Water Light Time [Hardcover]

David Doubilet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 1999

Beneath the world's waters lie landscapes, species, vegetations and populations as diverse as those on land, yet these kingdoms have been explored by few. This book looks at the work of David Doubilet, artist, diver, and underwater photographer. From the shores of the Galapogos to the Red sea, from the Pacific ocean to the fresh waters of North America, the book includes over 25 years of the photographer's work, and reveals the beauty of more than 30 bodies of water rich with life forms.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When David Doubilet was a child, he photographed swimmers in the waters off of New Jersey. Water Light Time is a collection of images that capture the underwater magnificence that seized the photographer's imagination in childhood and spurred a lifelong fascination. Underwater plant life floating like snakes, bright blue water filled with schools of silver fish, a diver immersed in a throng of bubbling yellow jellyfish, a close-up of pink and white sea anemones looking all the world like a floating bouquet of flowers--each image in this book is exquisitely photographed with preternaturally clear colors, full of detail and depth. Some images toy with perspective, creating surreal tableaux as a crustacean leg pokes out of the yellow-green water to appear almost as large as a nearby tree.

With a career that started as a National Geographic photographer in 1972, Doubilet has a lifetime of experience from which to make such a marvelous meditation on this otherworld that is vaguely familiar to most readers only through pictures and visits to aquariums. Doubilet captures what must surely be his own awe at the uniqueness of being a human in this nonhuman environment, and the reader can marvel at both the lushness of life in the water and at the beauty of the photographs themselves, which dominate almost all of the book's 240 pages. --Jennifer Cohen

From Library Journal

Doubilet, a frequent photographer for National Geographic, proves his mastery of underwater photography yet again in this elegant, coffee table-size collection of almost 200 photographs. Interspersed with brief textual introductions, the images span Doubilet's career (and the world), running the gamut of marine environments and species. The 30 bodies of water covered range from the shores of the Gal pagos Islands to the Red Sea, and the book's 11 sections range from "Beneath the Surface" to "Desert Sea" to "Coral Eden." The book is nothing less than magnificent. Because of its beauty and oversize dimensions, however, it may prove difficult for libraries; it certainly won't work for those with security problems. Highly recommended for all photography collections, especially those including underwater photography, this is also appropriate for libraries at all levels where there is strong interest in marine biology and scuba diving.AMargaret A. Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (July 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714838284
• ISBN-13: 978-0714838281
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 13.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doubilet -- The Underwater Picasso, August 26, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Water Light Time (Hardcover)

After flipping through the book once, I was stunned at Doubilet's ability to capture the art that abounds under the sea. I've seen many of the images in National Geographic, but I've never lingered over them like I do in this book. Although the sea is filled with light and shadow and color, I think his most stunning photos are in black and white. They capture an almost etherial emotion and reduce the images to simple forms of light and contrast. I feel that this is Doubilet's Magnum Opus, and perhaps solidifies his position as the great underwater photographer of our time. Buy the book, study the photos, read the captions and dream of diving in some of the most beautiful places on earth.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul-expanding!, November 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Water Light Time (Hardcover)

This work of art provides a breathtaking glimpse into an underwater world that few of us ever have the opportunity or the privilege to visit. Doubilet is undoubtedly one of the finest underwater photographers ever. More important than his skill, though, is thelove and respect for the sea and her creatures that shines through each of these breathtaking film moments.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally beautiful photographs, October 6, 1999

By 

Paris1929 "Paris1929" (Paris) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Water Light Time (Hardcover)

This book contains exceptionally beautiful underwater photographs. Most images are in colour, but there are also some remarkable black white shots, taken by the photographer at different locations throughout the world. The photographer presents the reader with images that are rare and unforgettable. Congratulations to the author David Doubilet for sharing with the world such an exceptional work of art.