Yachting

ISLAND ICON

Bahamanian photograph­er André Musgrove captures jaw-dropping underwater images.

- By kristin baird rattini

André Musgrove is a photograph­er who brings the Bahamas’ undersea world to a legion of followers across the globe.

André musgrove’s ethereal underwater photos beg the question, “How does he do it?” His models stride on the ocean floor, glide alongside rays and sharks, and strike incredible poses amid the shipwrecks, grottoes and sculpture garden in the waters of the Bahamas. ¶ The key to these indelible images is that Musgrove and his models are all freedivers. They’re able to hold their breath throughout shoots as deep as 60 feet and subject themselves to the whims of wildlife and laws of physics, particular­ly buoyancy. “You have to be fully aware and conscious of your body and the environmen­t,” Musgrove says. Some shots require as many as 10 complex takes to capture. ¶ Musgrove, 24, started freediving at age 8 and was taking shots of his dives a few years later. “I wanted to share my experience­s with Mom and friends,” he says. He grew up watching the Discovery and National Geographic channels, but he wanted to create something different than just a photo of a shark or turtle. He says he feels honored to have since worked as a cinematogr­apher for those channels; his work is behind and in front of the camera during Shark Week shooting. But it’s his creative images that have earned him a large following and acclaim worldwide.

What is your mission with your creative photograph­y? I’m showing people that we can interact and harmonious­ly coexist in the marine environmen­t without being invasive. We can work in tandem with the ocean and its animals to show people what’s important and why we need to protect it by showing them the beauty—as well as the damage we’ve done. What is one of your favorite shooting locations? Thunderbal­l Grotto is an iconic spot in the Bahamas and so beautiful. At certain times of day, the light beams shine down through the cave and pierce through the water.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States