PHOTOGRAPHING CONSERVATION FILMMAKER & PHOTOGRAPHER MICHEL STROGOFF FOR THE GUARDIAN

The first time Michel Strogoff saw a great white shark, he was pulling it out of his net. He wasn’t in awe of its power or beauty—he was thinking about survival. Strogoff grew up in Andavadoaka, a remote fishing village on Madagascar’s southwest coast, where the Vezo people rely on the ocean for their livelihood. As a teenager, he left school and became a shark fisherman, killing up to 50 sharks a day to support his family.

But his mindset shifted when his brother introduced him to marine conservation through the NGO Blue Ventures. Learning about the vital role sharks play in the ecosystem, Strogoff turned his skills towards documenting the very industry he once relied on. He helped expose the illegal shark fin trade in Madagascar, going undercover to film secret warehouses and industrial fishing vessels laden with thousands of dead sharks. Eventually, he became a conservation photographer and filmmaker, using his camera to tell the story of Madagascar’s marine life and the threats it faces.

I first met Strogoff through my work as a conservation filmmaker. Photographing him was more than just capturing his image—it was about documenting his extraordinary transformation. From shark hunter to protector, his journey is a testament to the power of knowledge, opportunity and the courage it takes to change. Watching him work, whether filming and photographing a vast industrial fishing operation or swimming alongside whale sharks, you see the intensity of his mission. We share the same obsession: using film and photography to reveal the unseen, and to fight for the ocean’s future.

You can read the full The Guardian article here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/23/im-obsessed-with-sharks-fish-great-white-madagascar-overfishing