James D. Watt / WattStock.com
Last night I returned from an extended trip in AK and the first email that caught my eye when I started in my office this morning was of the passing of Jim Watt.
Jim was, and is, hugely respected in the marine photography community. Being primarily an underwater and marine life photographer, his name may not be familiar to many “terrestrial photographers” but I would wager that his stunning photography has been seen by a large majority, if not virtually everyone, that stops by here. Jim’s photographs of whales and sharks are unsurpassed and appear in commercial and editorial use daily. He was instrumental in the production efforts of some important natural history films, serving as a peerless resource for field knowledge, especially concerning Hawaiian marine life. And most importantly, Jim was genuinely liked as a friendly, humble and adventurous person by divers and photographers the world over. I have had nothing but admiration for Jim and his wonderful photographs, which have served as inspiration for my own photo efforts over the years, and will miss seeing further new images from Jim.
Jim’s career is briefly profiled on one of his websites:
http://wattstock.com/photographers.html
and a fitting tribute to Jim can be seen here:
http://www.scubadiving.com/NYCU_aloha_james_watt
The photography and dive communities have really lost a treasure in Jim Watt.
