This is what it looks like to be up close and personal with a great white shark.

New jersey schoolteacher Amanda Brewer captured the terrifying photo while cage diving in Mossel Bay, South Africa, this summer.

The 25-year-old amateur photographer was volunteering as scientific data collector for White Shark Africa when she took the close-up.

“I wasn't even a little bit frightened,” she told Time Lightbox.

“When you're there and you're in their presence, it's not scary.

“They're beautiful and graceful, and you can see how intelligent they are.”

Ms Brewer captured the detailed photo using a High Dynamic Range setting on a GoPro camera she bought just before the trip.

She has hung the photo in her classroom since returning to work and hopes it will be an inspiration to her students.