The underwater photographer David Doubilet has had more than 70 photo stories in the National Geographic magazine, a dozen books and countless exhibits across the world.
His work has been almost everywhere except hanging from trees.
Until now.
During the Look3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Va., from June 7 to 9, 40 of Mr. Doubilet’s photos will be exhibited on banners suspended in old oak trees along an outdoor pedestrian mall.
The festival began as an annual backyard party of photographers started by Michael “Nick” Nichols in 1988 in Berkeley, Calif. By 2005, he had 500 people at his home in Charlottesville. Look3 was started as a full-blown festival in 2007 and has since become a premier American photography event.
Curated this year by David Griffin and Vincent J. Musi, the festival will also feature Alex Webb, Donna Ferrato, Stanley Greene, Lynsey Addario, Hank Willis Thomas and Bruce Gilden. Mr. Doubilet will be opening the festival with a conversation alongside Alex Chadwick of NPR on June 6.
“Trees” includes some of Mr. Doubilet’s signature images, taken with the camera halfway submerged in the water, along with photos of barracudas, sharks, stingrays and a parrotfish with what appears to be a maniacal, toothy smile.
David Doubilet An African elephant cleaning its tusks in the Okavango Delta. Botswana.Mr. Doubilet says it is much more difficult to make a “perfect” photo underwater than it is on land. “When you put your head in the water, everything changes,” he said.
Like photos taken on the ground, underwater shots require intimacy, as well as the right combination of light, time, color and contrast. A good photo also needs “a flow and movement,” Mr. Doubilet said.
And then there’s that decisive moment.
“That Cartier-Bresson moment that is hard to achieve on land is 10 times harder to achieve underwater, because you’re swimming around with a large housing with arms as long as 24 inches long and attached to the end of the arms are your strobes,” he said. “Sometimes you’re using six or seven strobes or large surface-powered H.M.I. movie lights.”
For Mr. Doubilet, almost everything underwater needs additional light. Close-ups can demand lighting as complex as that used by Yousuf Karsh — but the studio is underwater, and the subjects don’t stay still.
Mr. Doubilet acknowledges that he is an intruder. He tries to not damage the environments he enters. While there is little communication between him and his subjects, he believes fish hate to have their pictures taken.
David Doubilet A baby green sea turtle paddling toward the open sea off the Nengonengo Atoll. French Polynesia.In the last 15 years, his life has changed dramatically. Jennifer Hayes, a marine biologist, has become his partner above and below the water. They now live in Clayton, N.Y., along the St. Lawrence River.
Changing digital technology has allowed him to see things differently. With increased sensitivity, he can find usable light in dim situations. He can light more critically because of the instant feedback of digital screens. Polaroids were not practical underwater. An underwater digital photographer can capture much more of the color spectrum and make pictures that are more crisp and clear.
Others may grouse about drawbacks of digital imaging, but not Mr. Doubilet.
“We’re now making pictures that we had imagined and hoped for, but were never able to achieve,” he said.
While technique and planning are the bedrock of successful underwater photography, preparation alone isn’t enough.
“You’re after a feeling, a moment, almost a wistfulness,” Mr. Doubilet said. “You have to think poetically.”
David Doubilet Jennifer Hayes, the photographer’s partner, kneeling below the bow of the Russian Destroyer 356 off Cayman Brac. Cayman Islands. Follow @nytimesphoto and @JamesEstrin on Twitter.
Under Exposure: David Doubilet’s Underwater Photos
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