20,000 Bytes Under the Sea

The National Geographic Magazine has been doing stories on the deep sea since William Beebe went “One Half-Mile Down” in 1934. The discovery of new life forms around volcanic vents, huge deep-dwelling sharks a mile down, shipwrecks such as the Titanic, Bismarck, and Edmund Fitzgerald have been covered in the pages and videos of the National Geographic. Emerging imaging technologies such as CCDs, HDTV, 3DTV, ROVS, and HMIs have been applied to these projects, in some cases for the first time underwater. Digital images have been steadily replacing film. In a talk illustrated with spectacular underwater imagery, Emory Kristof will recount the challenges and solutions encountered in bringing back striking images from miles down in the world’s oceans.

Presenter(s)

Emory Kristof is recognized as a leader in the use of cutting-edge EI equipment and techniques for underwater imaging. He has pioneered deep sea camera and lighting technology since the 1960's. He picks up where scuba divers leave off—at depths in excess of 200 feet—working with robots, computer-controlled digital cameras, and submersibles. His many exciting achievements during 39 years as a National Geographic Photographer include the first HDTV footage of deep sea vents, the preliminary designs for the electronic camera system on the ARGO submersible sled that found the Titanic, and the extensive 3D video of the Titanic using two manned submersibles with HMI lights. Naming him a Digital Innovator in February 2000, Kodak describes Kristof as "one of four great visionaries who have taken photography to the digital frontier and beyond."