Photographer Recreates Jaws Movie Poster With Great White Capture

When people in the movie-viewing world think of sharks, the 1975 hit movie “Jaws” often comes to mind. Who could forget its ominous theme song or that menacing movie poster of a massive great white shark about to consume a swimmer?

Over four decades later, it's evident that many people still remember these cinematic benchmarks. When British expat photographer Euan Rannachan recently snapped this photo, he was a mere 35 feet away, safely submerged in a shark cage. Actually, it was his aim (and the long-term goal of one buddy on the excursion) to capture such a “Jaws” image, challenging as a fleeting real one would be. Click here for the full story.

According to an article by the New York Post, the original painting of the Jaws cover was created by artist Roger Kastel. Kastel was commissioned for the artwork in 1975, at which point he headed to the American Museum of Natural History and snapped photos of a taxidermy shark that was waiting to be cleaned.  It was off those images that the painter fashioned the cover art.

The original artwork wasn't based off an actual photograph, meaning it's entirely possible that Rannachan's recent snap might be the closest an actual photograph has come to Jaws' famous book cover/movie poster. That's one feat that takes a bit of courage to conquer!

Those with an interest in shark photography can read this recent post on Fstoppers.

Images courtesy of, and used with the permission of, Euan Rannachan.