Fiona Ayerst (born 20 September 1965) is a

wildlife photographer Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat. As well as requiring photography skills, wildlife photographers may need field craft skills. For example, some anima ...

based in South Africa notable for

underwater photography Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater veh ...

. She has swum with many species of shark, photographed them, including the macropredator

Tiger shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...

and the massive but tamer

whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...

.4 August 2009, Time magazine

Retrieved 15 August 2014, "...A 40-foot whale shark and a brave snorkler swim off the South African coast. ..." Her images have won awards in numerous photo competitions. She writes for several magazines, and works as an editor for ''Beyond Blue'' magazine. She is a proponent of protecting sharks and ocean environments. Her images have appeared in magazines and newspapers worldwide, such as ''

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'', as well as on magazine covers and

Coffee table book A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire convers ...

s featuring wildlife photography. She won South Africa's 2003 Wildlife Photographer of the Year. She gave a

TED talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

in 2012 titled ''My journey into water''.28 March 2012, The Gremlin News & Information
Mossel Bay photographer talks at TEDxSeaPoint
Retrieved 15 August 2014, "..Fiona Ayerst – a professional photographer who gave up the law in order to follow her passion for the sea – called her talk 'My journey into water.'..." She is a director of ''Africa Media''.

References

External links

Fiona Ayerst website

Fiona Ayerst at Getty Images

Africa Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayerst, Fiona People from Nairobi Living people 1965 births People from Mossel Bay Underwater photographers South African conservationists South African underwater divers Nature photographers South African women photographers