André Musgrove

André Musgrove is an Underwater Photographer & Filmmaker, Freediver, Scuba Instructor & Dive Guide. Born & based in Nassau, Bahamas, affords him easy, unlimited access to the ocean to embark on new adventures and capture amazing moments and concepts. His passion for freediving, scuba diving and spearfishing photography allows him to live life consumed by the ocean and he wouldn’t have it any other way. With over 1,000 logged scuba dives and over a decade of freediving & spearfishing experience, he has a distinctive edge for shooting a variety of underwater interactions in unique and sometimes extreme, scenarios underwater along with a vast knowledge of underwater locations in The Bahamas. He aims to bring concepts to life through creative films and photos produced underwater to showcase the beauty of a healthy ocean and the animals that live there.

We had a chance to catch up with André and find out a bit more about his work.

Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got started taking underwater photos/video?

I was born, raised and currently based in The Bahamas, the ocean has played a big part in my childhood and my life. Diving came first in the form of Freediving and Spearfishing. I grew up spearfishing with my dad and this helped to increase my comfort level underwater at a very young age. I got started in Underwater Photography as a way to share my adventures with my friends who were not as active in the ocean as I was. Rather than just talking about them, I was able to bring my diving trip stories to life with photos and videos.

What gear have you used in the past?

I’ve used the Panasonic GH4 in a Nauticam housing. In the past, I’ve also used the Canon 7D MK2 in a Sea & Sea housing.

What system are you using now?

I’m using the Canon 5DMkIV (Primarily for stills) in a Nauticam housing with wide angle lenses, such as the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye or Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III along with a Nauticam 230mm Optical Glass Dome Port. Additionally, the Canon 1Dx MKII in the Nauticam housing (Primarily for video). I use Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes and 2 Keldan 8X CRI 96 Video Lights.

What do you like about your current gear?

Because I shoot most of my work while on breath hold and sometimes in very unpredictable situations, I really love the control placements on the housing. In many cases, I’ve had to shoot using only one hand and I was able to change my settings manually, compose and shoot thanks to the conveniently placed buttons on the housings. The tough build of the housing also gives me peace of mind that whether I’m on a bigger boat or just a dinghy, I know that my equipment inside the housing will be fine and can take the beating if necessary. An added bonus is that the black, white and red on the housing simply looks epic.

Tell us a bit about the kinds of diving you do, favorite locations, etc?

Most of the diving I do is on breath hold, freediving. I love shooting freedivers and/or underwater models in the marine environment, surrounded by & interacting with the animals that live there. My favorite dive locations are generally wherever the water is clear and there are a lot of marine animals around-big sharks, rays, turtles etc. So far my favorite dive locations have been in The Bahamas because of the variety of aquatic life and marine environments here and I’m happy to call it home. Freediving with these creatures is a one of a kind experience and shooting around them is even more fascinating. My bucket list dives are all the islands of The Bahamas, Socorro Islands and Baja California in Mexico.