Laura Coventry catches up with underwater photographer Dr Alex Mustard.
IF you have to be brave to do something, you’re probably doing it wrong,” underwater photographer Dr Alex Mustard insists.
Of course, that’s because, before every dive at home or abroad, Alex plans meticulously – as it’s a very important part of underwater photography.
“I have been in the water with loads of potentially dangerous creatures, from alligators to sharks,” he says, “but I work with local experts and I always follow their advice.
“It would be a lose-lose situation if I didn’t.”
Speaking from his family holiday in Sardinia, Italy, Alex is taking a well-earned break before he heads over to Papua New Guinea for his next dive trip to capture some of the world’s most striking marine life.
As someone who managed to turn his hobby of underwater photography into his career, Alex is very lucky, and he knows it.
“I have an extraordinary job, but I try to have a normal life,” he says.
“One of the things I love about being self-employed is that I am still able to do the school run and live a normal life.”
However, as he points out, he never really set out to become a photographer.
“It was my love of marine life and underwater life that came first,” he explains.
“I was fascinated by fish.
“When I was the age my daughter is now – seven – you could hand me any book on marine life and I could name all the fish.
“Because I was fascinated with individual species, I wanted to photograph and record them, rather than do anything artistic.”
As it turned out, Alex was the only “water baby” in the family – as his parents feared the water – so photography was a way for Alex to share what he was seeing with his loved ones.
The marine biology graduate, who also has a PhD in marine ecology, was just nine years old when he began photographing underwater.
By the time he was in his late teens, he was relatively experienced and talented in the field.
But it wasn’t until he won a national photography competition that he began to realise this.
“Being named Young Amateur Photographer of The Year was the first time I’d won a national award for my photography,” Alex recounts.
“What gave me a boost was that it was a general photography competition,” he adds, “and
