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Norbert Wu
is an independent photographer and filmmaker who specializes in
marine issues. His writing and photography have appeared in thousands of
books, films, and magazines, including feature articles in Audubon, Le
Figaro, GEO, International Wildlife, National Geographic, and Omni, and the
covers of GEO, Natural History, Time, and Terre Sauvage. He is the author
and photographer of fifteen books on wildlife and photography and the
originator and photographer for several childrenšs book series on the
oceans. Exhibits of his work have been shown at the American Museum of
Natural History, the California Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of
Sciences, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art. His background includes
degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering from Stanford University
and doctoral studies at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is a
Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences.
He was awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Artists and Writers Grants to document wildlife and research in Antarctica in 1997, 1999, and 2000. In 2000, he was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal of the United States of America "for his contributions to exploration and science in the U.S. Antarctic Program." His films include a high-definition television (HDTV) program on Antarcticašs underwater world for Thirteen/WNET New York's Nature series that airs on PBS.
In 1999, he was awarded a Pew Marine Conservation Fellowship, the world's most prestigious award in ocean conservation and outreach. Through 2003 he used this grant to document, in stills and high-definition video, the world's most unique and threatened underwater habitats. From 2000 to 2003, Norbert Wu served as the primary cinematographer for many of the featured exhibits in the new Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History. He has been named "Outstanding Photographer of the Year" by the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA), the highest honor an American nature photographer can be given by his peers.
His newest large-format illustrated book, Diving the World, is now out.
Under Antarctic Ice will be published by the University of California Press
in fall 2004. His newest children's book (with text by Jim Mastro),
Antarctic Ice, was selected as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for
Students by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) and the Children's Book Council (CBC).
About Antarctica, Norbert says, "Diving in freezing water (water
temperatures were -1.8 degrees C) can be tricky. Our team had surprisingly
few problems, largely due to the well-stocked diving locker at McMurdo and
the expertise of Rob Robbins, the Scientific Diving Coordinator. Diving in
Antarctica was heaven for me, since I detest boats. Most of the time our
team drove on the sea ice to dive huts that were up to 20 miles away.
Doing a dive in Antarctica was as simple as loading up one of our tracked
vehicles with gear, driving to a heated fish hut which had been placed over
a hole in the ice, and jumping in the water. No seasickness and no time
spent on a boat, which Samuel Johnson likened to "a prison with the
possibility of being drowned." "
"Not all dives were as comfortable. We spent a few cold days at the ice edge, when the wind chill was so severe that my saliva in my mask immediately turned to ice (you have to spit in your mask before diving so that the mask does not fog up during the dive). Trying to rinse my mask out was impossible, as the sea water froze immediately both in and outside the mask. I had to put my gear on without seeing, then clear my mask in the water. If I lifted my head out of the water for more than a few seconds, the water would again freeze until I put my head back in the water."
"Our team arrived in McMurdo at the beginning of October. Because the sun has been below the horizon for months, Antarctic waters are exceptionally clear at this time (500 feet and more), as no sunlight means no plankton growth to cloud the waters. However, because of ice and snow cover, Antarctic waters are very dark, necessitating long shutter speeds when photographing. The cold wreaked havoc on my underwater cameras. I brought a dozen camera bodies, seven underwater housings, and a dozen underwater flash units. By the end of my stay, only three housings and strobes were working properly, and I had shot 400 rolls of film."
"I fell in love with Antarctica. I fell in love with the vastness and purity of the place. I fell in love with the cold and clarity of the underwater realm and marvelled at the way animals had adapted to this harsh environment. I grew to love the crooning calls of the Emperor penguins, the cacaphony of the Adelie penguins, and the trills and groans of the Weddell seals. I fell in love with the people at McMurdo Station -- self-reliant individuals with a sense of humor and adventure and a spirit of cooperation. I loved the suprises that Antarctica sprung upon me. Antarctica is a place that made me feel glad to be alive."
Norbert Wu
Text ©Norbert Wu. Photographs ©M Dale Stokes. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Norbert Wu. Norbert Wu no longer grants permission for uncompensated use of his photos under any circumstances whatsoever; want more info?
