One of the sad facts of climate change is that it is likely that we will lose whole species of aquatic creatures in the coming decades. Pharmacists spend their working hours keeping humans fit and healthy, but one has devoted his spare time to underwater photography, capturing some of nature that may no longer exist one day.
“When I was younger, I admired all [David] Attenborough’s natural history [shows],” Mr Ros tells the podcast.
“I’m always fascinated by wildlife and how all the creatures and plants have adapted themselves to our changing world.”
Mr Ros explains that studying botany while becoming a pharmacist “really attracted” him to nature, and that if he wasn’t a pharmacist, he would have wanted to be a wildlife photographer.
The Torquay-based pharmacist got into underwater photography after being bought a test dive by his colleagues, and despite photographing nature from around the world, Mr Ros’s passion lies with the coast on his doorstep.
“Especially being in UK waters, lots of people think: ‘Oh well, there’s nothing there, its murky, it’s dark, there’s no light.’ But when you know what to look at, what to look for, where to look for all those animals and creatures – it’s just another world,” he says.
Mr Ros recalls one “magical” occasion where the bay he was diving in was carpeted in spider crabs – but he is not averse to following any small critter that catches his eye. “Sometimes I find myself crouching or crawling on the floor, under a bush. I will follow that creature and hunt it down until I can get a picture.”
For those interested in getting involved, Mr Ros says underwater diving is fairly accessible, though learning to take pictures underwater is an art in and of itself.
“Everything underwater moves,” he explains. “If you have a bit of a wave or anything next to you makes the water move, you’re going to move alongside it, and the creature on that bit of kelp is not going to stay put for you, so you have chase it around and somehow move at the same speed.”
Underwater photographers have to attempt to float at the same velocity as what they are photographing for the image to be crisp and clear, Mr Ros says. “If you looked at another photographer trying to take a picture, they’re always contorted and positioned in a way that you wouldn’t have thought possible, humanly.”
Listen to the full podcast below
Chemist + Druggist pharmacy podcast · Pharmacists After Hours - Episode 4: Underwater Photography
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Find more of Mr Ros's photography here