Stunning cover of June Scuba Diving by Alex Mustard

Wetpixel's own Dr. Alex Mustard graced the cover of the June issue of Scuba Diving with a stunning image of a Grey seal photographed in the UK. Well done!

Got the issue through Zinio for iPad, and the mag looks great in this format.

Ahh, I just got this one also.

Congrats Alex

Todd

I have not seen it, electronic or print, and because they had 3-4 of my vertical seal shots I actually don't know which one it is.

I have looked on their website - where there are several of my Cayman Island tourism images promoting an event there (Giles modelling again), but no sign of the cover.

Anyway, I am very pleased because it was a picture taken in the UK. British UW pictures are regularly on the covers of our magazines (I had one last month), but because of the nature of our waters (poor photography conditions) and that our diving is nice, but often unspectacular, very few people come to the UK to dive, it is very rare for a british underwater picture to be on the cover of a non-UK diving magazine. I can't think of the last time.

Alex

I have not seen it, electronic or print, and because they had 3-4 of my vertical seal shots I actually don't know which one it is.

 

I have looked on their website - where there are several of my Cayman Island tourism images promoting an event there (Giles modelling again), but no sign of the cover.

 

Anyway, I am very pleased because it was a picture taken in the UK. British UW pictures are regularly on the covers of our magazines (I had one last month), but because of the nature of our waters (poor photography conditions) and that our diving is nice, but often unspectacular, very few people come to the UK to dive, it is very rare for a british underwater picture to be on the cover of a non-UK diving magazine. I can't think of the last time.

 

Alex

By sheer coincidence, the front cover of last month's Duiken was a UK-shot front cover - see Duiken. I think one could argue that diving in the Netherlands is perhaps equal to, or perhaps even more challenging than the UK so we are not really comparing like-for-like with respect to the tropical biased dive magazines with this particular shot.

But it always cheers my sprits to hear a UK image push out the blue water stuff....its a rare thing indeed.Nice one Alex.

It's a shame more don't visit our temperate waters. Scapa is popular with overseas divers, but it's not your 3mm shorty destination that's for sure.

Great stats, Simon. It is a rarity, indeed. Maybe there should be a club in BSoUP for it!

I have got the seal shot narrowed down to two now. Both from the Farne Islands.

Alex

Great stats, Simon. It is a rarity, indeed. Maybe there should be a club in BSoUP for it!

Alex

Small club ;-)

Norway has yielded three front covers, but it's easier to get a front cover in the fiords in my view. Still green water tho'

It is the one with the seal somewhat vertical in the shot coming up from the bottom and has the orange mouth. Belly directly facing you. It is from Farne based on what you say about it.

I would try to snap an image but it is at home and would not be till tonight.

Cheers

Todd

It is the one with the seal somewhat vertical in the shot coming up from the bottom and has the orange mouth. Belly directly facing you. It is from Farne based on what you say about it.

Cool. I know which one it is now! The orange mouth comes from foraging on the rusty wrecks around the Farnes.

Here is a screen grab of the RAW files in Lightroom. I reckon it is number 4. I thought it could have been number 1, because that one gives the most space for text and crop, but that doesn't show the belly. My favourite as an image (not as a cover) is number 6, which picked me up a highly commended in the Italian Asferico Wildlife Photog Contest (although I am yet to see the book of winners), and is now part of the 2020VISION image collection. The cover is almost certainly number 4.

Alex

p.s. Simon, you are ahead of me on Norwegian covers. I only have one, but I consider that a decent return from just 4 dives! Getting covers from top-class and top-conditions cold water dive destinations like Norway and Canada is not as cool as getting overseas covers from UK diving!

#4 is correct

Great shot Alex! It is great to see a UK shot on a US magazine front cover!

Adam

Great shot Alex! It is great to see a UK shot on a US magazine front cover!

Thanks Adam and thanks for organising the day in the Farnes. I wish all UK diving days were as productive as those two at Capernwray shooting the VW beetle and trout, and then seals in the Farnes (oh, and pizza in between).

Thanks to Todd for scanning the cover for me, and for pointing out that the seal has clearly been eating Cheetos.

It is interesting how much space you need around a subject to work on a cover - with the cropping to the format and text going on top.

Alex

When this magazine arrived in my mail I was eager to know why the seal had an orange mouth and went directly to the cover photo insert to find out.

Great job Alex on an image that is not only well composed and lighted but also tells a wonderful story about the seal's life around UK's Farnes wrecks.

Phil Rudin

Thanks, Phil. I am just kicking myself for not giving the magazine the Cheetos story instead!

Alex

Maybe the seal was not eating the Cheetos but .....

Todd

nice shot Alex. also good point on the needed space, you will note there wasn't enough space at the top even as the head cut into the words.

Covers are definitely a different animal when it comes to composition.

What was the relevance of the English dive to the mag? They did a story on English diving?!?! Don't see a mention of seals on the cover titles

Great shot Alex!

Gongrats Alex!

Good job!

I love the shot, too, Alex, and in addition to it being British, it's nice to see see a green-water shot featured. I think a lot of divers only think of (and it's reinforced by dive magazines) diving as blue-water sport, when there is actually some really nice green-water diving around the world (including here in the Pacific NW portion of the U.S. and BC, Canada).

Beautiful cover shot Alex. But I'm really LMAO at the possible Cheetos connections...Great job.

Beautiful cover shot Alex. But I'm really LMAO at the possible Cheetos connections...Great job.

Why do you think he was so close?! Alex