David Doubilet is a renowned underwater photographer known for his work with National Geographic exploring the deep sea. He uses unique techniques like a split lens camera to capture both underwater and above water perspectives. Doubilet is praised for his ability to find the decisive moment in his photos that tell a story. His impressive compositions and mastery of underwater lighting help document the beauty of the natural world beneath the surface.

1. David Doubilet
Underwater Photographer
Photography Presentation by:
Lee Zheng Wei
Lasalle Animation Diploma Level 2 ANN 3B / 13051

2. Profile
Contract Freelance
Photographer for the
National Geographic
Society.
Explores the deep an its
magnificent discoveries it
has to offer, and bringing
them closer to viewers
with his unique skills and
techniques of his
underwater photography.

3. David Doubilet is known for his works in the National Geographic
Society and its diverse publications, which also appeared
worldwide in other magazines and books.
He is an avid diver and underwater, always keen on discovering
and exploring the world of the deep, and taking professional
photographs as he does so.

4. AWARDS
in 1969 the prestigious "Sara Prize and International
Award" given by Mondo Sommerso Magazine in Italy,
first American and the youngest person
In 1975, he was named "Diver of the Year" by the
Boston Sea Rovers, one of the diving world’s most
honorable organizations.
He received several honorable mentions by the National Press Photographer’s
Association over the last decade
In 1993 he was honored in France by winning first place trophy in the Professional
Category of an international contest sponsored by C.M.A.S. (World Underwater
Federation);
He appeared as Guest of Honor at the 20th World Festival of Underwater
Photography in Cap D'Antibes.

5. Style
His style of underwater photography is very unique :
Using a split lens camera, he keeps the top half of the lens above
the water and the bottom half below, resulting in a fascinating
perspective, which allows the viewer to see both the world of land
and sea connected by a thin line.

6. Cartier-Bresson
decisive moment in
his photos.
He uses a strobe light
to produce regular
flashes of light for his
underwater
photography.

7. Contributions to the field of photography
His images are prized for both their scientific value and their
aesthetic beauty, as with every dive he seeks to explore and at
the same time capture every moment and discover new species
of fishes in the deep.
His invention of the split lens camera gave the world of
photography a variety of shots to explore with, with a whole
new type of compositions in photographs.

8. Influence
Actively documenting our changing
underwater worlds.
A popular speaker and instructor,
Doubilet has appeared on the
"Today Show" on NBC-TV and is in
demand for his lectures and slide
shows at universities, underwater
film festivals and clubs (the
Explorer’s Club and the Harvard Club
both in NYC) around the world.
He has been promoting and raising
awareness about and protecting
oceans, beaches and wildlife.

9. Commercial
His commercial work includes several ad campaigns
for clients such as Kodak, Fa Soap, Vitaspa,
Seagrams, and Microsoft.
He did the still photography for two films - THE
DEEP and SPLASH.
first book, LIGHT IN THE SEA, was published in 1989
second book PACIFIC: AN UNDERSEA JOURNEY
was published in 1992
David has authored seven books on the sea.
The most recent are: Fish Face by Phaidon
Publishers (2003), The Kingdom of Coral: Australia’s
Great Barrier Reef by National Geographic Books
(2002) and Water Light and Time by Phaidon
Publishers (1999).

10. Special techniques
“…While technique and planning are the bedrock of successful
underwater photography, preparation alone isn’t enough.”
“You’re feeling, a moment, almost a wistfulness. You have to think
poetically.”
Doubilet uses a strobe
light to produce regular
flashes of light for his
underwater
photography.
Split lens camera for a 4 point perspective of two
worlds - land and sea.
Uses black and white film and played with
correction filters to improve contrast in selective
areas.

11. His works are distinguishable by:
His split lens camera photography of land and sea - resulting in a unique style
of land-sea photography.

12. Cartier-Bresson decisive moment in all his photos, that is able to tell
a story with just a photograph.

13. His amazing compositions where he captures the vibrant colours and wonders
of the deep, where it is really dark – attainable by his usage of a strobe light.

14. Learning from his works…
Looking at photography as an The ability to balance the
attempt to incorporate the complementary colours and the
breathtaking moments of our
lives and showing the balance of asymmetrical compositions of his
life. photos.
The importance of predicting The difficulty of getting a good light
the ‘moment’ and converting it
onto film. source or exposure under the sea.

15. 1/3 rule with focus on the diver
Complementary colours with an asymmetrical balance in composition that
shows the beauty of the deep sea.

16. The split lens photography that shows both worlds with completely different
perspectives – the beauty of the deep and the vast sky on the surface.
His understanding of the importance of light in the deep and his usage of strobe lights
to aid in his style of underwater photography to capture the perfect moments in time.

17. His alertness as an underwater diver / photographer in looking out for such moments
or details that are aesthetically pleasing – the composition for this piece brings the
focus to the clownfish in the centre as the surroundings are gradually blurred out.
This is also done with the shooting of this photograph in the right moment, at the
right time.

18. The right balance and composition of his photographs that were taken in
the right moment.
It showcases the beauty that nature has got to offer us if we step into this
world of the deep.

19. His understanding of how light works underwater and
his impressive compositions of asymmetrical balance
that gives all his images an extra push.