112
|
SPRING 2013
Photo by James Watt
Text by Stephen Frink
Three-lobed porcelain crabs
(Porcellanella triloba)
on sea pen
EQ
UIPMENT:
Canon EOS D60, Sigma 50mm macro f/2.8 lens, Inon Z-220 strobes (2)
SEttings:
1/60 sec @ f/11
Location:
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
T
he world of
underwater
photography lost
one of its most creative
forces on July 19, 2007,
when James Watt died
of cancer at age 56. He
began his career as a
marine photographer
in 1982, and when I
crossed paths with
him at the first Digital
Shootout in Indonesia
in 2001 he had heartily
embraced the new
format and become an
accomplished digital
artist.
I was reminded how
far ahead of the rest
of us he was when I
reviewed his body of
work recently for a stock
photography project. He
shot pictures of whales,
dolphins and manta
rays as well as anyone
in the world. He could
integrate divers artfully
in wide-angle scenics.
And his eye could pick
out the most interesting
minutia on the reef and
isolate their essence
in compositions both
effortlessly balanced and
technically exquisite.
Many of the shooters
we celebrate in this
year’s Ocean Views
Photo Contest derived
their early inspiration
from the vast portfolio
of photos James Watt
published during his
too-brief career.
AD
PARTING SHOT
1...,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113 115,116