About Me - Part I

I've had some feedback on my blog:

"You should do an in depth 'About Me' - if someone is reading your advice, how can they judge your credibility?"

Good point. So, despite this seeming a tad indulgent I'll go ahead with this. Actually, it may even inspire others, after all, if I can do it?

Edit: OK - this is quite a long entry, I've just realised that a lot of 'stuff' happened to get me where I am today. So if you think this may bore you, I'd skip this post and the Part II.

But if you're interested? Read on.

There are a few questions I like to ask at the start of my seminars:

Who has had any training in journalism? (Not me)

Who among you is a professionally taught photographer? (Ditto)

How many of you only just passed their English language qualification age 16? (That'll be me)

I've been contributing to diving (and a few other niche titles) magazines since 1996 - the result? Over 300 articles, columns, news pieces, reviews and features. I've been paid to visit some spectacular locations, conduct interviews with celebrities, cover competitions, review equipment, books, DVDs, hotels, restaurants and even apres dive bars (all of this on someone else's budget and I was paid to do it!).

It's been an incredible journey - which all started off when I was seven years old, with a cheap mask and flippers in Abersoch, North Wales. In 1974 (aged 11) I joined the Hazel Grove and Bramhall BSAC who had a snorkeling club for children. We joined the 'grown ups' on their diving adventures, normally in quarries, lakes and the North Wales coast where we were taught snorkeling skills. The rest of the time we battled with each other in the pool playing octopush - a form of underwater hockey (how I inherited my only sporting scar). At 15, in the 'Blue Pool,' (quarry in North Wales - not very blue) I had the chance to don a tank and do my first dive. Back then you had to be 16 to dive, so this was all a big secret, but that's where the fascination started.

At Dundee University I learnt how to dive properly. Some outstanding memories, most of them associated with being cold and the standing order of, 'pee in your wetsuit as soon as you get in' (we had no dry suits back then).

A few non diving years later (embarked on a career - very serious young man putting all of his time into what was 'important') I ended up working in Bermuda where I rediscovered diving and how a career isn't all that - it's just a way of enabling you to do other 'stuff.'

The diving and the social life that came with the Bermuda BSAC are memories I'll treasure forever - especially the parties and Wednesday evenings at the club house. In 1991 I was at the club bar when one of my regular buddies got me drunk and talked me into joining him for an underwater photography intro course. I had to be drunk as I thought all the club's photographers were super geeks - on my organised dives I always buddied them with each other so they wouldn't spoil everyone else's enjoyment.

But that's when I caught the bug. I didn't learn too much about technique on the weekend course, in the main it was how the Nikonos V worked and how to put it together so it wouldn't flood. But on that weekend I was introduced to Howard Hall's guide to underwater photography - a superb book, full of, 'if you do this - you'll get these results...' type guidance. I dreamt of diving in the locations featured in the book's pages, especially the cove at La Jolla, San Diego.

In 1992, in Roatan, I met Steve and Renee, a newly married couple from San Diego. Steve was at about the same stage in his fascination with underwater photography, and together, the three of us embarked on some 'super-geek' photography dives. I remembered thinking how I'd love to write an article for DIVER magazine (I'd been reading it for years) on this place. I had some reasonable pictures so why not?

I answered that question myself with the wrong answers: because you're not a journalist, because you're pictures aren't good enough and you can't write (my teachers told me this and they're always right apparantly).

In 1997 I returned to Roatan with my wife on an assignment for DIVER. Coincidentally, Steve and Renee joined us and I did get to write the article on diving in Roatan.  

More in part II (when I get round to it) - how I broke into the world of travel and diving photojournalism. How I discovered how easy it was and how anyone who can put two sentences together can do it.

Keep writing...

Brendan