Euan Rannachan, the first time he jumped into the water with a great white shark, half anticipated and half feared encountering a scene similar to the movie “Jaws”. He later embarked on a shark photography career centered around capturing the eerie beauty of these creatures: the threatening lower jaw, the jagged sharp teeth forming what looked like a grin, all captured within his lens.
In a recent interview with The Epoch Times, he mentioned that his initial expectations of the “brutal” nature of sharks were completely overturned at the moment when he saw a shark for the first time, with its round black eyes staring back at him.
While he did have his own “Jaws moment”, it was not in the way he had imagined. The Hollywood fictional portrayal of great white sharks as killing machines starkly contrasted with the real sharks he encountered on Guadalupe Island. This island, located 150 miles off the Pacific coast of Mexico, is a sanctuary for shark photographers where great white sharks gather to feed before mating season.
“For these great white sharks, it’s like a buffet,” said the 39-year-old Rannachan, referring to the island as a migration route for sea lions and California seals, whom they call “shark burritos”.
Growing up as a shark enthusiast, though never having dived before, he had a longing for “close encounters with great white sharks”. That desire led him to some photographer friends in the industry who brought him to Guadalupe Island.
“I basically just jumped headfirst into the deep water,” he said. At the time, his expertise was primarily in photographing NHL hockey games and corporate projects.
Hailing from Placerville, California, Rannachan plunged into the water with his new underwater camera like a novice. Faced with experienced divers in the cage alongside him and bait attracting the sharks closer, some of which were massive in size and had been named, such as Lucy and Paul Walker, both being “big boys” measuring around 20 feet in length.
“I didn’t realize the power of that first interaction,” he said. “It really—my mind was reshaped.” Subsequently, he founded a company specializing in taking tourists for shark diving encounters, where every first-time diver goes through a life-changing experience similar to his. He mentioned witnessing individuals with severe anxiety almost being “healed” through this experience.
“I originally thought that the sharks would swim close to the cage and gnaw at the iron bars, appearing intimidating and such,” he said. “The reality was quite the opposite. The sharks were just there, and I could see their eyes moving, watching me.”
After regaining his underwater senses for the first time, he was “astonished by the tranquility of the whole setting,” stating that “their movements were so fluid, silent”, and being so close to them was “surreal”. Amidst this calmness, Rannachan noticed their hidden predatory nature: silent scheming, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. In a sense, this was even scarier than “Jaws” because real sharks are unpredictable.
“At Guadalupe, we often say ‘shadows turn into sharks’,” he said. “They know how far they can be from us without being noticed.”
These great white sharks would sometimes vanish from one direction and mysteriously appear from another.
They can also sense fear.
Rannachan pointed out that the black dots on the shark’s noses, known as “ampullae of Lorenzini”, are actually pores connected to an electroreceptor system that aids them in hunting.
“They can feel your heartbeat,” Rannachan said. He gradually noticed that when a diver “shrinks back in fear inside the cage”, the sharks noticeably pay more attention to what’s happening. However, what the sharks really want is food.
After his first dive, Rannachan was deeply fascinated. He subsequently made multiple returns to Guadalupe, carrying out hundreds of dives.
“I spent my first three or four trips basically trying to come to terms with the fact that these animals didn’t initially want to kill me,” he said. “Then, I spent countless hours underwater shooting them, seeing each shark’s unique habits, also called its ‘personality’, gradually unfold, which was truly captivating.”
“Personality” is a common theme expressed in Rannachan’s shark photography. It’s intentional. His “Jaws-style” aesthetic relies on using compressed lenses more commonly seen in sports photography. He aims to tell a story about primal power and beauty.
“I don’t think many people are doing that,” he said. “I think it’s more because social media algorithms favor this style, so I use a bit more to draw people into my page.”
He also “adorns” some graceful full-body shark shots to add variety, stating he “likes these elegant images just as much as those with gaping mouths”.
The influence of movies also seeps into his work. Sometimes intentionally. He enjoys capturing frontal shots of sharks, showcasing their colossal bodies and seemingly silly expressions, with journalists describing these photos resembling the sharks from the movie “Finding Nemo”.
One time, he captured a perfect “Jaws poster” pose photo – a shark named “Squirrel” thrusting upwards with its nose aimed at the bait. Other divers dreamt of taking this shot, and Rannachan successfully clicked the shutter.
“I was in the right spot, adjusted to the right angle, and snapped that picture as it breached,” he said. “Many people would say, ‘Wow, that’s amazing! How did you get the shark to pose like that?'”
But not everyone was impressed.
“Many people used to talk to me about how movies like ‘Jaws’ brainwash and instill fear in people,” he said.
“I like to tell people, I sat in front of these animals, watching them repeat these actions over and over, close enough to just inches,” he said. “Sometimes my camera would bump into their noses, but I have never been bitten, attacked, or even felt threatened.”
Of course, Rannachan always maintains a sense of awe and respect for great white sharks; he stays inside the cage while the sharks are outside. He said that free diving with great white sharks is “irresponsible” and pointed out that unlike other shark species, great white sharks eat mammals like seals. “And me wearing a wetsuit, I might just look like a seal.”
The original article, titled “‘I Was in the Right Spot’: Shark Photographer Snaps Moment Great White Assumes ‘Jaws’ Pose”, was published on the English Epoch Times website.