The Story Behind the Shot

Getting to Know Sport Diver Contributor and Diving Society Member David Doubilet

In the world of underwater imagery, there is one photographer whose work has remained at the pinnacle of achievement practically from the moment he took up scuba diving and underwater photography at age 12. Even among the world's leading underwater photographers, there is a consensus that Doubilet's ability to wrangle light, mood and emotion into a still image that defines the essence of a moment or place in the sea is unsurpassed. His images step beyond the scene into the ephemeral element that tells a complete story, of which more is revealed with each viewing.

This ability has kept Doubilet at the forefront of underwater photography, constantly redefining the boundaries with each excursion into the water. It has also kept him busy as a National Geographic photographer since 1971. In 2001, he was named a contributing photographer-in-residence for the National Geographic Society. He's shot more than 60 stories for National Geographic, many of which included groundbreaking images of leaping great white sharks, fluorescing corals, the USS Arizona, Cuba, WWII wrecks and a myriad of other creatures large and small. The breadth and scope of his work is astounding, and there are few wet corners of the globe that he has not considered, defined and captured with his cameras. His honors and awards are too numerous to list in full, but he's been awarded the Sara Prize, an Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award; he's also an honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society of London.

For Sport Diver magazine, he's shot stories on South Africa, Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and his award-winning work will appear in a monthly column called The Story Behind the Shot, beginning with the July issue. His images have also appeared in Sport Diver's prestigious photo annuals. We're, of course, thrilled to have Doubilet's work on our pages.

Doubilet's books include, among others, Kingdom of Coral: Australia's Great Barrier Reef; World of Moonlight: Selected Underwater Photos and, most recently, Fish Face, all of which can be purchased on Amazon.com.