Man Photographs Great White Sharks Face to Face: 'Not Going to Get Eaten'

Wildlife photographer Euan Rannachan is on a mission to change the way we look at one of the world's most feared creatures—the shark.

The California-based artist has had his pictures of great white sharks published across the world and has been taking pictures of them for over 15 years. "I've always been super-fascinated by apex predators, particularly sharks," he told Newsweek. "Growing up we had movies like Jaws and the rest, but I had never really seen any kind of fine art photo of a great white shark."

An illustrator, painter and photographer, Rannachan was inspired to try to capture the unknown world of the sharks and set about learning how to photograph them.

"I'd always wanted to see one in the wild, it was my dream to spend more time with them and be able to create some art with them," he said.

'Best Place in the World to See the Sharks'

In 2016, he took his first trip to Guadalupe Island, which is 120 miles off the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, and got the opportunity to spend time with the sharks.

"It's like Jurassic Park. Like a movie set," said Rannachan, who shares the results of his work on Instagram under the handle @euanart. "It's really just a rock out in the Pacific. The sharks go there because it's a migration path for elephant seals and sea lions, so the beaches are littered with pups."

He said it is "arguably the best place in the world to see the sharks," with deep edges that create the perfect hunting ground for the predators.

Rannachan has had a wide-ranging career in photography, shooting everything from professional sports like NHL hockey and NASCAR to weddings. But he loves photographing the underwater world the most.

Because of his time spent capturing the unseen sides of one of the ocean's biggest apex predators, he has developed a deep understanding of the sharks.

"Over the years, there's these common misconceptions with great white sharks. You think you see one and it's gonna come up and eat you, but that's not true," Rannachan said.

Inspired to share this message with others, he founded the cage diving company Be a Shark with fellow photographer Nikki Brant Sevy.

Be a Shark is a tour company that takes people out to introduce them to the creatures. It helps break down common misconceptions about the sharks by giving the public the opportunity to get up close and personal with them.

'One of These Moments You Know You're Fully Alive'

"It's something you can't fully understand until you actually see one face to face," Rannachan said. "I call it the rewiring of your brain. As soon as you get in the water and you're face to face with an 18-foot great white shark, your fight-or-flight reflexes kick in."

Passionate about the experiences offered by Be a Shark, Rannachan said that when people come face to face with the sharks their reactions can be very strong.

"Some people see the animal and they start crying or yelling," he said. "I call it one of these moments you know you're fully alive. For me, it's like the birth of my kids or seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

"It is something that you've been told about your whole life and then you actually get to see it. It can be very, very powerful," he said.

During a tour outing, two cages are at the back of the boat, and a man stands with a long piece of hemp rope holding a chunk of yellowfin tuna to safely "wrangle" the shark. This technique allows Rannachan to capture his popular images and provide a once in a lifetime experience for visitors.

"There's a common misconception that this is somehow cruel for the sharks, but there's been multiple studies proving that it doesn't hurt them, it isn't teasing them," Rannachan said. "It's really the best way in the world to get close to these animals and be completely safe."

'Never Worried That the Shark Was Going to Do Anything'

The Be a Shark team also contributes to the Marine Conservation Science Institute, providing images and a detailed synopsis of the creatures around the island for yearly recording. The team has managed to identify almost 500 sharks, and with his experience, Rannachan said, he can now recognize some of the sharks by their silhouette alone.

Has he ever been worried about his safety? "I've never been worried that the shark was going to do anything," he said. "I have been worried about people in the cage, just because it's a massive rush, like an out-of-body experience. There are moments when you just have to make sure everybody is OK in the cage, make sure they're still breathing.

"Once you get over the initial fear of the cage door opening and your body telling you 'I should not be doing this right now,' when you find out you're fine and you're not going to get eaten—that is something that's very hard to describe. It's actually very peaceful," he said.

Currently, the future of Be a Shark lies in limbo, as Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas has indefinitely closed the Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve.

"It's so sad that the island could technically be closing and we won't have this opportunity," Rannachan said. "Without us there, the illegal fishermen will come in and kill these animals. Thinking about that is really hard for me."

While he waits to see what the future holds for the island tours, he has continued to share art photography and videos of close encounters with the sharks.

"With social media, I want to shift people's perceptions. I feel like it's what I was put on his planet to do. To photograph them and make art with them and to rewire people's brains," he said. "I take that very seriously."

He is also passionate about sharing a different side of the great white shark. While pictures of bared teeth draw attention, Rannachan captures the predators' softer aspects.

"They only look like that about 1 percent of the time. Otherwise, they're very aerodynamic, very quiet, very slow-moving," he said. "I think it is important to show both sides."