Jean-Marie
Ghislain
Photographer
Ocean Encounters
Entering the water was not an act of bravery, but of humility — a way of meeting what we fear most and discovering, beyond fear, the beauty of connection. Each encounter revealed a deeper truth: that the wild is not separate from us, but part of the same intelligence, the same breath. Through these moments, the ocean became both mirror and teacher, showing me how to move without domination, how to be present within another world.
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Encountering wild animals — and predators in particular — awakens a deep, instinctive fear. It is above all a collective fear, inherited through generations, though it has grown rarer in our modern world, where danger and risk have become distant. Yet the mere thought of such encounters is enough to stir a visceral reaction.
As a photographer, all I did was jump into the water, confront my fear, and return with evidence — a few hundred photographs. My only intention is to share the emotions I felt during these meetings with sharks.
Every experience that brings us face to face with fear is personal. Yet at some point, we are all called to confront our own limitations before we can expand our horizons. What I experienced in those moments was truth and simplicity — encounters that changed me profoundly. I can now see how deeply they transformed my way of being, and my relationship with others. They awakened in me a strong awareness of our urgent need to redefine our relationship with nature — to give other species back their space, without imposing our constant dominance.
Today, many marine spaces are nearly empty. If sharks were to disappear entirely, the collapse of the food chain would soon follow, leaving a desert beneath the waves.
No species can be protected without understanding the ecosystem as a whole. Once this truth is known, it becomes impossible to remain passive. We must manage our oceans dynamically, with concrete and compassionate action.
Through this work, my sincere hope is that readers will come to see sharks differently — not as threats, but as essential beings within the delicate balance of life — and that this shift in perception will inspire a will to protect them.
Shark encounters: Coast of New Mexico, South Africa, French Polynesia, Australia, Egypt, Philippines, Bahamas. Across these waters, I was fortunate to meet more than thirty species of sharks — and many other remarkable marine lives.
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A pregnant female hammerhead appeared — calm and majestic — and offered us a three-hour underwater ballet. The next morning, she was waiting beneath the boat, as if expecting us. We spent another three hours together. An encounter beyond all expectation.
Together with Leina, we hold a deep desire to honour the sacred bond between humans and nature. We seek to reveal how nature teaches, heals, and nurtures from the very beginning of life.
During a night dive to film whale sharks, we placed a single LED panel on the surface, drawing a column of plankton that shimmered down to the seabed. After hours of waiting, we had the extraordinary surprise of a whale shark appearing, positioning itself within this living vortex, bathed only in the soft, mysterious light.
Jean-Marie
Ghislain
Photographer
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+ 32 (0)474 83 15 72
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