Behind the Shot

“They’ve given me some of the best moments of my life,” Ryan Borne says of the sharks he celebrates through his underwater photography. “Of course, they are still wild animals. It’s their territory—their home. You have to be respectful and pay attention to the only ways they can communicate, which is through body language and movement.”

Growing up in the Caribbean on St Barths Island—with parents and grandparents who were sailors—Ryan has been passionate about waves and surf all his life. He embarked on a career as a professional photographer and gravitated toward ocean shots.

But it wasn’t until he relocated to Moorea in the South Pacific that he began to swim with and photograph sharks—his favorite animal. Ryan views nature as the best art form, and he loves sharing his vision of the ocean and its creatures.

He captured this shot while free diving near Moorea, as 15 or 20 sharks swam around him. “I didn’t realize I took this photo until I looked back, and I didn’t even remember the moment,” he says of the two blacktip sharks crossing each other, perfectly symmetrical. “I love the dynamic. I was super lucky that the sharks were synced.”

This print will light up any room and would be a perfect contrast against a dark wall. No matter where it is displayed, it evokes the privilege of being accepted and welcomed as a guest by the masters of the depths.