SeaLegacy was co-founded in 2014 by Cristina Mittermeier, a pioneer of the modern conservation photography movement and Paul Nicklen, the renowned National Geographic polar photographer.

@Paulnicklen

Sirachai (Shin) Arunrugstichai is a Thai photojournalist, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

      Formally trained as a marine biologist, Shin studied community-based coral reef restoration and shark fisheries. But after witnessing detrimental changes in the marine environment that he loves, he shifted his career toward conservation photojournalism. It became his purpose to tell the stories of our complex relationships with the oceans, capturing both its horrors and hopes.

      Shin regularly works with conservation organizations, including IUCN, Save Our Seas Foundation, WildAid, Ocean Conservancy, and others, and also photographs news for Getty Images as a stringer. His images have been published by National Geographic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, TIME, and the Guardian, amongst others. His photographs were awarded in multiple prestigious international competitions, including Wildlife Photographers of the Year, Ocean Photographers of the Year, and Pictures of the Year International.

      Shin is a National Geographic Explorer, a Fellow International of the Explorer's Club, an Associated Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a Vital Impacts Fellow, one of the World Press Photo 6x6 Global Talents, an Xposure Global Focus Talent, listed among the PDN’s 30s, and the Explorer's Club EC50. He gave TEDx talks on marine conservation photography in Bangkok in 2017 and in Hong Kong in 2021. 

      Although his focus is now on conservation photojournalism, he is still active within the scientific community. Shin is a co-founder of Thai Sharks and Rays, an independent research collective, and he regularly collaborates on sharks and rays research in the Southeast Asia region, which he calls home. He serves as a technical advisor for the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of Thailand.

@shinalodon