A photographer tied down a model in shark-infested waters.

You don't hear that sentence everyday.

However, Benjamin Von Wong, a photographer, and a diving team really did tie down a model in Fiji and take pictures. In a video on his blog, he says that he created the model into a "Shark Shepherd," a sort of guardian and protector of the animals.

Von Wong states that sharks are in desperate need of protection, as they are stereotyped as scary, bloodthirsty animals, when in reality they are not. People have this idea that sharks kill millions of us, when actually humans do the killing in millions, all for their fins to make soup. To show just how low the probability is that a shark is going to attack you, National Geographic estimated that humans have a 1 in 3,700,000 chance of being killed by a shark. Sharks really aren't the terrifying and angry creatures that we're told and shown they are.

Von Wong channeled all of this and says that he did the photoshoot because he wanted "to create a series of images that would help break those stereotypes and show that it is possible for us to co-exist together in perfect harmony."

In my opinion, I would say that Von Wong succeeded, as the photos are breathtaking, and extremely hard to pull off, as they required a team of divers, biologists on hand, and a model that could hold her breath for a long time. Oh, and the model had to be comfortable around sharks. The model in the photos is Amber Bourke, who can hold her breath for more than five minutes.

After the photoshoot, Von Wong started a petition to create a Malaysian Shark Sanctuary. Sign it here if you are interested.

Von Wong is trying to prove that sharks are misunderstood animals. They aren't the man-eating shark from "Jaws" or Bruce from "Finding Nemo."

Wong's hopes are that these photos will bring these creatures the attention they deserve.

"Just like sharks are the shepherds of the sea, we are the shepherds of our generation, and we can make a difference and have our voices heard."