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Underwater photographer David Doubilet in his studio, prepping and packing for an assignment
Hi everyone. This is an invite to join me on an assignment that will take our team on an unusual underwater road trip along the continental shelf of the eastern and southern United States. The assignment actually started with a short few days underwater in late May in Florida, but now we kick off the major stretch of work that will find us in southern coastal waters moving around in planes, trains, and automobiles ... and of course dive boats.
In preparation for the field the FedEx and UPS guys have been wearing out the pavement to our studio delivering 1200-watt underwater HMI lights, remote cameras, test cameras, test housings, intervalometers, prototype LCD lights, photo-eye trigger cables and new wide-angle rectilinear lenses. The usually organized studio turned into a crowded Nikon slum. After days of preparing, testing, charging and discharging equipment and cameras there were AMAZINGLY no major failures (somebody knock on wood). The gear was wrapped in every available Domke wrap within grasp and wrestled into 18 cases and squeezed into the SUV with Lego-like building precision for the big drive southward.
Ironically we tested everything but the recently installed left rear brake caliper on the Land Rover which decided to seize. Gear was unceremoniously transferred (amid curses) into the smaller Jeep SUV and the refugee underwater light cases that did not fit were sadly surrendered to FedEx ground for shipping. Lucky I don’t believe in signs, astrology, or black cats ... well maybe black cats.
Look for the next update from below the Mason Dixon Line and the heaving surface of the Atlantic. —David Doubilet
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Photographs by Jennifer Hayes
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Comments
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
Hi David!
It will be a great pleasure to follow your steps from Brazil.
Good luck!
Joao Marcos Rosa
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
Hey Jen and David-
Be careful and have fun! Don't forget the vacuum cleaner to start the HIDs. :-)
Jonathan
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
This is cool. I saw your team loading a pile of cameras and huge lights on a dive boat next to ours in Largo. The swell was up and the vis was down. How did you do? I couldn't make a workable still to save my life, switching to video. are you working in the keys for awhile?
Martin Johns
BTW nudibranchs rocked
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
David
I attended your talk at World Ocean Day in Rotterdam. Your dolphin slaughter pictures were powerfully wrenching. As a shooter I am an avid follower of your work. I am curious about your reference to intervalometers in your blog and how you may be using them underwater. Can you share some insight.
Sam Mitchell
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
Jen - what were you on to take the 'junk on the driveway' shot? Heard about Viskers joining you in Morehead. Hope to see you in a few weeks.....
Jul 29, 2009 9AM #
Hi David and Jen,
It was a pleasure meeting you in Key Largo (name of place witheld cause kids can read this...).
Hope your fisheye pictures worked well. Notice you had brake seizure... In the case of Michel, he suffered sciatic nerve seizure a few days after our encounter.
All the best for the rest of your trip and keep those reports coming. They come in handy when you are stuck in bed with a stubborn sciatic nerve.
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