“I have realised through my journey that my whole philosophy is simple: love the ocean.” That conviction anchored a quietly powerful session by Shane Gross at the Xposure International Photography Festival (Xposure)’s 5th Conservation Summit where the Canadian photojournalist reflected on how images of the underwater world can do more than inspire wonder, saying they can reshape human behaviour toward fragile marine ecosystems.
Speaking during a talk tired “Overlooked: Stories Hidden Underwater”, Gross shared how years spent documenting life beneath the surface have shifted his understanding of photography from observation to responsibility. His work, he explained, is driven by patience and immersion, often revealing behaviours and habitats rarely seen or understood by the public.
That approach culminated in the image that earned him the Grand Title at the 60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards in 2024 — a dense, living carpet of tadpoles captured after days of waiting.
“At first there were just one or two, and I had almost given up,” Gross recalled. “Then suddenly the lake floor was alive.” The image, he said, mattered not for its aesthetic impact alone, but for what it allowed him to communicate about vulnerability and conservation.
The emotional turning point in the session came with a photograph of a sea turtle entangled in fishing netting. “It was long dead when I found it,” Gross said. “The only thing I could do was take the picture.”
When the image circulated widely, the response surprised him. “Thousands of people wrote to say they would change how they interact with the ocean. That’s when I began to understand the power of photography.”
Gross spoke about the long arc of his work, including Bahamas Underwater, a nine-year project documenting marine ecosystems across the region.
He noted that some of his most meaningful publications have appeared not in specialist journals, but in children’s magazines. “That’s where long-term change begins,” he said. “If children grow up seeing these environments as living, valuable systems, their relationship with nature is different.”
Throughout the session, Gross drew attention to the less visible pressures facing marine life, from noise pollution disrupting fish communication to overlooked species such as seahorses, whose nocturnal behaviour remains largely undocumented.
“Fish are vocal,” he told the audience. “They sing. And shipping noise interferes with that. These are changes happening quietly, but with serious consequences.”
Rather than positioning himself as the centre of the story, Gross repeatedly highlighted the work of conservationists operating far from the spotlight, restoring seagrass meadows, protecting mangroves and safeguarding freshwater lakes. Photography, he argued, has a role in making such efforts visible, credible, and emotionally legible.
Held under the theme “A Decade of Visual Storytelling”, Xposure 2026 reflects the festival’s evolution into an international platform where photography intersects with science, culture, and public dialogue. For Gross, the message remained grounded and direct.
“If people feel something when they look at an image,” he said, “they begin to care. And caring is where protection starts.”
