Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in a cage, 30-feet below the surface, surrounded by several great white sharks? Sharing the water with these enormous, graceful, and yet beautifully terrifying creatures has so far been the highlight of my photography career, not to mention a huge check off of the bucket list.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
Watch the Video
As a complement to my recent article about photographing the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island, I put together a I put together a short video of slow-motion footage during my trip from 2016 aboard the Nautilus Belle Amie, and set it all to some hauntingly creepy music by Myuuji. So crank up the volume, click the full-screen icon on the video player, and enjoy!
Creating this video
To make this video I attached a GoPro camera to the top of my camera housing dome, and each time I went in the cage I turned it on and let it do its thing. Because of this I had HOURS of uncut footage, and culling it was an experience! I got to re-live my adventure, see some things I missed the first time around, and also pat myself on the back for thinking ahead and recording everything at 120 fps. The GoPro footage during this trip was secondary, as I was entirely focused on getting still photographs. So most of it was shaky, moving up and down to compose differently for each scene, but I only needed a second or two of non-shaky video to create several seconds of slow-motion video at 30 fps.
Here is the camera gear and other settings I used to make this movie:
Video
• Camera: GoPro HERO4 Black
• Footage: Recorded at 120 fps (slow motion), slowed to 30 fps for final production
• Music: “Poltergeist” by Myuuji
Still images
• Camera: Canon 5D Mark III
• Lens: Canon 15mm fisheye
• Housing: Nauticam NA-5DSR
Click here to read more about photographing great white sharks in Guadalupe Island, Mexico.
Canon 5D Mark III with 15mm fisheye lens and Nauticam NA-5DSR housing. © Nicole S. Young — nicolesy.com
Support the Sharks
My goal in this project is not to reinforce or the idea that sharks are dangerous. Because of their size, great whites can be scary, yes, but also elegant and, overall, not aggressive. While I would not swim open water with great whites, I have and would again happily share the waters alongside many other shark species.
Sharks are an essential part of our ecosystem, and need to be protected. If you would like to donate to the scientific shark-identifaction and ongoing research in the Guadalupe Islands, please consider donating to the Marine Conservative Science Institute.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in a cage, 30-feet below the surface, surrounded by several great white sharks? Sharing the water with these enormous, graceful, and yet beautifully terrifying creatures has so far been the highlight of my photography career, not to mention a huge check off of the bucket list.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
Watch the Video
As a complement to my recent article about photographing the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island, I put together a I put together a short video of slow-motion footage during my trip from 2016 aboard the Nautilus Belle Amie, and set it all to some hauntingly creepy music by Myuuji. So crank up the volume, click the full-screen icon on the video player, and enjoy!
Creating this video
To make this video I attached a GoPro camera to the top of my camera housing dome, and each time I went in the cage I turned it on and let it do its thing. Because of this I had HOURS of uncut footage, and culling it was an experience! I got to re-live my adventure, see some things I missed the first time around, and also pat myself on the back for thinking ahead and recording everything at 120 fps. The GoPro footage during this trip was secondary, as I was entirely focused on getting still photographs. So most of it was shaky, moving up and down to compose differently for each scene, but I only needed a second or two of non-shaky video to create several seconds of slow-motion video at 30 fps.
Here is the camera gear and other settings I used to make this movie:
Video
• Camera: GoPro HERO4 Black
• Footage: Recorded at 120 fps (slow motion), slowed to 30 fps for final production
• Music: “Poltergeist” by Myuuji
Still images
• Camera: Canon 5D Mark III
• Lens: Canon 15mm fisheye
• Housing: Nauticam NA-5DSR
Click here to read more about photographing great white sharks in Guadalupe Island, Mexico.
Canon 5D Mark III with 15mm fisheye lens and Nauticam NA-5DSR housing. © Nicole S. Young — nicolesy.com
Support the Sharks
My goal in this project is not to reinforce or the idea that sharks are dangerous. Because of their size, great whites can be scary, yes, but also elegant and, overall, not aggressive. While I would not swim open water with great whites, I have and would again happily share the waters alongside many other shark species.
Sharks are an essential part of our ecosystem, and need to be protected. If you would like to donate to the scientific shark-identifaction and ongoing research in the Guadalupe Islands, please consider donating to the Marine Conservative Science Institute.
Nicole is a photographer, published author, and educator specializing in Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography. She is best known for her books on food photography but is widely versed in various photographic genres, including landscape, nature, stock, travel, and experimental imagery.
Wow, this is really cool. Love the video where you see the people in the cages. And when the sharks are solo…kind of looks like they are floating in space. (Also all their battle scars.)
Nicole, NIGHTMARES, but oh so well done. Watched it twice and enjoyed it even more the second time. BEAUTIFUL!
Loved it
Did this, in South Africa, however not so beautiful recorded or photographed as you did! Did not have the equipment.. Perfect job!!! Loved to see your video, and feel it again!!
That was a great video !
Wonderful video Nichole. I’m going to put my plug in for a Nicholsy Course on shooting videos with your DSLR or Mirrorless Camera. A course for the still photographer whose camera is capable of capturing good video but is too stunned by the scene to even try. When you I’m out in nature I frequently see opportunities for video but it never happens. Why..because I’m intimidated by the jargon and whole new world. Help us get our feet wet!
Great work! I hope our president will change his mind about sharks and leave creatures like these in peace as they were for millions of years
moti sela-israel
Great video Nicole. I remember seeing a youtube video when the shark got in the cage. The diver luckily escaped. Everything has it’s place in the world and sharks have a bad rap. I can’t abide what some cultures do to these creatures to get shark fins and just throw the bodies by the hundreds back into the sea. I’ll second the idea about video with mirrorless as have acquired a Fuji X-T2 to pair with my Nikon D810 kit.
Anyway thank you for your work.
Whew! That was freakin incredible. You did yourself proud.
I think that is one of the best shark videos I have ever seen. Cannot believe how brave you have been – no shaky camera! That shark had obviously had some war wounds, I wonder what had happened …????. Very well done Nicole.
Loved the clip and stills…….
Wow! What an experience. I’ve seen quite a number of shark videos, but not like this one in slow motion. This is sooooo cool! And the music accompanying it, is just out of this world. Makes me want to experience it myself.
You make dynamite videos. The music is perfect and the slow mo and stills are outstanding. I finally got around to viewing this and can watch it again and again. Great job!
Fantastic video. You have inspired me to get my certification. We are booked on the Nautilus Belle Amie for early November. I was looking to rent a housing for my 5D Mark III. Do you know of any rental places for a housing?
I’ve never rented before, but if you are interested I plan on selling my housing for my Canon 5D3 (I use Fujifilm exclusively now). Please reach out if you are interested! support@nicolesy.com