We believe every dive can generate something that matters — whether that’s a data point for the Global Shark & Ray Census or a photograph that changes how someone sees an apex predator. Josh Schellenberg’s winning shot in the Shark & Ray category of this year’s Scuba Diving® magazine photo contest, held in celebration of the Census launch, does both. It’s a portrait of a juvenile mako shark lit by golden hour off Baja California Sur, and it’s the kind of image that makes the case for shark conservation better than any statistic could.
The Shot
Schellenberg and a small group of friends had stayed out to chase the light. “We specifically stayed out late hoping to capture the golden afternoon light piercing the surface,” he says. As golden hour arrived, they found themselves surrounded by half a dozen blue sharks — and then a two to three-foot (one-meter) juvenile mako showed up. “Despite her size, she was fast, fearless and constantly on the move,” Schellenberg recalls. “She approached me head-on before turning sharply just inches from my camera, perfectly positioning herself against the golden rays.”
Schellenberg was shooting with a fisheye lens, which let him work close enough to fill the frame with her while still holding onto the drama of the light behind her. His specific settings were Nikon D500, Tokina 10-17mm, Nauticam housing, twin Inon Z330 strobes, 1/160th at f9, ISO 500.
From Minneapolis to Baja
Schellenberg’s path to underwater photography didn’t start anywhere near the ocean. Originally from Minneapolis and now based in Tampa, he grew up landlocked, with sharks meaning one thing: Jaws. “The only thing I knew about sharks was the movie,” he says. It wasn’t until he started diving in 2015 and encountered sharks in the water for the first time that something shifted. “I knew I wanted to document sharks… I wanted to show people sharks and other apex predators are not the monsters movies and the media make them out to be.”
That mission has shaped everything about how he shoots. Ten years behind an underwater camera has produced a style he describes as “immersive, intimate and behavior-driven photography of apex predators and large marine life.” Although he’s quick to credit the community around him, “I have to give credit to all my underwater photographer friends who have pushed me and helped me to get where I am today.”
By day, Schellenberg is a tattoo artist. Underwater photography is entirely a passion project, which makes a first-place win even sweeter, especially since, by his own admission, entering contests isn’t always his strong suit. His advice to first-timers, “Don’t procrastinate and miss the deadline like I usually do.”
What Keeps Him Coming Back
A mix of wonder and restraint is exactly what makes his photography work. Whether he’s inches from a mako or watching a whale glide past, Schellenberg’s images ask viewers to see apex predators the way divers do: not as threats, but as animals worth protecting. That’s precisely the shift the Global Shark & Ray Census is built to accelerate — turning encounters like Schellenberg’s into evidence, and evidence into protection.
His bucket-list dive? Nile crocodiles and hippos in Africa. We wouldn’t bet against him getting that shot, too.
See more of Josh’s work on Instagram at @Jschellenbergphoto.
Alternatively head to Scuba Diving magazine to find the full list of winners and runners-up in all categories of the photo contest.
Shark & Ray Category Runners Up
