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National Geographic Underwater Photographer
Click below to listen to 10 minute interview.
Interview Recap
David Doubliet’s underwater imagery is considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues across the globe. He has photographed over 70 stories for the National Geographic Magazine, where he is currently a contributing photographer in residence. In addition to National Geographic, David’s work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide, and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US). He has also authored twelve books on the sea.
1. As an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic, what exactly do you do?
Answer: As an underwater photographer, my partner, Jennifer Hayes, and I travel across the world to take pictures underwater, talk about the ocean and talk about the creatures that live in the ocean. Occasionally we’ll do stories about history and about historical events that took place in the sea. National Geographic Magazine is the primary magazine I work for and have worked with for nearly 35 years. Our passion is the ocean. Jennifer is the marine biologist and I am the photographer. We are also both writers.
2. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Answer: Exploring the sea. Beneath the water’s surface lies a world that is not only fascinating, but incredibly beautiful.
3. What do you dislike about your job?
Answer: The most difficult part is getting to the locations. This includes packing, transportation, loading and unloading equipment, setting up the cameras and getting into the water. But once we’re in the water and shooting, everything becomes worthwhile.
4. What steps do teens need to take to become an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: To become an underwater photographer, you first have to enjoy being underwater. It requires long hours of diving. You also need a passion. Photography is not just about taking pictures. It’s about following your interests and your passions, whether it’s underwater, taking pictures of horses, fashion or friends. It’s all about following your heart visually and photographically.
5. What could teens do—Right Now—to follow their dream of becoming an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: If you’re interested in the ocean, the first step is to become a diver or snorkeler, and to look around under water. You can also begin with a simple camera and then graduate into a camera with a wide angle lens. Then begin to look at how light works in the sea, and learn about the biology and history of the sea.
6. Where can teens go to find more information about you and becoming an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: You can visit our website, www.DavidDoubilet.com. You can also go to the National Geographic website www.nationalgeographic.com, where they will lead you down many photographic paths, including one to the sea.
There are many universities and courses you could take in photography. The Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara is one of the best photography schools in the country. The University of Miami has wonderful journalism courses along with marine biology courses. The University of Missouri at Columbia is one of the prime journalist schools in the country. Rochester Institute of Technology is a wonderful place to go as well.
The Maine Photographic Workshop in Rockport, Maine and the Santa Fe Workshops will teach you basic photography and advanced photography.
Photography is mostly dreaming and seeing. It is a wonderful way to earn a living, though it’s very competitive. The only way you can beat the other photographer is to dream a different dream and to think about a different direction. It helps to look at as much art as possible, so spend time in museums. Look at the way people look at light and capture light, either on canvas or on film.
When you pick up a camera, don’t pick it up and say I’ll just fool around with this. Even if you’re a teenager, be serious. This is a world that’s open to everyone—even teenagers.
Resources
1. David Doubilet’s website: www.DavidDoubilet.com
2. National Geographic: www.NationalGeographic.com (They also have photo camps for youth.)
3. Brooks Institute of Photography: www.Brooks.edu
4. University of Miami: www.Miami.edu
5. University of Missouri at Columbia: www.Missouri.edu
6. Rochester Institute of Technology: www.Rit.edu
7. Maine Photographic Workshop: www.theworkshops.com (They also have workshops for youth.)
8. Santa Fe Photographic Workshops: www.SantaFeWorkshops.com
About David Doubilet
David Doubilet is honored to have his underwater imagery considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues the world over. He has photographed over 70 stories for the National Geographic Magazine where he is currently a Contributing Photographer-in-Residence. David has documented our changing underwater world since his first assignment with the Geographic in 1971. In addition to the Geographic, David’s work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US).
Born in New York City in 1946, David began shooting underwater at the age of 12 using a Brownie Hawkeye camera in an improvised housing - a rubber anesthesiologist’s bag from his father’s hospital. His teen years found him submerged off the New Jersey coast and in the Caribbean waters surrounding tiny Small Hope Bay, Bahamas. He built a passion for the sea and everything in it. David graduated from Boston University in 1970.
David’s challenge to himself is to redefine photographic boundaries each time he enters the water. His passion is the undersea majesty of light and how to capture it. Completely at home on a coral reef, a World War II wreck, a deep dark fjord or among the great giants in our sea, David has relentlessly pursued the many hidden layers of coral reefs around the globe. His cold water work has immersed him in the rich waters of New Zealand, Tasmania, Scotland, Japan, the Northwest Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. Recent photographic journeys have taken him into some of the largest freshwater systems on our planet such as the great Okavango Delta system in Botswana and the St. Lawrence River.
David has authored twelve 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). He is the recipient of the many prestigious awards, including: The Sara Prize, The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award in Photography. David is a member of both the Royal Photographic Society and International Diving Hall of fame.
David enjoys life in Clayton, New York, a small river town in the Thousands Islands region of the St. Lawrence River where life is about old wooden boats, an emerald freshwater studio and ships from around the world passing his window. His second home is the small coastal town of DeKelders, South Africa. David has a beautiful, exuberant daughter, Emily Dara Doubilet studying at Oberlin College.