MPB, Europe’s top camera reseller, is partnering with Blind and legendary underwater photographer, scuba diver and biologist Laurent Ballesta to give you the chance to win the Nikon D5 that captured his images on the set of his acclaimed documentary 700 Sharks in the Night, as well as a limited edition and signed print of the photograph that earned him the 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. To have a chance of winning, head to mpb.com/blind-magazine and follow the entry instructions.
Today, as part of this competition, Laurent Ballesta tells Blind about the story behind the iconic images from 700 Sharks in the Night, taken with his Nikon D5.
Can you tell us about the first time you used the Nikon D5?
It was in Polynesia. What was decisive, first of all, was being able to raise the ISO a little more than you could with the previous generation of the camera model. The bursts of images were also super clean. This was essential for photographing groupers breeding and sharks hunting. The moment goes by so fast! With the naked eye, you just see movement. It’s impossible to imagine taking the photo at the right moment–it will always be a quarter of a second too late or too early. With the Nikon D5, I was able to take bursts of 10 photos per second with the flash following. It’s so important that the flash can keep up with my photo burst. It’s easy to shoot bursts, but, for me, underwater, the flash recycle time needed to happen quickly–it needed to be able to emit 10 flashes per second. That is complicated, and with the D5, it worked very well.
Some of the images taken in Fakarava are quite iconic, and some have won awards. Can you tell us about them?
First, there’s the one that won the Wildlife Grand Prize in 2021, which is up for grabs with the camera. It’s a picture of the Grouper spawning. By chance, the cloud of eggs takes on this question mark shape, which is quite symbolic of the uncertain future of its eggs, since we know that only one egg in a million will produce an adult who, one day, will find himself there, in the same place to lay her eggs. Then, unfortunately, there’s a symbolism of the uncertainty of biodiversity in general. This symbolism must have impressed the jury.
This question mark, this cloud of eggs with the fish emerging from behind the cloud, obviously, it’s a shot. We went there every year for 5 years, and it was only in the fourth year that we really managed to understand the trigger for spawning, to be there at the right time.
How was the diving going at that time?
These are complicated dives. You have to get up in the middle of the night, get into the water when not only is it dark, but above all it’s during a rip tide, that is to say a current that goes from the inside to the outside of the lagoon, which pulls you out into the ocean. Sometimes, in certain passes, it’s even very, very dangerous. It’s not just that you can get carried out to sea, but also that you get sucked down deeper. In North Fakarava, there have already been deaths, divers who were caught in the rip tide currents and when we found them on the surface, they had gone through 90 meters of depth, without being able to fight.
But South Fakarava is not too dangerous. Like all rip tides, it’s a bit unpleasant; you get tossed around in all directions, the water is murky, you’re out in the middle of the night, there are sharks everywhere charging at you. It’s a little stressful, but you have to go at that moment, just before the current reverses; that’s when the groupers will choose to spawn in the largest numbers. Spawning only lasts 30 minutes a year. You can go diving as much as you want, but it’s that short time that counts. And of those 30 minutes, only 10 are really usable, with the first rays of daylight. The rest takes place in total darkness. It’s intense. It’s all happening so fast that while you’re focused in front of you, the action is happening behind you. You turn around, it’s already over. In 30 minutes, 18,000 groupers spawn. You suspect that you can’t photograph everything, and that most of the action escapes you.
But you’re not alone underwater?
No. I had two divers with me to help me. They carried my flashes several meters away, which allowed for a more diffuse and homogeneous light across the entire scene. But it requires real synchronization: if I make a U-turn, the diver carrying my flash bank has to follow immediately, otherwise he’ll light from the side. So he has to anticipate my movements. It’s no coincidence that it took us four years to get the photos of this spawning, and more broadly of the animals’ wild behavior.
When you are close to the pack of sharks, how do the shots go?
These scenes are repeated every night during this period. For almost three weeks, you can observe very intense hunting. The groupers sleep at night, waiting to reproduce. As a result, there is a huge amount of predation. You can see 10, 15, or even 50 sharks per night. It’s ultra-fast. A demonic speed. People think they know sharks from photos on social media: 99.9% show sharks with their mouths open, but it’s not natural.
A shark hunting isn’t the same as a shark being fed. Thinking you understand predation because you’ve witnessed a feeding is like thinking that a dog feeding from a bowl is like understanding a pack of wolves on the hunt. Dead fish require no effort. But catching a grouper or a squirrelfish isn’t easy: they’re evolved, fast prey, trained to dodge. The hunts are violent, but never disorganized.
The first year, in 2014, we weren’t even aware of these night hunts. We were there for the groupers’ spawning. And while diving at night for a 24-hour mission, we discovered this phenomenon. We were stunned. Unable to react or photograph properly. It was only the second year that I was able to take a few decent images. It took four or five years to feel comfortable among the sharks, to understand that we weren’t prey, just obstacles in their hunting ground. Sometimes jostled, yes, but never mistaken for a target.
Underwater, how do marine animals react to a camera and its lights?
They don’t like it too much, but the flash is very fast, so it works. Continuous light can be more disturbing. But what we’ve observed is that moonlight has much more influence than our own lighting. Animal behavior changes radically between a full moon and a dark night. The moon really modifies their actions. Our lamps, in comparison, are negligible.
What did the developments of the D5 compared to its predecessor mean for you, particularly in terms of your underwater photography?
The burst was faster, the ISOs rose higher without too much grain. In night diving, this allowed the flashes to be reduced in power to improve recycling speed, and therefore efficiency. The body is also very robust, which is crucial in humid environments. With compact flashes, it captures images quickly.
Your projects are primarily scientific before being photographic. In Fakarava, did using your camera allow you to collect scientific data?
It’s not one before the other. The two enrich each other. What motivates me is mystery: a phenomenon that we don’t understand, that hasn’t been observed. And here, yes, the image and the science have the same weight. One feeds the other. Often, there’s a real technical challenge too: the dive itself must be rethought to reach these unexplored areas.
And yes, the camera is essential for science, especially at great depths. We often use protocols based on shots. For example, we take random photographs in a predefined square, which then allows us to assess biodiversity, vitality, and the coverage of attached species. It’s much more efficient than spending hours at the bottom, as a botanist would do on land.
We’re also developing automated systems. In Corsica, for example, we observe nesting fish: we place a camera on the bottom, which takes time-lapses for 24 to 48 hours. This allows us to monitor the entire construction of the nest.
For science to classify a new species, a photo isn’t enough; a specimen is also needed. Do you have any hope today that one day, a picture will be enough?
In theory, yes. A very precise photo would allow us to count the rays, the scales, and make a true diagnosis. But the rule remains: a preserved specimen is needed to collect DNA and establish the genome. Systematics today also involves genetics. And a photo cannot provide that. What we can hope is that the first photographic observation will be recognized, that the person who takes the sample later will pay homage to the first observer. But no, a photo alone will never be enough.
Do you have a special relationship with your camera or does it remain simply a tool for you?
It’s more a tool. But I’ve actually never sold a single camera. I still have all my old cameras, about twenty of them. Nikonos 5, Nikonos RS, D2X, D3, D4, D5, D6, Z… The Nikon D5 to be won for this competition… It’s the first time I’ve parted with a camera. So yes, it’s equipment, I don’t spend my days cleaning them, but I’m keeping them all. Except this one…
Enter the competition to win Laurent Ballesta’s Nikon D5 and a limited edition and signed print of his 2021 award-winning photograph. More information about the competition can be found in this article published at its launch.
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