‘I want  to create a window into the sea that invites people to see how their world connects to another life-sustaining world hidden from their view.’

In perusing the Phaidon catalogue several months ago, I was struck by an upcoming book (now published) Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea by artist and diver, David Doubilet. Doubilet has a decades long legacy of considering what is below the surface. This project spans the Galapagos to the Red Sea, the waters of the Antarctic Ocean to the tropical Great Barrier Reef. The stunning above and below imagery is seductive but raises important questions about conservation and global warming. Doubilet’s photographs are accompanied by an introduction by Kathy Moran of National Geographic magazine and an afterword by Kathryn D. Sullivan. You can order copies directly from Phaidon.

Kathleen F. Moran of National Geographic discusses the evolution of Doubilet’s ‘half-and-half’ images. As she explains, he has pioneered an entirely new sort of picture, one that reveals the tension and the wonder between the two worlds above and below the sea.

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Lions mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) drifting in the shallow bays of Bonne Bay Fjord located in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland Canada. Expert marine contact: Dr Robert Hooper PhD Director Bonne Bay Marine Station, NL Memorial University of Newfoundland

David Doubilet has a long and intimate view of the sea. As a National Geographic Photographer he has spent five decades exploring and documenting the far corners of the world from beneath interior Africa, remote tropical coral reefs, rich temperate seas and recent projects beneath the polar ice. His personal challenge is to create a visual voice for the world’s oceans and to connect people to the incredible beauty and silent devastation happening within the invisible world below.

David is a contributing editor for several publications and an author of 12 titles including the award winning Water Light Time. His numerous photographic awards include Picture of the Year, BBC Wildlife, Communication Arts and World Press. David is a member of the Academy of Achievement, Royal Photographic Society, International League of Conservation Photographers and International Diving Hall of Fame. David was named a National Geographic Contributing Photographer-in-Residence in 2001. He is the recipient of the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and Lennart Nilsson Award for Scientific Photography. David is honored to be a Rolex Testimonee since 1994.

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Harp seal pups (pagophilus groenlandicus) on greatly diminished ice pack in the gulf of st lawrence. climate change has drastically reduced the ice cover in the gulf of st lawrence rendering the ice pack unstable. harp seal pup morality has increased dramatically due to poor ice conditions.

As a National Geographic photographer I have spent five decades exploring and illuminating this border and what lies beneath. My favorite and hardest image to photograph is the half and half image – an image of two worlds in one moment. Two Worlds is a personal journey for me and a collection of select half and half imagery that is my photographic passion. On each assignment I search for those elusive moments that connect surface and sea and invite you to explore the world hidden below.

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Half and half image of native fisherman with young son in outrigger from a village on the Willaumez Peninsula on New Britain Island, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Chinstrap and gentoo penguins on a bergy bit or small ice floe off Danko Island, Antarctic Peninsula

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Bar Jacks glide under a serene sea in North Sound Grand Cayman island

©David Doubilet, from Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea published by Phaidon. Grounded Iceberg in Blanley Bay, Devon Island, Nunuvut, Canadian Arctic

Specifications:

• Format: Hardback
• Size: 235 x 340 mm (9 1/4 x 13 3/8 in)
• Pages: 128 pp
• Illustrations: 70 illustrations
• ISBN: 9781838663186