Jim Watt

Aliases: James Watt, Jimbo
Role: Professional marine photographer, underwater photography educator
First appearance: 2001 (^[1])
Affiliation: Independent; contributor to Skindiver Magazine, Oceans Illustrated; stock agency wattstock.com/oceanstock.com
Based: Kona, Hawaii
Website: wattstock.com (also oceanstock.com)
Died: July 19, 2007 (^[2])

Biography

Jim Watt was a professional marine photographer based in Kona, Hawaii, described by Oceans Illustrated as “one of the most successful underwater photographers in the world” (^[3]). He was one of the earliest adopters of digital SLR cameras for underwater photography, pioneering the use of the Canon D30 and D60 systems underwater beginning in 2001. His work was featured in Skindiver Magazine and Oceans Illustrated, and he maintained stock photo agencies at wattstock.com and oceanstock.com.

Watt was renowned as a wide-angle specialist. Fred Wobus, who met him at Wakatobi, considered him “one of the greatest wideangle photographers out there, just watching him work and seeing the incredible results later was pure joy” (^[4]). His favorite subjects were large marine animals — sharks, whales, and dolphins — which he photographed off the Kona coast and on expeditions worldwide. When asked about his favorite underwater creature, he quipped: “Any old critter as long as it sits still!” (^[5]).

Watt was also notable as an early proponent of shooting exclusively in JPG format, even as the underwater photography community shifted toward RAW. Eric Cheng noted in a 2004 article on RAW converters that “Jim Watt and Dave Haas” were “still shooting only in JPG,” a position Cheng feared would expose him to “ridicule” if JPG ever proved superior to RAW in any circumstance (^[6]).

Relationship with Kona and the Ocean

Watt’s life was deeply intertwined with the ocean off the Kona coast. His close friend Masa Ushioda, who had known him since 1998, described their nine-year partnership: “I don’t know how many times Jim and I went out on the ocean together… Sometimes we went out on my boat, but most of the time I went on his boat as his deck hand and bait handler.” Together they pursued sharks, whales, tunas, and every ocean adventure they could find. Ushioda credited Watt with teaching him “how to get sharks closer to boat, how to fish around Kona, how to approach whales, how to drive a boat in a rough sea” (^[7]).

Personality and Mentorship

Watt was universally remembered for his generosity, positive attitude, and willingness to help others improve their photography. Carlos Eyles, delivering the eulogy at his ash-scattering ceremony, described a defining trait: “Jim’s positive nature affected us all… For him everything was possible… he never said no, only yes. Yes, let’s go there, yes, lets hang out with great white sharks and tigers, yes, lets film this volcano underwater, yes, lets go surfing. Yes, yes, yes. Yes to it all. Yes to life” (^[8]).

Todd Mintz, one of his mentees, recalled: “Jim was the first person to take the time to show me the ropes in underwater photography. One evening on the Shearwater he called me over after working through his shots to go through what he was doing and why” (^[9]). Competition winner Rand McMeins later identified a workshop with Jim Watt as “the watershed in my photographic development,” noting that Watt’s emphasis on having a secondary subject in the frame became a technique that helped McMeins win numerous competitions (^[10]).

Marcia Arita de Melo, a Brazilian participant at the Kona Classic who struggled with English, recalled that “Jim was there for me, and with great patience and understanding he helped me out” — she went on to win three prizes at the June 2007 Bonaire Shootout (^[11]). Mary Lynn Price, a first-time presenter at the 2007 Bonaire Shootout, noted that “Jim went out of his way to make me feel at ease” and that he “tirelessly helped other imagers with their work, making suggestions and giving feedback in such encouraging ways” (^[12]).

Gear and Housing Innovation

Watt was a pioneer with the Canon D30 and D60 systems, initially shooting with UK Germany housings. In January 2002, he published sample Canon D30 underwater photographs taken with a UK Germany housing, dome port, and Sigma 14mm and Canon 100mm macro lenses (^[13]). When the Canon D60 arrived in April 2002, Watt and Eric Cheng tested it in Kona by stuffing it into the UK Germany D30 housing, finding it was “a near perfect fit” since the two cameras were nearly identical externally (^[14]).

Watt later transitioned to Sea & Sea housings and became known for creative housing modifications. He swapped out the Nikonos strobe bulkheads on his Sea & Sea D60 housing for Ikelite bulkheads, rigged the PC connector for remote firing, and added a Light & Motion 2.5-inch LCD Monitor powered by NiMH batteries that provided six hours of continuous run time (^[15]). He tested the Sea & Sea D60 housing extensively in Bonaire, shooting more than 1,000 frames underwater and praising the system: “The housing balanced very well with both the super wide port and the macro ports. The size of the housing was a plus and it had the look and feel of an advanced professional system” (^[16]).

By 2005, Watt had moved to the Canon 20D with the 10-22mm zoom lens. Tim Rock, writing about his own switch from Nikon to Canon, noted that “When Jim Watt showed up in Palau as one of the judges for the underwater photo contest this year with a 10-22mm zoom for his new Canon 20D camera, that was the last straw” for his own allegiance to Nikon (^[17]). In Tim Rock’s 2007 article about switching back to Nikon, he recalled that “Jim Watt and my brother were high on Canon. Watt likes to stuff his rig down the mouths of tiger sharks and Komodo dragons” (^[18]).

Digital Shootout Involvement

Watt was a core staff member of the Digital Shootout events organized by Berkley White and Backscatter, serving as instructor, judge, and image critic from the inaugural event in 2001 through his final appearance in 2007. Along with Berkley White, Eric Cheng, and Dan Baldocchi, Watt was one of the four recurring “team of experts” listed in every Shootout promotional announcement (^[19], ^[20], ^[21]).

At the Fiji 2004 Shootout, Watt led an “advanced composition” seminar contrasting typical amateur composition with professional approaches, highlighting the Rule of Thirds, secondary subjects, separation using blurring, and negative space (^[22]). Each evening, he and Berkley White gave critiques of the day’s submitted images, with Watt known for spotting exceptional talent — when participant Peter submitted a photo of a white-tip reef shark having its mouth cleaned by cleaner wrasses, Watt took one look and said, “I’m diving with you, tomorrow” (^[23]).

At the 2007 Bonaire Shootout, his final event, Watt lectured on composition and taught a session on how to shoot split (over-under) images (^[24], ^[25]). On the first evening, he and Eric Cheng showed images from the 2005 Bonaire Shootout, and Watt also presented a portfolio show (^[26]).

Other Teaching and Expeditions

Beyond the Digital Shootout, Watt led or co-led several other educational expeditions and workshops:

• Kararu Digital Photography Seminars in Komodo, Indonesia, with Berkley White and Dan Baldocchi (^[27])
• SEASPACE 2005 in Houston, where he led a three-hour workshop on digital underwater photography covering composition, shooting tips, camera instruction, managing digital images, making slideshows, and web galleries (^[28]). At SEASPACE, he also demonstrated photographs taken in Indonesia using Backscatter’s experimental neutral density underwater filter system for controlling sunball exposure (^[29])
• DEMA 2003, where he was photographed preparing a lecture at the Sea & Sea booth (^[30])
• Monterey Shootout 2004 (10th annual), where he was a presenter alongside Norbert Wu and Berkley White, signing books and posters (^[31])
• Kona Classic Underwater Photography Workshop, where he was among the regular photo pros along with David Fleetham, Eric Cheng, Doug Perrine, and Marty Snyderman (^[32])

Bahamas Shark Expeditions

Watt participated in shark photography expeditions to the Bahamas with Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures. In July 2002, he was part of a notable trip alongside Eric Cheng, David Fleetham, and Andy Sallmon, with five Canon D60 Digital SLRs on board (^[33]). His fearless approach to large animals was legendary — Todd Mintz recalled a trip on which Watt “decided to try and outswim the Hammerhead to the bait… he did not outswim the Hammerhead and came crashing nose to nose with it. Needless to say the image caught was humorous as it was not in focus as he was well much too close” (^[34]). Carlos Eyles described a moment at French Frigate Shoals: “There were close to a hundred sharks, all pretty worked up darting around our skiff and the director of the project who hired us asked if it was dangerous to get in the water with so many sharks around and Jimmy said maybe just before he jumped in” (^[35]).

Chip and Susan Scarlett noted that “Even during his chemo and radiation therapy he was sending out a non-stop stream of emails extolling his latest oceanic discoveries off Kona, often accompanied by new, stunning images of whales, sharks and other favorite animals” (^[36]).

Posthumous Recognition

Watt’s artwork was displayed at the DEMA 2007 Art Innovation Center alongside works by Stephen Frink, Michael Aw, Guy Harvey, David Doubilet, Ernie Brooks, Doug Perrine, and others (^[37]).

Stephen Frink published a tribute in Scuba Diving Magazine (^[38]). DEMA published an obituary. Tim Rock, in his tribute comment on the obituary forum thread, called Watt “one of the ‘good guys’ as Steve Drogin would say” (^[39]).

Family

Watt’s family included his wife Jody, son Ian, daughter Jennifer, and sister Sharon. His close friends in the underwater photography community included Masa Ushioda, Carlos Eyles, Todd Mintz, Eric Cheng, Berkley White, and David Fleetham. He attended Masa Ushioda’s wedding on February 26, 2007, at Puako despite his worsening condition, even taking wedding photographs (^[40]).

Illness and Death

Jim Watt was diagnosed with lung cancer around mid-2006 and battled the disease for approximately one year. His last Digital Shootout was in Bonaire in June 2007, just weeks before his death (^[41]). Clark Miller, who dived with him there for the first time, recalled him as “the consummate artist behind the lens” who “helped pioneer the technique of split image photography” (^[42]).

Watt passed away peacefully on July 19, 2007, at approximately 9:00 am, surrounded by family and friends. Masa Ushioda had been able to visit him in the ICU the previous week to say goodbye (^[43]).

Eric Cheng wrote the obituary personally on Wetpixel, calling Watt “a wonderful mentor for many of us in the underwater photography community.” The family requested that contributions be made in Jim’s name to the Kona Hospital Foundation (^[44]).

On July 22, 2007, Watt’s ashes were scattered in the ocean off Kona. Masa Ushioda described the ceremony: “We tried to keep our smily faces to celebrate his glorious life throughout the event, but we easily burst into tears when we started to pay tribute to his beautiful life while grabbing each others’ hands in circle.” He poured a bottle of rum into the ocean — Rum & Coke had been Watt’s favorite drink. As the boat returned to Keauhou Harbor, Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins suddenly appeared and escorted them in. “We all felt that was Jim cheering us up and saying goodbye to us,” Ushioda wrote (^[45]).

Carlos Eyles delivered the eulogy, concluding: “Your mark is on me Jimmy, as it is on all of us who have spent time with you in the water. It is the mark of yes! Yes to life in all its adventures, in all its sorrows and now to all of its grief” (^[46]).

The Jim Watt Award

In 2008, the Digital Shootout renamed its Best of Show award to the “Jim Watt Award” in his honor. The first recipient was John Muhilly (^[47]). The award has been presented annually since then:

• 2008: John Muhilly (^[48])
• 2011: Jeff Honda, for his artistic use of Snell’s window (^[49])
• 2012: Mark Devillier (^[50])
• 2016: Greg Sherman (^[51])
• 2018: Alex Seys (video) (^[52])
• 2019: Natasha Hinojosa (^[53])

Contributions

• Early digital SLR underwater photography pioneer, shooting Canon D30/D60 with UK Germany housings from 2001
• Creative housing modifier: fitted Ikelite bulkheads and a Light & Motion LCD monitor to his Sea & Sea D60 housing
• Core instructor, judge, and image critic at Digital Shootout events (2001-2007): Kona 2001, Bonaire 2002, Fiji 2004, Bonaire 2005, Palau 2006, Bonaire 2007
• Led advanced composition seminars emphasizing Rule of Thirds, secondary subjects, separation, and negative space
• Pioneer of split (over-under) image photography technique
• Led Kararu Digital Photography Seminars in Komodo with Berkley White and Dan Baldocchi
• Workshop leader at SEASPACE 2005 (three-hour digital underwater photography workshop)
• Presenter at Monterey Shootout 2004 (10th annual) alongside Norbert Wu
• Demonstrator of Backscatter’s experimental ND filter system for sunball control
• Jury member for Wetpixel bi-monthly photo contest (2004) alongside Alex Mustard, Andy Sallmon, David Fleetham, Stephen Frink, and others
• Namesake of the “Jim Watt Award” for Best of Show at the Digital Shootout (from 2008 onward)
• Mentor to numerous competition winners including Todd Mintz and Rand McMeins

Timeline

• 1998: Met Masa Ushioda in Kona; began nine-year ocean partnership (^[54])
• 2001-11: Participated in Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout, covering for Skindiver Magazine; described by Oceans Illustrated as “one of the most successful underwater photographers in the world” (^[55])
• 2002-01: Published sample Canon D30 underwater photographs taken with UK Germany housing, dome port, Sigma 14mm and Canon 100mm macro (^[56])
• 2002-04: Canon D60 arrived at Watt’s place in Kona; tested with Eric Cheng in UK Germany D30 housing, finding near-perfect fit (^[57])
• 2002-07: Participated in Bahamas trip with Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures; five Canon D60s on board with Eric Cheng, David Fleetham, and Andy Sallmon (^[58])
• 2002-09: Featured in “Jim Watt’s Digital Adventures” article; speaker/judge at Bonaire Digital Shootout 2002 (^[59])
• 2002-12: Modified Sea & Sea D60 housing with Ikelite bulkheads, remote PC connector, and Light & Motion 2.5-inch LCD monitor documented on Wetpixel (^[60])
• 2003-01: Published article on Scubadiving.com about Sea & Sea Canon D60 housing, praising its balance and professional feel after 1,000+ frames in Bonaire (^[61])
• 2003-05: Announced Kararu Digital Seminar in Komodo with Berkley White and Dan Baldocchi (^[62])
• 2003-10: Prepared lecture at Sea & Sea booth at DEMA 2003 (^[63])
• 2004-03: Named jury member for Wetpixel bi-monthly photo contest alongside Alex Mustard, Andy Sallmon, David Fleetham, Stephen Frink, and others (^[64])
• 2004-05: Led advanced composition seminar at Digital Shootout Fiji 2004; provided nightly image critiques with Berkley White; presented staff slide show with Eric Cheng and Julieanne Kost (^[65])
• 2004-08: Presenter at Monterey Shootout 2004 (10th annual) alongside Norbert Wu and Berkley White (^[66])
• 2005-06: Led three-hour digital underwater photography workshop at SEASPACE 2005 in Houston; demonstrated Backscatter ND filter photographs from Indonesia (^[67], ^[68])
• 2005-07: Staff instructor at Bonaire Digital Shootout 2005, alongside Berkley White, Eric Cheng, and Dan Baldocchi (^[69])
• 2005: Showed up at Palau photo contest with Canon 20D and 10-22mm zoom, influencing Tim Rock to switch from Nikon to Canon (^[70])
• 2006-04: Staff at Digital Shootout Palau 2006 (^[71])
• 2007-02-26: Attended Masa Ushioda’s wedding at Puako despite worsening cancer condition; took wedding photographs (^[72])
• 2007-06: Participated in Digital Shootout Bonaire 2007, his final Shootout; lectured on composition and split-image photography (^[73], ^[74], ^[75])
• 2007-07-19: Died from lung cancer in Kona, Hawaii, at approximately 9:00 am, surrounded by family and friends (^[76])
• 2007-07-22: Ashes scattered in the ocean off Kona; Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins escorted the boat back to Keauhou Harbor (^[77])
• 2007-11: Artwork displayed at DEMA 2007 Art Innovation Center alongside David Doubilet, Stephen Frink, and others (^[78])
• 2008-07: Digital Shootout Best of Show award renamed the “Jim Watt Award” in his honor; first recipient John Muhilly (^[79])

Community Discussion

The forum thread announcing his death (topic 19991) drew tributes from across the community (^[80]):

• Todd Mintz (yahsemtough): “Jim was the first person to take the time to show me the ropes in underwater photography… I am really at a loss for words as we kept in touch and he was always a source of feedback and inspiration.”
• Stephen Frink (stephenfrink): Published a tribute at Scuba Diving Magazine, writing “words are not enough for all he’s done and who he was.”
• Mary Lynn Price: “I watched as he tirelessly helped other imagers with their work, making suggestions and giving feedback in such encouraging ways.”
• Mark (camdiver): “The one thing that really stood out was his warmth and willingness to discuss even the most basic of techniques with beginners.”
• Clark Miller: Described Watt as someone who “helped pioneer the technique of split image photography” and called the 2007 Bonaire Shootout “a tremendous opportunity to gain additional knowledge from the master.”

In a 2009 interview for Wetpixel’s “A Conversation With…” series, both Rand McMeins and Todd Mintz credited Watt as foundational to their photographic development. McMeins said workshops with Watt gave him “a fundamental idea of what I should be looking for” and that Watt’s advocacy for secondary subjects in the frame helped him win numerous competitions. Mintz identified Watt as “one of the first” mentoring professionals he met, saying Watt “would take time out and call me over, show me a little of what he had done that day, how he did it and was really open to sharing” (^[81]).

References