David Doubilet
David Doubilet is a celebrated National Geographic photographer who reveals two worlds at once, uniting life above and below the water's surface in one frame.
Audubon of the Sea
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Rolex Testimonee
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Master Photographer
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Audubon of the Sea • Rolex Testimonee • Master Photographer •
More about David
Legendary underwater photographer David Doubilet has spent his career illuminating the depths of our ocean. For five decades as a National Geographic photographer, David has documented the far corners of the world—from the Okavango Delta in Botswana to the Coral Triangle of Raja Ampat, Indonesia, to deep beneath polar ice—producing nearly 80 feature stories for the magazine and twelve books. David expertly uses photography to advance conservation efforts.
Since he first put his Brownie Hawkeye camera in a rubber anesthesiologist’s bag at the age of twelve, David has spent over 27,000 hours underwater. His recent monograph, Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea features an essay by Astronaut Kathy Sullivan. His award-winning Water Light Time documented his first 25 years underwater, and the beloved Fish Face introduced the ocean’s cast of characters.
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David’s awards include Picture of the Year, BBC Wildlife, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo of the Year. David is a member of the Academy of Achievement, Royal Photographic Society, International League of Conservation Photographers, and International Diving Hall of Fame. A Rolex Testimonee, David is also the recipient of the Explorers Club’s Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award for Scientific Photography. One of his images is on the Golden Records aboard NASA Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts, exploring interstellar space.
Together with his partner in life and art, Aquatic Biologist Dr. Jennifer Hayes, David is working on a multi-year project they are calling Oceans Through the Lens of Time, revisiting the major sites they have documented through the decades for a “then and now” look at our oceans.
Speaking Topics
Resilience
Conservation
Science
Exploration
Nature
Watch David in action
Presentations
Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea
David Doubilet is the undisputed maestro of underwater photography–the gold standard to which everyone who has followed aims to achieve. Onstage, he's a master storyteller, combining five decades of knowledge, passion, and experience into sharing the story of our oceans. David also presents with Aquatic Biologist, Jennifer Hayes, his partner in work and life.
“As the oceans go, so do we.”
– David Doubilet