January 23, 2013 12:29 pm
These Models Probably Never Thought They’d Be Shooting Fashion Photos With Whale Sharks
Photo: Kristian Schmidt
Those who love nature know that it’s sometimes challenging to inspire others to care. In an effort to raise awareness about whale sharks, cinematographer and conservation journalist Shawn Heinrichs brainstormed a new tactic. He teamed up with fashion and nature photographer Kristian Schmidt and juxtaposed beautiful women—who people never lose interest in—with the sea’s biggest shark, creating a striking, ethereal portfolio of underwater images.
“Recognizing that people only protect what they care about, we hatched a plan that would combine my underwater and marine life photography expertise with Kristian’s mastery of creative fashion photography,” Heinrichs writes on his website, Blue Sphere Media. Their team included a dive specialist and models experienced working underwater. “Our goal was to introduce a much larger global community to the beauty and wonder of these gentle and vulnerable creatures,” he said in an email.
Photo: Kristian Schmidt
In the Philippines, for example, whale shark populations were decimated throughout the 1980s and 90s in order to collect their valuable fins for the Asian shark fin trade. Poaching in the area still continues, though it is done in secret and no one knows the full extent of the killings. Occasionally, a whale shark carcass washes up on the shores of local villages, stripped of its fins and pushed overboard while still alive. “What about all the other ones they didn’t find because sharks don’t float?” Heinrichs wonders.
In addition to producing the high fashion images, Heinrichs also produces this video, documenting local Philippine communities that seek to protect their natural heritage:
And here are more images from Heinrichs and Schmidt’s photo shoot:
Photo: Shawn Heinrichs
Photo: Kristian Schmidt
Photo: Kristian Schmidt
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Actually, Hannah Fraser is a professional mermaid! She has done lots of photoshoots in the ocean and with all kinds of animals… check out her site… http://www.hannahmermaid.com
Comment by Jasmine — January 23, 2013 @ 3:31 pm
Thank you for publishing this, Shawn have really done a lot in documenting whale sharks in Oslob.
Comment by Jayr — January 24, 2013 @ 12:27 am
An exact copy of the work of Gregory Colbert, world renown photographer who took these same shots over 20 years ago. Nice looking but, certainly, not original.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Colbert
Comment by Steve Miller — January 24, 2013 @ 8:58 am
To the Photographers and Models of this photo shoot,
First of all, i would want to commend you for being part in that artistic underwater project in Oslob, Cebu. Your photos are really stunning. I am one with you in conveying the message that shark finning should be stopped. However , I am not in agreement with you that the butandings (that’s how we call them in the Philippines) should be handfed so that tourists can have a close encounter with them. There isn’t probably enough research out there which proves that handfeeding whalesharks is detrimental to their existence but I do suggest that we err on the safe side while there are no conclusive studies yet.
I am writing to you not to condemn you and your actions but to appeal to you to issue a formal statement regarding handfeeding whalesharks. The local politicians in Cebu and tour operators there are using your photographs to greenwash their malpractices which, in Dr. Alistair Dove’s own words, are “ethically dubious.” I know you don’t want the whalesharks you’ve worked with in your photoshoot to be wounded in the face/eyes by the propellers of boats that they approach in other islands in the Philippines (I don’t want to sound like an alarmist but it did really happen, please read this: http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/12886-oslob%E2%80%99s-shark-tales it happened months before you went to Oslob), or worse, be killed for their meat and not just their fins, right? If deep in your heart you honestly believe that handfeeding is an unsustainable toursim practice that will work to the disadvantage of both the marine animal and the local community in the long run, kindly write a letter supporting the ban on handfeeding whalesharks. You’ve already created enough media attention through your photos, don’t you think it’s now time for you to speak up in behalf of the real plight of these hand-fed whalesharks which fall easy prey to marine poachers out there because of the changes in their feeding behavior? Kindly tell the world about the disadvantages of handfeeding whalesharks which is, up to now, being practiced in Oslob, Cebu. Please tell the locals in Oslob that they can still continue ecotourism in their province as long as they do it responsibly. By doing so, you will have more lasting impact with your advocacy in saving these gentle giants.
I am not a member of any marine conservation movement in the Philippines. I am just an ordinary citizen who wants future generations of Filipinos to enjoy viewing whalesharks from a distance that won’t meddle with their natural behavior just like how they do it in other provinces in the Philippines or in Australia. I hope you can influence the politicians and tour operators in Oslob, Cebu to start adopting sustainable ecotourism practices.
Thank you for reading this and I am hoping for your kind consideration of my simple request.
More power to you and your endeavors!
Comment by Fredd Ochavo — February 6, 2013 @ 12:24 pm