Alexandros Grymanis

The adventurous spirit of Alexandros Grymanis has led him to photograph action all over the world for global sports brands – the ambition of the athletes he shoots matched closely by his own. "You need to push yourself in my job, and not just be good but be yourself with your camera," says Alex, who has been travelling the world since 2009. "You'll never get bored. You'll get out there and have the freedom to do whatever you want."

The Canon Ambassador grew up in Peristeri, in the western part of Athens, Greece. His parents owned a sports shop where he spent time as a youngster, which gave him a sense of curiosity around athleticism. "As a child, I played football, did karate and skateboarding," he says. "Then I started snowboarding, surfing and climbing, which I still do now. I still enjoy the liberation that the extreme sports mindset can bring to my life."

Understanding the sport he is photographing has helped Alex gain prestigious clientele – from Red Bull and Vans to Adidas and Nike. He's now an official member of the Red Bull Photography team and his experience has also led to working with numerous commercial and fashion brands including Prada.

"If you know how to climb, for example, then you know what the best moment will be to capture, so I try to know as much as I can about the sport I'm shooting," he says. "I really enjoy being out there with athletes in nature and in the water because I like their mentality and how they push themselves to be at the top of their game. I try to have this mentality in my work, so if you compare the two things, they're pretty similar."

But it's also Alex's passion for adventure that fuels his creative spark. "I love how one day I can be in Canada and the next in Cape Town for a week," he says. "Freedom and creativity are unlimited as you have the light, the clouds, water and sand. There's so much varied scenery that you have no idea what to expect."

Alex's inspiration comes not only from sports and nature, though, but also from closer to home in the form of the Greek ocean contrasting with white coastal houses, and the "rough and raw" city of Athens. "The culture and people in the centre of Athens are amazing to photograph, but I have many different things that inspire me – I can see great images in fashion and in so many different photography fields."