Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life. The Remarkable Story of the Trailblazing Ocean Conservationist, Photographer and Shark Expert

Valerie Taylor has lived a big, bold adventurous life. Born in Australia, Valerie spent a great deal of her childhood in New Zealand. A talented artist, she dropped out of school when she contracted polio and was saved by Sister Elizabeth Kenny’s treatment plan; it was two years before she could walk unaided. When Valerie was fifteen, she found work as an animator and moved back to Australia with her family. All the while she thrived on being close to the ocean, and was a keen spearfisher. In the 1950s, she met Ron Taylor and then her real adventures started. Together they sailed all over the world, photographing and filming their travels for magazines, tv and movies, and making many documentaries. Valerie and Ron became interested in conservation, and focused on sharks in particular. They did all the shark work on Jaws, and James Cameron decided he wanted to become a filmmaker because of Valerie and her husband.
327 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : chiefly colour illustrations, colour plates ; 24 cm #100322
Taylor, Valerie, 1935- | Underwater photography. | Cinematographers — Australia — Biography | Women environmentalists — Australia — Biography. | Photographers — Australia — Biography. | Sharks — Anecdotes. | Australian