
chimaera's from around the world. It began as a simple web based
field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter
different species of sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into
a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark
diving and photography. There are now more than a thousand shark
pictures and sections on shark evolution, biology, and
conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a
constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark
links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and
stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to
check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on
an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
If you're looking for a
broader range of marine life pictures the following links represent
a new area that contains pictures on other marine organisms and on
marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is in its first
stages but will eventually include pages on everything from sea
stars to nudibranchs. Creating this portal will take time and for
now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please return
regularly to enjoy the progress.
Claire has appeared in a variety of
diving magazines including numerous issues of Shark Diver (Cover shot issue 16
Claire with Banded Wobbegong, Cover shot 21 Claire surrounded by Silky
Sharks).
I have been diving with Claire for the last four years.
Finding a good model is often a difficult and frustrating task for
underwater photographers. Models obviously need to be accomplished divers
but there is much more to it. They need to take direction well and be
intuitively aware of how the photographer wants them to pose. Claire is such
a natural that she can tell when its time to enter a shot even before I
signal her. Partly this comes from time in the water together but it also
comes from her excellent ability to visualize the final image. That's not
the easiest thing to do from the other side of a camera lens.
As a shark photographer I also
need to dive with someone who is not scared of sharks. Sometimes we find
ourselves in situations where I am in front of a very large animal trying to
compose a shot upwards so that I can get the diver floating above the
subject. If we're out in blue water that is relatively easy but if I'm
shooting a shark in a tight space, Claire has to somehow contort her body
into the most uncomfortable positions and then look relaxed and interested
in the shark. While doing this, she is generally hovering dangerously close
to the shark's back (which they don't particularly like) and holding her
gauges away from its skin. I don't think I could look that graceful but she
has become an expert.
Most underwater models are passive
participants but Claire has also become an accomplished shark herder. When
following a shark it will invariably veer away. That makes it tricky to get
good shots of the faces of moving sharks. Having a fast swimming diver on
the other side of the animal keeps it on a straight course which gives me a
much better chance of getting a head shot.
Claire has also perfected the art
of holding her breath at just the right moment. There was a time when I
would wait for her to finish breathing out before I took a picture. Now I
barely think about it. Looking back on our last shoot, Claire pointed out
that there were no bubbles in any of the images - not one! How exactly she
can tell when I'm about to shoot, I'm not sure. Maybe she can see my trigger
finger twitching.
Andy Murch
Staff Photographer
Shark Diver Magazine.
Claire leisurely
swimming (at about 2 knots without breathing!) to keep an Angel Shark on
track.
