honorable mention
LESLEY ROCHAT south africa
title
Graceful Predators
She is a PADI Divemaster, and SSI Freediver, also known as the Shark Warrior, because of her passionate efforts in shark conservation. She began photography when one only had 36 frames to get a good shot. Her first camera was a Pentax K1000 and she converted a room in her home into a dark room where she lost herself for hours. She made the progression to Nikon and underwater photography a couple of decades ago and began traveling extensively, becoming a well-published environmental and dive-travel photojournalist, bringing both the beauty as well as the plight of the oceans to public attention through her images and articles.
She is an inductee of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and of the Ocean Artist Society, and a recipient of many awards.
Given her growing concern for the marine environment, in 2003 she packed up a successful corporate career and founded AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, a non-profit organization based in Cape Town, South Africa, for which she is the CEO and principal photographer. Under her leadership, AfriOceans successfully drives education, awareness and lobbying initiatives. This PANDA award-winning documentary filmmaker is also the CEO of Blue Pulse Pictures, her production company for which she has produced and directed ocean focused awareness films.
Through Shark Warrior Adventures, a self-funding and responsible tourism initiative of AfriOceans, she leads global photographic expeditions, both land and sea, specializing in African destinations, dive expeditions, and endangered animals. Her aim is to help reconnect people to Nature through transformational wildlife experiences, and assist them in capturing images that help raise global awareness for the voiceless.
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entry description
Given my work in shark conservation, I have been photographing sharks for many years. Looking for a new perspective of the same subject, I decided to start looking down on them to reveal their beauty in shape, patterns and form, each species quite different from the next. Given the general negative perception of sharks, I aim through my images to replace fear and loathing of sharks with admiration and appreciation for their incredible beauty and diversity. There are up to 500 different species of sharks - up to 100 million are being killed annually, mostly for the shark fin soup industry, and many are threatened with extinction within our lifetime. In this series I share only five different species of sharks, the Tiger Shark, Nurse Shark, Great Hammerhead Shark, White-tip Reef Shark, and the Caribbean Reef Shark.about the photographer
Lesley Rochat is an award-winning marine and shark conservationist, filmmaker, photographer, environmental writer, inspirational speaker, campaigner, author and activist.She is a PADI Divemaster, and SSI Freediver, also known as the Shark Warrior, because of her passionate efforts in shark conservation. She began photography when one only had 36 frames to get a good shot. Her first camera was a Pentax K1000 and she converted a room in her home into a dark room where she lost herself for hours. She made the progression to Nikon and underwater photography a couple of decades ago and began traveling extensively, becoming a well-published environmental and dive-travel photojournalist, bringing both the beauty as well as the plight of the oceans to public attention through her images and articles.
She is an inductee of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and of the Ocean Artist Society, and a recipient of many awards.
Given her growing concern for the marine environment, in 2003 she packed up a successful corporate career and founded AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, a non-profit organization based in Cape Town, South Africa, for which she is the CEO and principal photographer. Under her leadership, AfriOceans successfully drives education, awareness and lobbying initiatives. This PANDA award-winning documentary filmmaker is also the CEO of Blue Pulse Pictures, her production company for which she has produced and directed ocean focused awareness films.
Through Shark Warrior Adventures, a self-funding and responsible tourism initiative of AfriOceans, she leads global photographic expeditions, both land and sea, specializing in African destinations, dive expeditions, and endangered animals. Her aim is to help reconnect people to Nature through transformational wildlife experiences, and assist them in capturing images that help raise global awareness for the voiceless.
back to gallery