Media DrumEuan Rannachan isn’t your standard wildlife photographer. Your birds, your deer – they’re all tame. This guy likes to get up close and personal with great white f*cking sharks.
His photos are absolutely spectacular, getting frighteningly close to the kings of the ocean – so close you can see a shark’s gums in vivid detail.
Now, the 34-year-old is revealing just how he manages to capture the breathtaking snaps.
Media Drum Rannachan had always been fascinated by the sea-faring predators – but he admits he had to ‘rewire’ his brain to overcome the nerves of getting in the water with them.
Rannachan explained:
When people see my photos, 90% of the time the reaction is ‘You are crazy!’ said the London-born photographer.
I think like most people my fascination was probably born out of fear. Movies that I love like Jaws only help drive that narrative home.
His obsession with sharks started back with Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws – but the photographer wanted to go one step further and see one live in the water.
Media DrumRannachan added:
But even though I still badly wanted to see one for myself in the water. I get asked a lot how I keep my cool in the water. It really has nothing to do with being brave.
The fact that they are such huge predators and we can spend so much time hanging out in the same water with them and be totally fine is incredible. Try doing that with a wild tiger, lion, or bear.
The photographer is keen to stress that there’s far more to the beasts than meets the eye – their reputation has been tarnished somewhat by popular entertainment, made out to be bloodthirsty monsters when, in fact, the reality is much different.
They reached a state of evolutionary perfection millions years ago, and have stayed the same ever since – this is source of constant fascination for the 34-year-old.
Media DrumRannachan added:
Sure, the first time I got in the cage there was some stuff I had to try and rewire in my brain. But as soon as a massive 17ft great white slowly swam by me in the clear water and I could see they were not interested in eating me in one fell swoop, my ‘fear’ quickly turned to obsession on trying to show people they are wrong to despair of these amazing animals.
There is a lot that’s really incredible facts about white sharks. A good friend always reminds me that they are living dinosaurs and when you are eye to eye with them this point really comes to life.
I think the fact they use so many receptors down their body and in the little dots on their nose called Ampullae of Lorenzini to sense animals in distress or really any electrical impulse around them including my beating heart is amazing. In other words, they have superpowers.
Still don’t think I’d be up for a skinny dip with Bruce.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.