Tanya Griffin Houppermans is an underwater photographer and videographer, shark naturalist, and conservationist.
Latest by this author
Sand tiger sharks, often feared for their appearance, are surprisingly nonaggressive and face grave threats from humans; new research helps track their populations, behavior, and reproduction along the U.S. East Coast.
More about this author
Tanya Griffin Houppermans is an award-winning underwater photographer and videographer, shark naturalist, and conservationist who left the corporate world in 2015 to work full-time in underwater imaging and shark research. She has won multiple international awards for her photography, including three First Place wins in the World Shootout “Sharks” category (2015, 2017, 2021), and her images have appeared in publications worldwide, including National Geographic. Houppermans collaborates with scientists to increase understanding of sharks, with a particular focus on sand tiger sharks along the U.S. East Coast. She has worked with major wildlife media organizations, including National Geographic, BBC, Discovery, and NBC, both in front of and behind the camera. In recognition of her significant contributions and discoveries in shark science, she was elected a Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2023. When not traveling the world to photograph, film, or study sharks, she resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her husband and son. Find her online at Blue Elements Imaging.
External
Underwater Photographer of the Week
Tanya Houppermans
Underwater 360 | August | 2017
This is a light interview with Tanya Houppermans, in which she discusses her favorite dive sites, highlights and lowlights of her career, and what equipment she prefers.
Underwater Photography Guide | December | 2015
Houppermans offers advice to photographers diving in North Carolina. She says it provides some world-class diving sites thanks to the shipwrecks close to shore and to the marine life that congregates around them.
Shark Conservation
Hundred Heroines
Houppermans describes how she moved into shark conservation by using photography to change the public’s perception of an apex predator.
Protecting Sharks
Aquatic Life Institute
This article describes how Tanya Griffin Houppermans became passionate about shark conservation and what we can all do to follow her example and support marine conservation.
Media by this author
Feature | November | 2022
In this discussion, moderated by Max Bello, each panelist shares favorite photos that they’ve captured that tell a meaningful conservation story. The panelists will also share their experiences capturing great photos of marine life in a non-intrusive, ethical way.
