Dr. James Brock and scuba diving go a long way back.
“My father taught me to scuba dive with some surplus gear he had when I was five years old,” the now 52-year-old OB/GYN said.
But interests are often put aside as kids grow up, and so it was with scuba diving for Brock. For a number of years, he literally kept his head above water. In 1989, however, he returned to diving, and it’s been a regular pastime ever since. And it’s not just the lure of the sport that attracts him; it’s also the colorful world beneath the surface.
In fact, that underwater world so fascinated Brock that he felt compelled to somehow preserve it. He not only wanted to be able to relive his underwater experiences later, but to also share them. So in 1999, he combined scuba diving with another of his hobbies, photography, and began capturing some amazing images of marine life.
“You see a lot there that you want to take back with you and show others,” he said. “The colors are what surprise people.”
When he first began shooting underwater, Brock used a standard 35mm camera with film, but he has since switched to a digital camera. To protect it from damage, the camera is enclosed in a waterproof housing. An attached strobe or other light source must be utilized to reveal the surprisingly vivid hues of the deep.
And although Brock is exceedingly modest about the skill it takes to shoot digital photos underwater, he admits that it’s not just a matter of point-and-shoot.
“There’s a little bit to it,” he said. “You can’t just put the camera on ‘auto’ and shoot. It takes a little effort.”
In the underwater world, Brock prefers to photograph small fish, what are generally called “macros,” because “everybody takes pictures of the big fish.” Some his favorites are toadfish, parrotfish, moray eels and angelfish. He also enjoys taking photos of lobsters and stingrays — and notably, has never been stung. But his absolute favorite photo subjects are the slender little blennies that flit among the reefs and rocks near the ocean floor.
“They have such funny, expressive faces, and they’re usually surrounded by so much color,” he said.
In Brock’s opinion, Grand Cayman is a great venue for underwater photography. But he particularly enjoys visiting Cozumel, a Caribbean island off the eastern coast of Mexico, featuring rainforests, Mayan ruins and, of course, great scuba diving. But above all, “the people there are nice,” he said.
Professionally, Brock has practiced for 22 years at Trinity Medical Center (formerly, Baptist Medical Center-Montclair) and is now the only male in a four-physician practice called Affinity Women’s Health Care. His partners are Drs. Jennifer Maddox, Beverly Alten and Heather Christie, a trio of relatively new doctors for whom Brock has a great appreciation.
“They spoil me rotten,” he laughed. But on a more serious note he added, “They’re young, bright and up on all the new information.”
Brock is currently gearing toward dropping obstetrics from his practice and treating only women in their post-reproductive years. The others partners will continue practicing both obstetrics and gynecology.
A Birmingham native, Brock is single and the father of James, 22, and Katie, 20. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in 1977. He subsequently earned his medical degree and completed a residency at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.
Brock’s professional affiliations include the Greater Birmingham OB/GYN Society, the Jefferson County Medical Society and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
In addition to his penchant for scuba diving and underwater photography, Brock takes what seems to be a less enthusiastic — but no less determined — approach to another sport.
“I’m a bad golfer,” he said. “A good day for me is not losing more than three balls.”
January 2008
