Cover image via buzzfed.com
Benjamin Von Wong, who labels himself as 'photographer and visual engineer' has created this modern-day fairytale character to petition for shark sanctuaries in Malaysia
Image via Benjamin Von Wong
With his ability to think outside the box when he shoots, he uses a fusion of special effects and natural beauty to come up with amazing hyper-realistic pictures.
He sheds light on how important sharks are in generating more income to Malaysia's economy and at the same time, preserving Mother Nature's gift of life to us
Travel and ecotourism being a huge contribution to Malaysia's economy, people often come to swim among the corals and would pay big bucks for that thrill factor to swim among sharks and big fish, according to a survey among divers.
In Malaysia alone, an average of 149,000kg of sharks fins are exported per year
Image via Department of Fisheries Malaysia
In an attempt to save sharks in Borneo where his parents are from, photographer Benjamin Von Wong shot some stunning pictures with model Amber Bourke to show how beautiful and peaceful sharks are
Image via Von Wong
Amber Bourke, who is one of Australia's best national free divers looked **breathtaking** (no pun intended) while posing for as long as she could underwater.
Together with Shark Stewards, an organisation dedicated to curbing the shark fin industry and opening sanctuaries, he urges people to sign this online petition if they want to keep the sharks alive
Image via Benjamin Von Wong
Photographer Von Wong could only work when the sharks came out to play. "Over the course of three days, we waited over six hours." Thats why timing was everything in this shoot.
Image via Benjamin Von Wong
You'd probably freak out if these sharks came near you in real life. But Von says that they're like curious squirrels in a park.
These white tiped reef sharks dart around her like a "curious squirrel" and would "hover around us curiously only to scamper off if anyone got too close", according to Von Wong during the shoot.
"Hoping to get the sharks in perfect position, our entire team tried their best to hug the walls and not make any sudden movements to not startle the timid creatures."
Image via Benjamin Von Wong
WATCH the video of what went down during this shoot as well as some words from the photographer on his vision:
Von Wong needs 7,500 signatures and only has over 5,000 so far. If you want Malaysian waters to be full of marine life, not endangered species fighting for survival, sign the petition show your support for our sharks!
These magnificent creatures have been around for 400 million years, let's hope they live for millions of years more
Image via Jati Putra
