After leaving school I traveled first to Egypt and then to the Cayman Islands, working as a diving instructor, and then as an underwater videographer filming tourists. At the time there was a brilliant underwater director named Mike Portelly, making various underwater commercials. I set my sights on working for his team and traveled back to the UK to try and get a foot in the door. It was tricky, but my persistence paid off and I eventually found work as a safety diver on film sets, pop promos and commercials. I went on to camera assist and clapper load on underwater documentaries around the world.
I stopped logging my dives at 1,500, so I’ve got quite a lot of diving experience. All the diving that I did when I was younger has been very valuable. When I’m underwater, I don’t think about it at all. Scuba is just a means of transport to get you where you want to be, which leaves me to concentrate on getting the shot.
The 'just jumped in' look is often in demand but getting people to jump in doesn't usually get the image that is required. I use a bubble screen; a tube with holes, into which a dose of compressed air is released and this shot for O'Neil clothing was done that way.