Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman
Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts
Shark Love (EP3): Shark-fin friendly photographer

Image courtesy of Wansheng – Feldberyl Images

Well, I’m uber excited to share that all 12 photographers in the Wedding Photographers Network (WPN) have agreed as a group, to offer a credit of S$200 to wedding couples who consciously take sharks’ fin soup off their wedding banquet menus!

To my knowledge, I don’t think any major organisation involved in the wedding industry has ever made a stand for sharks the way we are coming forward to do so. And for a small ‘rag-tag’ team of wedding photographers, if I do say so myself, I think its bloody time and a damn good effort.

If you share my love for marine conservation and would like to find out more about Shark-finning, do check out the Shark Love blog posts.

I hope then this piques your interest on what the guys at WPN and I are offering to encourage Shark-fin friendly dinners. If it does, check out the WPN facebook page for more details about our Shark Friendly offer.

The end of year wedding season for 2009 was crazy. I had shoots every weekend from September till January ’10, but the volume of editing work really didn’t start clearing up till mid-March. This left me a little lost because I felt I hadn’t had time. Time to think, time to contemplate, time to muse and time to myself. It was only during late night runs around the neighborhood at 2 in the morning, did I find some time to be with myself.

Now that is not to say I never had time to sit back and enjoy life. In January and February this year, I flew to Koh Samui and Phuket for work. In between sets and takes, I managed to squeeze in time to stop, stare and be in awe of blue skies, gorgeous sunsets and bright starry skies. I thank the stars and the countless blessings for the opportunity to have traveled.

And as I look back on all thats been achieved, all that has happened and ahead at all that is about to transpire, I find that the balance between doing what I love and loving what I do, has never been more important than ever. I think about all the great moments I was blessed to have witnessed but I also stand shell shocked at the mountain of work that proceeds.

So I remind myself, to take time out to read, to travel, to run and to escape into my own little worlds. Well, at least with some beer and peanuts.

I sympathize with all my colleagues in any form of the creative industry – from graphic, media, online, photography or writing when we’re told “I want to add another 2 fonts and 5 colours to the logo”, “It’s a simple copy and paste job”, “Just photoshop it, easy right?”, or ____________________ (insert ridiculous “It’s so easy” line here). If only it were that easy.

And sometimes it is hard for clients to understand how much time, effort and man hours goes into creating art for work. Take the following video for example, which is only a 3min 18sec snippet of what it took to – light, photograph, re-touch, design and layout the cover for Macworld magazine. Keep in mind that – “lots of details were left out of the design process (like the cover meetings and rounds of layout options)”.

All that effort for just one photograph, one cover, one layout. Just one.

Cover creation from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

After working on the latest cover for Macworld Magazine I wanted to show what is involved in making a cover. I focused on the three main areas: the photography, photoshop and design. I chose a time lapse format to convey lots of information in a small amount of time. The only drawback of time lapse is that since half a day goes by in 30 seconds, the whole process seam so easy! Lots of details were left out of the design process (like the cover meetings and rounds of layout options). I began to photograph the design process after the layouts had already been narrowed down to just three cover designs.

- Peter Belanger

It was a rather quiet day, no celebrations just an impromptu evening of beer and pizzas at Timbre Old School and catching visual orgasmo movie of the year Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen again, yes I am a nerd like that. I had a couple of surprises like X’s late evening pop by with presents and an awesome birthday cake my sis made. It took her a huge amount of time and effort to produce and I was so in awe of the decoration I spent a good 15mins just going “Woah!”. I found it so painful to cut into it, even if it was a week later.

And because of that, I’m plugging my sis a bit – until she finds enough courage to venture into cake decorating professionally, keep her in mind, I’ll let you guys know when she does.

I realized during the workshop that the way McCurry shoots is totally opposed to the way I am used to. While he has time – sometimes up to 3 months – to spend at a location just to get that one shot, we don’t often get that kind of opportunity with candid uncontrived moments. Steve was all about crafting, working the shot, waiting and revisiting places. And in all honesty, his way of ‘educating’ was a little bit of a disappointment to me, with us kids brought up on MTV and the ‘instant now’ Internet.

But it dawned on me that – Yes, his style of shooting is totally different from what I expect of myself and my expectation to ‘feed me NOW!’ set me up for disappointment. That in a sense the lesson to be learned was one of patience and learning to calm and quieten the inner voice. Not to quash creativity but to attain a sort of zen (yes pun intended, yet again).

Om…

I signed myself up with Steve McCurry‘s 3 day workshop during the week and it’s be a tiring 3 days of walking, photography, reviews, crits, meeting some fab talented photographers and some mindful contemplation on finding my voice in photography.

I have quite a bit on my mind and some shots I’d like to share from the workshop, but since it is a Sunday and I’m just about to zip off for a wedding shoot, I’ll just post one right now. And perhaps it speaks about what is on my mind – to be zen like buddha.

And on how I am keen in affecting change in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the slaughter of sharks for Shark-fin soup, but may be in the right position to affect some, if only a slight change – a change in seeing Shark Fin dishes off banquet tables.

And just how am I going to do that?

Stop eating shark fin! There’s really no simplier way than that. Don’t have shark fin at your wedding. Tell your friends not to have shark fin at their wedding. A friend of mine had top grade birds’ nest at her wedding as the substitute luxury dish and everybody loved it. It’s really just a matter of changing your mindset to look to the future and focus on what REALLY matters. I think when you look at it that way, a bowl of soup is no substitute for a sustainable future for the generations to come.
- Jaki (Sharkman), lovesharks.sg

And it is just as simple as that – Don’t have shark fin at your wedding. Perhaps the soup really is a tasty item, but that is just the pork broth simmered in starch and crab meat. But probably the real truth is, it is an item of prestige that Chinese Asians have grown accustomed to serve at banquets to say “We have arrived, we can serve our guests the best”. But if we’ve been properly educated to know that this dish we are serving to our guests is actually more detrimental to their health than a matter of face, wouldn’t we think thrice about it?

But then we wouldn’t be Asian if it wasn’t all about face would we? Ok, so how about serving an alternative? Bird’s Nest? Abalone? I don’t have the answers here, but this is where we ought to be making those chefs work harder with a substitute. Take local TV celebrities Shaun and Michelle, their heavily publicized wedding dinner had them declaring live on National TV last Monday night, how they took shark-fin off their menu and served a substitute instead. So, it is possible.

My Pledge

I would like to encourage couples and their families to not serve Shark-fin at their dinner banquets. And to do that, I pledge to offer every couple signed up for Actual Day wedding photography with me, who are holding sit-down Chinese x-course banquets, who consciously decide not to serve any form of sharks-fin dish at their wedding, a S$100 credit¹. This credit can be used as a redemption for any products such as Canvas Prints, Photobooks or Wedding Books. This isn’t a time-limited offer, it will be an offer I will provide henceforth. I am providing this at a cost to myself, probably not the smartest business or profit margin increasing move, but I am doing this because I care. I care for the sharks that are being poached and sinking to the floor of the ocean with their fins cut off and I am doing so because it matters what goes into the mouths of the people I care about.

¹ Terms and conditions apply.

Affecting Change

Not wanting to pass judgment onto others, I have no intent of coming across as an evangelizing crusader for sharks who condemns others not keen in my cause. I just believe in saving the sharks, encouraging others by seeking alternatives and educating them on the truth behind sharks fin.

I would also like to encourage fellow like-minded photographers out there, who see the light (pun intended) and believe in this advocacy to come forward in educating others.

I’m not expecting an overnight revolution, in fact I’m expecting some kind of flak – “Are you crazy, who the hell are you? Cannot make it la. You so righteous meh?” – but I think it is a worthwhile move in advocating getting shark fin off menus. And I’m hoping for a change, no matter how slight it may be.

Thank you for reading.

SharkWater is an award-winning documentary produced, written and directed by Rob Stewart. The film debunks many of the fears and misconceptions the media machine has brainwashed us with. And traces the journey that Stewart makes with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, on an adventure that exposes the truth behind shark-finning, with the corruption involved for that tiny bowl of soup at our Chinese dinners.

Sharkwater trailer

I would like to encourage you to watch the film if you care at all, about what you put into your mouth, if you care at all about what happens in our oceans and if you care at all about what fellow Asians are doing for Shark fin. SharkWater is available on Blu-ray, DVD and where ever you can find it ;-)

Thoughts about the film

Here are some of my self-indulgent thoughts about the film if you care.
There were many ‘cringe’ moments and shots of the slaughter of sea creatures which made me look away. The cruelty of watching my fellow human being, gouge the eyes of a turtle, clubbing seals, hack the fins off a shark and toss the still alive body back into the ocean, and to watch blood drain away from a whale was too much.

There were moments that disgusted me, moments that made me feel shameful and embarrassed as an ABC (Asian Born Chinese) – a Singaporean company is featured in the film for all the wrong reasons. The MD of the said company is filmed with such arrogance on how vicious sharks are – “See the teeth! Like a saw!… They bite you…pain until die.” – and ignorance of how one can prevent cancer and rheumatism by eating shark’s fin. And it horrified me that we Asians, me in part, am responsible for the slaughter and driving the need for the corruption that is involved, which includes paying off officials in Guatamala (where finning is illegal) by Asian syndicates.

But I also felt a sense of redemption when an Asian couple, whom I can only guess is from South-East Asia from their accent, declared how they would not be serving Shark fin at their wedding dinner.

Shark Facts

Now let’s get a few Shark facts straight.

• Sharks DO NOT EAT humans. Sure we’ve been mistaken as seals and shark attacks have occurred, but they spit humans right out. On the flip-side, bears and lions see us humans as the next lunch item. Really? Try tempting a lion on the plains of Africa.
• Imagine being kidnapped, getting your limbs cut off and tossed back in-front of your door step. And since you’re still alive, you struggle to get into the house or to even call for help. Now that is what shark-finning does, sharks are still alive when they’re tossed back into the ocean. And it occurs at sea because then the boats only need to transport the fins and shark meat is considered low value and too costly to ship.
• Shark fin is tasteless. That shark fin soup gets its flavor from pork and chicken broth and that vinegar you douse it in.
• There ARE NO HEALTH BENEFITS from eating shark fin – it doesn’t prevent cancer nor does it help with rheumatism. Your 3rd uncle from that chinese medicinal store, is in fact encouraging you to poison yourself. With all the mercury we have polluted our seas with, you’re more likely to be killing your relatives.
• 100 million sharks are killed a year, 63 million for their fins alone.
• The Great White Shark is now an endangered species.

Get some more shark facts on the SharkWater webite or at Lovesharks.sg

I care because…

Every year, 100 million sharks are killed and it is estimated that the population has declined by as much as 90%. This declining population of sharks has severe repercussions for all living things on earth. Sharks are at top of the marine food chain and with less of them policing the other marine populations, indirectly affects the ENTIRE eco-system, which creates all sorts of inconceivable effects that even include global warming.

I care because, I would not be able to live with myself if I know I am poisoning my loved ones by feeding them shark’s fin soup. Mercury levels in our oceans have increased from our rape of the land by pollution and fish such as sharks have a much higher level of mercury than other commonly consumed fish. Would you care, if you knew you’re feeding mercury to an unborn child in a mother’s womb?

Now I promised that I had a plan to affect change. When this idea first started, I didn’t realise how much there was to write about shark fin and how embarrassed and disgusted I would feel from learning more. And since this post has gone on to include a lot more than I anticipated at first I will postpone my plan to affect change til the next post.

PS: In the time it has taken you to read this post, nearly 3,000 sharks have died from poaching.

As a leisure scuba diver, it has been on my mind for a while now and I feel it is a matter close to me. Especially since, I am in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the execution, but may be in the right context to affect some, if only a slight, but nonetheless a change. A change in seeing Shark Fin Soup kept off dinner tables.

And we shall begin this by speaking to Jaki – an animal lover, advocate of shark-fin friendly soup, petitioner against whale sharks at the Integrated Resorts, creator of Sharkman – writer behind lovesharks.sg and a schoolmate of mine at Swinburne.

PS: Do stay till Part 2 of this piece for my bit on how I would like to affect you to change.

Q: What got you interested in preserving marine life?
Jaki: I’ve always been fascinated by the sea and growing up in Singapore meant lots of access to marine life – dead or alive – from a very young age. But it wasn’t until I learnt to dive that I truly made the connection that the fish on my dinner plate was actually physically removed from the sea and that my everyday actions really did affect the big blue ocean out there. When I realised that the world’s oceans are degenerating at an alarming rate, I felt the urgent need to act in order to preserve marine life.

Q: What called you to advocate for sharks in particular?
Jaki: I watched Sharkwater, a documentary about how sharks populations are being destroyed worldwide for their fins and by destructive fishing practices such as longlining. This came as a horrible shock for me. I was aware of the issues involved in shark finning but I was not aware of the extent that certain shark populations were affected (some populations have fallen up to 95% over the last 20 years).

As a diver, sharks are like the Holy Grail. I dream of going to Malapascua to see thresher sharks or to Costa Rica to see hammerhead sharks. The idea that these amazing creatures have survived 4 major extinctions but they may not survive our lifetime is very distressing.

Sharks are a keystone species in the marine ecosystem. This means that they are essential to maintain the balance of how everything works. Removal of sharks can lead to the troppling of the entire marine ecosystem! Even if you didn’t care much for sharks, you would have to give some thought to that.

Q: Tell us about why you started [lovesharks.sg].
Jaki: I wanted to spread the word about loving sharks! Many people have this idea that sharks are evil blood-thirsty murderers and are not worth saving as a species. If you look at the facts, more people die from falling coconuts than shark bites; yet people kill a 100 million sharks a year. Even Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws was an active shark conservationist. I think it’s very important to spread the right idea of sharks around. Until people learn to love sharks they won’t see the importance of conserving them.

I also think the harmful effects of eating shark fin isn’t talked about enough in Singaporean media. Sharks are so full of mercury that there are actually warnings issued against pregnant women and children eating it. The ironic thing is people are “treating” their loved ones to this toxic “delicacy”!

Q: And how did you go about starting [lovesharks.sg]?
Jaki: Oh I just registered a blog and off I went! I thought about getting funding from various organisations but actually it’s not very necessary. These days all you need is the Internet, and the relevant information is also widely available and free. When lovesharks.sg first started it got very encouraging responses from various groups and individuals. We even got some local bloggers to try out a vegetarian shark fin dinner for Chinese New Year and they were very supportive of our cause as well.

Q: Apart from campaigning against shark fin soup consumption, lovesharks has also been involved in the petition Against Whale Shark Captivity at the upcoming Integrated Resorts. While zoos and aquariums have a part in conservation and educating the public on animals and marine life, why would having whale sharks in an aquarium be a bad thing?
Jaki: Whale sharks have an incredible natural range – they migrate over 13000 kilometres in the wild and dive to depths of nearly a kilometre. They can also grow as big as two buses. On the animal welfare angle having such a creature in a tank is extremely cruel. It’s like being locked in your room, forever!

And because of this vast difference in natural and captive environments, whale sharks in aquariums cannot behave as they would in the wild, so there cannot be any merit in any scientific research conducted on this captive population.

On top of that, whale sharks in aquariums have a very bad survival record. In the Churaumi aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, 16 whale sharks captured between 1980 to 1998 died, some surviving as little as three days in captivity. In the Georgia aquarium USA, two whale sharks died within five months of each other in 2007. On a conservation angle this mortality rate cannot be justified.

The protection and research of large migratory species such as whale sharks must be done in their natural environment. Their wild populations are already vulnerable and should not be exploited by being placed in “marine circuses”.

Q: And how has the response been to the campaign?
Jaki: Response to the petition has been really good. The site had over 2000 signatures in the first fortnight of launching and I’ve still got to manually enter stacks of signed paper petitions. Hope we break the 10,000 mark soon!

The thing that struck me most was that most people didn’t even know that Resorts World at Sentosa was planning to capture whale sharks from the wild and are very outraged when they find out. This reaffirms that we are doing the right thing because we are providing a voice of reason that needs to be heard.

I mean, the facts are very clear and for anyone who has even seen a Youtube video of a whale shark in the wild will know that having such a creature in an aquarium is a bad idea.

Q: How can the everyday Singaporean help the cause?
Jaki: Stop eating shark fin! There’s really no simplier way than that. Don’t have shark fin at your wedding. Tell your friends not to have shark fin at their wedding. A friend of mine had top grade birds’ nest at her wedding as the substitute luxury dish and everybody loved it. It’s really just a matter of changing your mindset to look to the future and focus on what REALLY matters. I think when you look at it that way, a bowl of soup is no substitute for a sustainable future for the generations to come.

Once the demand for shark fin stops, the trade and destruction will too. Don’t buy, and the sharks won’t die. Sign the i ♥ sharks pledge at www.sharkfinpledge.com and tell all your friends!

For more shark loving articles check out Sharkman’s blog at:
www.lovesharks.sg

Pledge your stand against the shark hunting industry at:
www.sharkfinpledge.com

To advocate against whale sharks in captivity at the upcoming Singapore Integrated Resort, make a pledge at:
http://www.whalesharkpetition.com

Please help spread the word via all your social media links – twitter, facebook, digg…