A photographer swam with sharks for 10 years to capture these stunning photos

Sharks often get a bad rap simply because people are afraid of them.

But for photographer Michael Muller, sharks are fascinating, and they make for stunning subjects in his photography series and book, SHARKS, published by Taschen.

Muller was not originally a nature photographer. He is actually well-known for his celebrity work, having shot the cover of Rihanna's Unapologetic album and the movie poster for Deadpool. He has also photographed Michael Phelps during the Olympics.

But over the last decade, he has developed a fascination with sharks after his wife had booked him his a cage-diving trip for his birthday. Of course, Muller told Business Insider, before he went, he was a little apprehensive - especially after seeing the movie "Jaws." But despite that fear, he felt compelled to go.

"I went out to Guadalupe Island, about 200 nautical miles off Mexico's Baja Peninsula; it's a volcanic island," he said. "I was the first one in the water at six in the morning ... I was down there for about five minutes, and out of the darkness comes this first great white. It just swims right by me and we lock eyes, and I was like 'I see you and I know you see me'. There was a connection."

From that point on, he said, he knew that he had to continue to dive and photograph these majestic creatures. Here are some of his breathtaking photos.