( CNN ) -- Photographer Michael Muller is a man without fear . He swims among sharks without the protection of a cage to make studio-quality , intimate photos of these beautiful creatures . As scary as that might sound , the top predators are at the bottom of his list of concerns . He 's usually far more concerned about all the gear he brings into the water . `` The sharks do n't really pose any of the danger . It 's all the diving , and the technical [ challenges ] and electricity and the light , '' Muller says . `` I do n't use cages -- I 've been surrounded by 150 to 200 sharks , not once ever been close to being bitten . '' Using studio techniques in the wild has helped Muller 's work stand out in a crowded field of nature photographers . It bolsters the attention he 's received as a commercial photographer , a spotlight he 's leveraging to raise awareness about critically diminishing global shark populations . This week his shark photos are being featured on the Instagram blog as he takes over Discovery Channel 's account for Shark Week . He 'll be uploading images from his own feed as well as posting new pictures from Mexico , where he 's currently swimming with whale sharks . Both venues are helping broadcast his pictures -- and his message -- to an enormous audience . Because of threats like overfishing and a high demand for fins , `` the sharks are really in a lot of danger right now , '' he says . `` We 're killing about 100 million of them a year . People have no idea when they hear the numbers , and they 're the top of a very , very fragile ecosystem in the oceans , so if you take out the top predator it 's just like a domino effect . '' `` White Mike '' as he 's sometimes called , says his highly successful commercial work has helped him see the power of photography , but rather than promote celebrities or products , he 's using his skills to help advocacy organizations like WildAid , Sea Shepherds , EarthEcho , and Shark Spotters in South Africa . `` I thought OK , I 've done $ 10 billion in movie posters , maybe I can help sort of change people 's perceptions of these animals and what 's happening to our planet , '' he says . As any professional photographer must be these days , Muller is also something of an entrepreneur . In addition to owning the patent on the seven-bulb , 1200-watt lighting rig he uses to illuminate the sharks , he 's developed a photo toning app and is busy helping establish an online photography school . He says he 's also got a number of books in the works , based on his photos of sharks . Photographers strive to make images that connect with viewers , and the skills needed to do that are universal , whether under water or on land . A sense for composition , timing , and more than anything , patience will produce powerful images of a shark as surely as anything else . Muller hopes the connections his images forge will motivate people to think beyond their preconceptions about sharks . Ultimately , the global conversation will have to shift so people do n't see these animals simply as a source of fins , or animals to be hunted for sport , but instead as the magnificent mainstays of a vast and delicate ecosystem that they really are . `` In order to get those changes you need people from within those cultures to come out and take a stand , which they 're starting to do , '' he says . `` Our generation I do n't really have a lot of hope for , '' he says . `` It 's for the next generation [ that needs to ] fix what we 've done and what we 're leaving them . '' Read more from WIRED : . Photos of Unexpected Shooting Targets Used by the World 's Armies . I Liked Everything I Saw on Facebook for Two Days . Here 's What It Did to Me . What Exactly Is in McDonald 's Famous French Fries ? Why You Always Seem to Choose the Slowest Line . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
Cage-free shark photographer Michael Muller takes close up images of great whites . Muller is known for using studio techniques to shoot in the wild . He hopes his images will raise awareness about dwindling shark populations .