Each July around the full moon , an ground forces descend upon the water of Gallic Polynesia with a shared finish : to make the ocean , ever so briefly , burst in a paroxysm of grouper sex . The famously well - ordinate and fleeting collecting of these enormous fish attract the attention of a lot of shark and , in recent year , nautical biologists . Now , a photo capturing the rent - secondspawning of disguise groupershas won lensman and marine life scientist Laurent Ballesta the title of London ’s Natural History Museum ’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 .

We view up with Ballesta after the news of his triumph broke to hear more about his journey to becoming such a proficient tracker and photographer of fish , and how it palpate to see a photo that take half a decade to capture receive such high acclaim .

What do you do ?

I am a photographer and marine biologist .

What did it take to get here ?

I grew up by the Mediterranean Sea , so at an former historic period I started to explore underwater as my parents would lay at the beach . I was found of Cousteau series and dissemble to hold on my own expeditions along his side .

Then I stated scuba diving at the age of 13 geezerhood honest-to-goodness and have n’t break since then .

Underwater photography come a few geezerhood later as I felt the need to show people and especially my family and booster what was to be seen down there , as they doubt my incredible news report .

I learn Marine surround and create my company Andromède Oceanology along with my in force friend in college Pierre Descamps . After 12 years work with Nicolas Hulot for the French television set programme USHUAIA , I started my own expeditions , named after GOMBESSA the Latimeria chalumnae , Whom I first photographed down at – 120 m [ 394 feet ] in south Africa in 2010 .

How does it feel to have won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 ?

I am very lofty , not only for myself but also for my squad , because I have guys patronize me in these dives to make the good out of the crack . It took 5 years and 3000 time of day of diving event to get this photograph , masses have to be fully consecrate .

I am also very happy for the plaza itself . This cloud of eggs , of uncertain fate , is shaped like a question marking . I see it as a symbol , that of the uncertainties hanging over the future of global biodiversity , even in places as unspoiled as the Fakarava Reserve in French Polynesia , relegate as Man & Biosphere by UNESCO .

To me , this accolade is a tribute to this beautiful shoes showing that preservation is key to protect valuable birthright and I hope it will make the people in billing of this place proud to work for its conservation .

Can you tell us a trivial about the story behind your winning photo ?

Every year , for five years , my team and I return to this lagoon in Fakarava , French Polynesia , diving day and nighttime so as not to miss the annual spawning of camouflage groupers that only take place around the full moon of July . This event is so dissipated that it is impossible to see it with the naked centre . I only discover my images after the dive .

What ’s the most common misconception about your line of piece of work ?

That I spend most of my fourth dimension on the subject . place these expedition together is a lot of function workplace to be rewarded with the diving .

Do you have any particularly funny or horrific stories from your time submersed ?

When we came to Fakarava for the first metre in 2014 , I had planned a 24 - 60 minutes dive at 20 meters [ 66 fundament ] . No one had ever dive at night in the channel . We were here for the spawning but had no idea before the dive that 700 sharks ( my team and I counted them ) were hunting the groupers at nighttime . I was quite something to be suddenly surrounded by hundreds of excited sharks patrolling the bottom in search for the concealment grouper .

What ’s one piece of advice you ’d give to someone wanting to enter on the same career ?

Do not have a career architectural plan ! savor what you love doing , and keep your fingers crossed that someday it might work out , do n’t do it just for calling intention .

desire to listen more about life as an submersed lensman ? crack out our interview with cameraman and underwater stuntmanAndré Musgrove .