What happened before the click... Photographers tell the story behind a special picture. This time: a chance encounter underwater, which developed into something almost like a friendship...
I was about to head back to shore after spending almost two hours photographing the mauve stinger, a jellyfish I had spotted off the coast of Alicante (Spain) a few days earlier. Near a breakwater, however, I came across some submerged structures that looked like small artificial reefs. Among the fish sheltering in their holes, a male ringneck blenny (Parablennius pilicornis) caught my attention.
It was almost completely black, with dark blue and purple hues, its reddish eyes seeming to follow me whenever I got closer. It would hide in one of the holes, only to poke its head out again a moment later. I found its expression amusing, especially when it looked straight at me.
I decided to stay a little longer. I had been photographing it for about half an hour when I realised it was also curious about the movements of my hand and the underwater strobe. The fish was about three metres below the surface, so I could observe and photograph it while freediving. After taking a few more conventional portraits, I wanted to try something different. I moved my hand above the camera, and the fish turned its attention towards it again, its eyes wide open and the tentacles above its eyes pointing upwards. I seized the moment and took the shot.
Over the next three days, I returned to the same spot several times. Little by little, the fish seemed less wary of me, and I managed to photograph it outside the holes where it usually hid, experimenting with different compositions and lighting. But the sea conditions worsened, and I stopped seeing it. After those encounters, I had to say goodbye to my little Mediterranean neighbour.
Alex Basha is a photographer and journalist based in the Canary Islands, specialising in biodiversity, conservation and the marine environment. Through documentary photography and journalism, he tells stories about wildlife, conservation efforts and the relationship between people and nature. He collaborates with NGOs and conservation organisations to document their work and highlight environmental issues. More about his work at alexbasha.com