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Dr. Alexander Mustard
Alexander Mustard, or Dr Mustard as he is called during the week, is a marine biologist, award winning underwater photographer and founder of YUP (the Young Underwater Photographers' group). And he is only 27 years old!
Charlotte of Dive Global talks to Dr. Alexander Mustard about his career in Marine Biologly, his one year old Y.U.P and his success in underwater photography.
Charlotte: Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got so passionately involved in everything ocean?
Alexander: I don't really remember every really making a big decision. As a child at home I kept tropical fish, at school my favourite lessons were science and on holiday I loved snorkelling with marine life. By the time I was 10 I knew the name of every fish I ever saw (I was certainly better at fish ID than I am now). So I didn't really have much choice in the matter. It has just been a roller coaster ride and I guess the only decision I have made is not to get off.
Charlotte: You won at the prestigous Festival Mondial de l'image Sous Marine in Antibes last year. Not one, two but FOUR awards, now what about that?
 Alexander: Bribery. I remember when I was at school telling (boring) all my friends that I would one day take part in this fabulous world underwater film Festival in France. So taking part and doing well in the Festival really means a lot to me. There is also the bonus that it all takes place in the glorious Riviera providing a most welcome break from the UK's grey November skies.
Charlotte: Can you tell us a bit about the photos you submitted and why you think they won? (the photo to the right won first price in the black & white category)
Alexander: think any photographer who has ever entered a photo competition would tell you that one key ingredient for success is a large slice of luck. Judging is completely subjective. In other words, with different judges you would get different results. I submitted 6 prints to the competition, and the 4 that received awards were all taken on my summer holiday to Grand Cayman in 2002.
I tried to choose pictures that I felt were mine. By that I mean, images that I hadn't seen in other peoples' portfolios. And I guess the judges went for that. Amusingly, the image that won the black and white section was my least favourite. See what I mean about judging? If I had been a judge!
 Charlotte: What does you research involve at the Southampton Oceanography Center?
Alexander: Bugs and ocean weather. I should explain. You know weather systems in the atmosphere - those big onions (cyclones and anticyclones) you see on weather charts? Well, within the water of the ocean there are also cyclones and anticyclones but these eddies are smaller and move more slowly. Now the lifetime of ocean plankton is about the same as these ocean eddies, so plankton can have the equivalent of a good or a bad weather life. My research looks at the consequence of this ocean weather for how the open ocean plankton ecosystem works.
Charlotte: Being a marine biologist and obviously interested in preserving the oceans, do you feel that underwater photography can have a negative influence on the marine environment?
Alexander: There is no reason why underwater photography should have a negative influence on the environment. But certainly there ARE photographers out there who put getting the image before the environment. And as a result underwater photography is getting a bad rep. I think it is important that photographers both behave in the water and take pictures that show divers behaving and don't show stressed marine life. That said, even if all photographers were as bad as the worst ones, their damage would hardly be the greatest threat to the marine environment. Unfortunately there is rather a long queue for that title (pollution, over-fishing, global warming etc). Divers often have a pretty biased view of marine conservation, it is not uncommon to see a diver yelled at on a dive boat for touching coral, but nobody shouts at the diver who eats lobster in the evening.
 Charlotte:
You are both a photographer and a marine biologist. You think it was instrumental in your success as an underwater photographer?
Alexander: Yes (and no). Of course when I want to photograph reef fish behaviour etc it is invaluable. Generally, I have a much better idea of what a fish will do next and when the crucial moment is during a behavioural sequence to press the shutter. I know when and where to look for species and behaviour and can make sense of things more quickly when I see them. But fish don't read textbooks and much of time they do precisely the opposite of what one might expect from scientific studies. Also, it is hardly essential to know all about stingray osmoregulation to take their picture!
Charlotte:
Now about YUP. I understand it is a site where young photographers can showcase their work?
Alexander: Yeah. YUP really came about because I found it pretty tough being a young submersed snapper. I started taking pictures in the sea when I was 9. And I was very bad at it. But even worse, I had no idea how to get better. I didn't know any other uw photographers, I didn't know about uw photo societies, shops, equipment, who would publish my pictures and so on. But by the time I was 26 I did, and I decided I could share this and started YUP. YUP is really aimed at me aged 10, keen to learn more about uw photography, and looking for a place to start. But of course the information benefits lots of other people in the process. YUP has also given me the excuse to meet loads of great people and gives me more satisfaction than anything else I have done in underwater photography. I am thrilled when one of the members gets a picture published after an editor has seen their work on YUP. I am more pleased when another member has success in a competition than when I do!
 Charlotte: What advice can you impact on young aspiring underwater photographers? You are obviously a great role model!
Alexander: Join YUP! Oh, and get a digital camera. Digital compacts are by far the best way into underwater photography at the moment. They work better than film cameras, they are easier to use and you learn faster seeing your results. And most are a lot cheaper than a Nikonos.
Charlotte: What is your favorite diving destination
for underwater photograpy and why?
Alexander: This is something I have learned from cameraman Peter Scoones. The best place for underwater photography is the place you know best. UW cameras are not flexible! The top shots come when you know what you are going to see, have ideas in mind of how you want to capture it, and go into the water with your kit optimised to get it. So whether it is a pinnacle in the Red Sea or the Sandbar in Grand Cayman it is knowing what to expect that matters most for photography.
In April I went to Thailand for 10 days diving and did 33 dives at one site in the Similans and 20 dives at Richelieu Rock and only 2 dives at another site. Sure I missed stuff I would have seen on other sites, but this sort of diving gets "the chestnuts".
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