Released: October, 2011
Hardcover, 11.5 x 10.5", 160 pages; $45.00
Released: October, 2011
Hardcover, 11.5 x 10.5", 160 pages; £20
Title: Unbekannte Kaltwasserwelten: In den Tiefen des Nordpazifik
Released: February, 2012
Hardcover, 29 x 27cm, 160 pages; 39,95€
Winner of the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award for 'Best Design and Artistic Merit'
The Pacific Coast of North America from California to Alaska features some of the most diverse and spectacular marine life of any cold/temperate-water ecosystem on the planet. While there have been many fine photographic books that celebrate the beauty of tropical coral reefs, there are very few that focus exclusively on cold water ecosystems. Filmed entirely in British Columbia, Beneath Cold Seas successfully challenges the widespread belief that cold water marine life is dull and uninteresting. Informative and lively text by the author describes his experiences while pursuing the photographic images for the book. An introduction by marine biologist Sarika Cullis-Suzuki focuses on conservation issues, and Christopher Newbert, author of the bestselling photography book Within a Rainbowed Sea, provides the foreword.
David Hall is a marine life photographer, author, and researcher whose work has won numerous awards. His photographs have appeared in dozens of books and in most major magazines in North America and Europe, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Natural History, Audubon, Sierra, Time, Science, Scientific American, Geo, Terre Sauvage, BBC Wildlife and many others. He is the author or co-author of ten previous books and the recipient of an award from the International Institute for Species Exploration.
"Dispelling the myth that cold, murky waters equal boring waters, Hall has captured the staggering beauty and variety of marine life found in the Pacific Northwest. Although the animals themselves are truly amazing, it is Hall's creative eye and masterful photographic technique that really sets this book apart." Jemima Greaves, Outdoor Photography Magazine
"The level of consistency and standard of imagery is quite exceptional and it captures the wild spirit of this corner of the planet, page after page... Beneath Cold Seas has taken over 15 years to achieve but the hard work has been worthwhile and it is difficult to imagine that there will ever be a better collection of photographs to come out of this area." Peter Rowlands, Underwater Photography Magazine
"Most people associate underwater photography with the tropics, but the beautiful images that appear in Beneath Cold Seas were shot in the Pacific Northwest. What's most striking about the book is the color and vibrance that photographer David Hall was able to capture." Mirissa Neff, San Francisco Bay Guardian
"The rich and murky undersea world off the Pacific Northwest inspired the photographer to endure freezing waters to shoot dazzling creatures." Susan Cosier, Audubon Magazine
"Rarely photographed underwater creatures can appear alien - their cloudlike, luminous bodies more heavenly than earthly. The cold, dark waters of the Pacific Northwest teem with these otherworldly animals. Renowned photographer David Hall's book Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest (University of Washington Press, 2011) documents this delicate ecosystem, which is home to exotic specimens like the red-gilled nudibranch (above), a type of shell-less snail. The inhabitants of this barely charted world may look like the stuff of science fiction, yet our lives are intertwined. Whether or not we're mindful of it, we share this planet with the nudibranch, the sea anemone, and the octopus. The strange and beautiful creatures in this photo gallery inhabit a swath of the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of British Columbia, where they face threats like overfishing, pollution, and oil tanker traffic. Our actions could forever alter the lives of these marine animals - it's time to meet our neighbors." Della Watson, Sierra Magazine
"Wow! What can I say about this gorgeous book? Photographer David Hall has offered an appetizer, a tease, a tip of the proverbial iceberg, into the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean. He has captured the glorious array of many inhabitants that most people will never see firsthand... There is a whole other world beneath the waves, a kaleidoscope of color, creatures so vividly bright that it's hard to believe they're real. This book will entice and entertain anyone with a curiosity or fascination with nature. It's a work of art." Laura Friedkin, San Francisco Book Review
"While there are heaps of photography books celebrating the beauty of tropical coral reefs, there are few that focus on marine life in cold waters. Hall's book successfully disputes the belief that cold-water reefs are drab and dismal. But Hall's writing is as eloquent as his full-color photos, with touching vignettes about his curiosity for and experiences in shooting crabs, jellyfish, nudibranchs and octopi, and why he goes to such physical extremes to get these cold-water critters on camera...those physical disadvantages make his 160-page book, Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, all the more amazing." Ben Davison, Undercurrent
"David Hall's sumptuous volume, Beneath Cold Seas, is a celebration of British Columbia diving and... cold water largesse that (he) has captured with such fidelity and skill." Peter Golding, Diver magazine
"...photographer David Hall has given us something which breaks the trend, a collection of outstanding images portraying the cold water marine environment. Marine life photographs of this quality do not come from camera equipment and technical expertise alone... forward planning, a sound knowledge of the subject and the determination to succeed under adverse conditions have all come into play. Beneath Cold Seas is unique; simply inspirational sums it up." Gordon MacSkimming, Scottish Diver
"It helps if you have a fancy underwater camera, which is what New York-based photographer David Hall used to capture the truly stunning images in his new book, Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest (University of Washington Press, $45). Hall's images - which, at times, appear to be photographs of life on another planet - reflect not just the amazing diversity of sea life in local waters, but also the spectacular carnival of colors hidden just below that steely surface." Brangien Davis, Seattle Magazine
"Art or scientific photography? With the photographs that he has taken underwater in the North Pacific, David Hall has succeeded in both. The veteran diver and photographer from New York, has in the course of 15 years, explored these cold waters with his camera and documented a cosmos of previously overlooked color and beauty that can now be seen in his book: "Unbekannte Kaltwasserwelten" (Frederking & Thaler; 39.95 Euro). The photographs of kelp are like paintings; the migration of sockeye salmon like an orgy of red and green. And the sea anemones, jellyfish and sea stars... glow like psychedelic treasures." Der Spiegel; April, 2012
"Photographer David Hall braved the cold to bring us this stunning collection of images, reminding us just how diverse and colourful temperate seas can be." BBC Wildlife
"David Hall has created a dazzling book filled with dazzling sea creatures, showing us an astonishing marine domain." Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness
"Underwater photographer Hall's interests are as much aesthetic as scientific, despite his degree in zoology, but his gorgeous images of the weird, wild, and watery should help spark public interest in a zone we need to know better." Alexander Varty, straight.com
"Beneath Cold Seas is a collection of stunning underwater images made by marine photographer David Hall over a period of 15 years of diving off the Pacific Coast of Canada. With 150 vivid colour photographs, this book offers a fascinating view of the cold water ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest and artistically illuminates the intriguing underwater world. Hall's images celebrate and explore the amazing diversity found in this valuable and vulnerable ecosystem and will, no doubt, remind many of the importance of protecting the environment." Photo Life