Synopsis
Great White: The Majesty of Sharks by Chris Fallows is a visually stunning and evocative coffee-table book that combines breathtaking photography with a personal narrative to showcase the awe-inspiring beauty and power of great white sharks, alongside other shark species. Published in 2009 by Chronicle Books, the book is primarily a photographic odyssey, capturing the essence of these often-misunderstood creatures through the lens of Fallows, a renowned South African wildlife photographer and conservationist famous for documenting the breaching behavior of great white sharks off the coast of Cape Town. The book intertwines Fallows’s vivid imagery with his personal story, detailing how his fascination with sharks began in his youth and evolved into a lifelong passion shared with his wife, Monique, a fellow conservationist. Fallows’s work challenges the common perception of sharks as mere predators, presenting them instead as majestic and ecologically vital creatures, with a particular focus on the great white, though the book also features striking images of other species like the whale shark, mako, blue shark, oceanic whitetip, bull shark, bronze whaler, ragged tooth shark, and scalloped hammerhead.
The narrative opens with a glimpse into Fallows’s early life, where, at the age of 20, he was living modestly with his mother after his parents’ divorce, driven by a deep passion for marine life rather than material success. His discovery of great white sharks breaching at Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa—a behavior he was the first to photograph in 1996—forms the cornerstone of the book. These iconic images, which gained global recognition through documentaries like Air Jaws on Discovery’s Shark Week, capture the raw power of great whites launching themselves out of the water to hunt Cape fur seals, a spectacle Fallows describes with both reverence and a desire to shift public perception from fear to admiration. The book’s photography, described as gasp-inducing and immediate, showcases sharks both above and below the water’s surface, offering a rare glimpse into their mysterious underwater world. From heart-stopping shots of breaching great whites to serene underwater portraits, Fallows’s images emphasize the sharks’ grace and strength, aiming to foster appreciation for their role in maintaining the ocean’s ecological balance.
While the book is predominantly a visual tribute, it includes short essays and observations from Fallows, who, despite not being a trained biologist, has amassed extensive knowledge through nearly three decades of field research, including over 10,500 documented predatory events at Seal Island. His text reflects on his experiences, from coordinating a shark tag-and-release program at 16 to working with prestigious platforms like National Geographic and the BBC. The narrative underscores his and Monique’s conservation efforts, highlighting the vulnerability of shark populations and the need to protect them. However, the book is not a deep scientific study; the text is minimal, focusing on Fallows’s personal journey and anecdotal insights rather than detailed biology. Some readers note that the book’s large format enhances the impact of the photographs, though a few lament that certain images lose detail in the binding of two-page spreads. Overall, Great White: The Majesty of Sharks is a compelling blend of art and advocacy, inviting readers to see sharks not as monsters but as vital, magnificent inhabitants of the oceans, with Fallows’s masterful photography serving as both a celebration and a call to action for their preservation.