User:Seafan80/David J. Hall

David J. Hall (b. October 2, 1943) is an award-winning professional underwater wildlife photographer, author, and naturalist. His photographs have appeared in hundreds of books, magazines, calendars and other print media worldwide, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Natural History, Sierra, Time, Science, Scientific American, Geo, Terre Sauvage, and BBC Wildlife. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and awards from the International Institute for Species Exploration, Nature's Best, and the Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous-Marine.

In 2008, David co-authored a scientific paper describing for the first time a species of frogfish called Psychedelic Frogfish (Histiophryne psychedelica), which was named one of the top ten newly discovered species by the International Institute for Species Exploration. He has written for photographic, scientific, natural history and diving-oriented publications, and is the author or co-author of ten educational books for children. His most recent book is Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. The book is being published in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. Of Beneath Cold Seas, Christopher Newbert (author, Within a Rainbow Sea) has said: “David Hall shoots with the inquiring and exacting eye of a scientist yet the soul and vision of an artist, combining the two to produce uniquely beautiful underwater images that educate as much as they inspire.”

David began scuba diving in the 1960s and photographing wildlife underwater shortly thereafter. He discovered a love of nature and its inhabitants at an early age, and he began photographing marine life primarily as a means to document the species he encountered. What started as a scientific endeavor, however, evolved into an artistic one. He began photographing professionally in 1980 and now sees his work as serving both aesthetic and environmental goals: "It has always been my hope that my fascination with, and respect for, all living things would show in my work and help to inspire similar feelings in others."

David has traveled over the globe to collect images with the hope of sharing his passion for nature with others—including to remote locations in Bali, Dominica, Fiji, Galapagos, Indonesia, Maldives, Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, St. Vincent, Tasmania, and Thailand. He impresses even the most ardent photographers and well-seasoned dive masters with his patience and dedication.

David holds a B.S. in Zoology and M.D., and he practiced as a Radiologist for over 30 years before retiring from medicine.

David resides in Woodstock, NY with his wife, Gayle Jamison, who is also an award-winning wildlife photographer. He has two adult children, both of whom are certified scuba divers.

Selected credits

 * U.S. Magazines: Audubon, International Wildlife, National Geographic, Natural History, Oceans, Ocean Realm, Omni, Skin Diver, Sierra, Smithsonian, Time.
 * International: Airone (Italy), BBC Wildlife (UK), Equinox (Canada), Geo (Germany), Sinra (Japan), Terre Sauvage (France).
 * Calendars: Audubon, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, Inner Reflection.
 * Advertising: Discovery Channel, Microsoft, Nature Conservancy, Nikon.