Steve Douglas
Aliases: steve douglas (forum), JimDeck comment alias
Role: Underwater videographer, equipment reviewer, film festival organizer, dive instructor
Location: San Diego, California
Forum username: steve douglas
Posts: 2,721
Articles authored: 22
Active years: 2004–2020
First appearance: 2005 ([1])
Biography
Steve Douglas is an award-winning underwater videographer based in San Diego who holds a unique place in Wetpixel history: he certified Eric Cheng as a SCUBA diver in 1995 in San Diego. Cheng acknowledged this twice in Wetpixel articles, calling him “my original certifying instructor” ([2], [3]).
Douglas was a certified Apple Pro for Final Cut Pro 7, a feature writer for Asian Diver Magazine, and one of the founding organizers of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX). He contributed footage to SeaWorld’s Atlantis production and productions for National Geographic and the History Channel, and served as a safety diver on the feature film “The Deep Blue Sea” ([4]).
Beyond his published articles, Douglas was also one of the most active forum contributors, with 2,721 posts and 331 threads started over a 16-year span, giving him an activity score of 4,019.
Contributions
Video Technology Reviews (2006–2013)
Douglas authored 22 Wetpixel articles, almost entirely technical reviews of video equipment and post-production tools. He was Wetpixel’s primary video technology reviewer during this period, covering:
POV cameras:
- GoPro HERO HD LCD BacPac monitor ([5])
- GoPro HERO2 — comprehensive review noting sensor improvements and new menu system ([6])
- Drift HD — detailed evaluation against GoPro ([7])
- Tachyon XC HD ([8])
- Contour HD ([9])
Video lights:
- Keldan Luna 8 LA-V High CRI LED — reviewed from the perspective of decades of underwater video lighting experience dating to the 1980s ([10])
Monitors:
Post-production software:
- CrumplePop HDR & Fisheye Fixer for GoPro — Final Cut Pro X plug-ins ([13])
- CrumplePop ToneGrade color correction ([14])
- Revision Effects Twixtor version 5 — slow motion plug-in ([15])
- Divergent Media ClipWrap — format conversion ([16])
Storage and peripherals:
- Accusys A08S-PS RAID PCI Express storage system ([17])
- ProSoft Data Rescue 3 — data recovery ([18])
- Zoom H4N audio recorder ([19])
- EIZO CG245W self-calibrating monitor ([20])
- Think Tank Logistics Manager rolling case ([21])
Filmmaking and Education
Published a comprehensive underwater videography tutorial covering buoyancy, camera handling, composition, and lighting — emphasizing that the shooter’s diving skills matter more than equipment quality ([22]). Also wrote a widely referenced O-ring maintenance guide for new underwater shooters, covering step-by-step cleaning, greasing, and inspection procedures ([23]).
SDUFEX
Co-founded and organized the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX), an annual event at Qualcomm Hall that ran from approximately 2000 through at least 2011. The 11th annual show in 2010 drew about 400 attendees per night and screened 32 films from 55 international entries. Douglas submitted his own film on the seal/human beach conflict at the 2010 show ([24], [25]).
Community Forum Activity
Douglas’s 2,721 forum posts and top threads reveal his passionate engagement with the community beyond published reviews. His most active threads include discussions on tipping culture in the dive industry (300 replies), compensation ethics for underwater filmmakers (“Selling films…Submissions Requests…undercutting” at 66 replies, “Get Paid for What You Do” at 61 replies), and interlaced-to-progressive video conversion (41 replies). He was a strong advocate for fair compensation for underwater videographers.
Awards
- 1999: Pacific Coast Underwater Film Competition winner
- 2003: IVIE competition winner
- 2004: Los Angeles Underwater Photographic competition winner
- 2005: Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography + “Diver of the Year” at Beneath the Sea for “Nocturnal Nebula” ([26], [27])
Timeline
- ~1995: Certified Eric Cheng as a SCUBA diver in San Diego
- ~2000: Co-founded San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX)
- 2005-02: Won Stan Waterman Award at Beneath the Sea ([28])
- 2006-03: Underwater video article featured on Ken Stone’s Final Cut Pro website, promoted by Eric Cheng on Wetpixel ([29])
- 2006-05: Video featured on DiveFilm.com podcasts ([30])
- 2008-10: Met Eric Cheng at DEMA 2008 ([31])
- 2010-06: Published comprehensive underwater videography tutorial on Wetpixel ([32])
- 2010-09: Film about the seal/human beach conflict shown at SDUFEX 2010 ([33])
- 2010–2013: Prolific period — 16 of 22 published articles in this window
- 2011-01: Published O-ring care guide for new shooters ([34])
- 2012-01: Video competition judge at Our World Underwater alongside Eric Hanauer and Mary-Lynn Price ([35])
Activity Profile
- Peak years: 2008 (peak forum activity), 2010–2013 (peak article output)
- Forum focus: Video Gear and Technique, General Chat
- Thread participation: 2,721 posts across 331 started threads
- Activity score: 4,019
- Dual role: Both prolific article author (22) and active forum contributor (2,721 posts)
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Feb 11, 2005: Beneath The Sea 2005 Winners Posted ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 27, 2006: Steve Douglas On Underwater Video ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 28, 2008: Dema 2008 People Pictures Day 2 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 3, 2011: O Ring Care For The New Underwater Shooter ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 22, 2011: Review Gopro Hero Hd Lcd Bacpac Monitor ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2012: Review Gopro Hero2 Pov Cam ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 1, 2012: Review Drift Hd Pov Cam ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2011: Review Tachyon Xc Hd Camcorder ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 30, 2010: Product Review Contour Hd Camcorder ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 13, 2011: Review Keldan Luna 8 La V High Cri Led Underwater Video Light ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2012: Review Dive And See Dnc 5 Underwater Monitor ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 11, 2011: Review Marshall V Lcd50 Hdmi 5 Slr Monitor ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 7, 2013: Reviews Crumplepop Plug Ins For Gopro Pov Cams ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 22, 2011: Review Crumplepop Tonegrade Color Correction Plug In ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 27, 2010: Review Revision Effects Twixtor Version 5 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 16, 2011: Review Divergent Media Clipwrap ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 14, 2012: Review Accusys A08s Ps Raid Pci Express ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 10, 2012: Review Prosoft Data Rescue 31 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 15, 2011: Review Zoom H4n Audio Recorder ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2011: Review Eizo Cg245w Self Calibrating Computer Monitor ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 18, 2011: Review Think Tank Logistics Manager Rolling Case ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 3, 2010: Diving The Deep An Underwater Videography Tutorial ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 3, 2011: O Ring Care For The New Underwater Shooter ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2005: San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 20, 2010: Review 2010 San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 11, 2005: Beneath The Sea 2005 Winners Posted ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 3, 2011: O Ring Care For The New Underwater Shooter ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 11, 2005: Beneath The Sea 2005 Winners Posted ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 27, 2006: Steve Douglas On Underwater Video ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 10, 2006: Wetpixel Partners With Divefilm For Video Podcasts ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 28, 2008: Dema 2008 People Pictures Day 2 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 3, 2010: Diving The Deep An Underwater Videography Tutorial ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 20, 2010: Review 2010 San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 3, 2011: O Ring Care For The New Underwater Shooter ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 9, 2012: Our World Underwater Deep Indonesia Judges Announced ↩
- Beneath the Sea 2005 winners (Stan Waterman Award) (article) ↩
- SDUFEX 2005 announcement (article) ↩
- Steve Douglas on underwater video (2006) (article) ↩
- DEMA 2008 people pictures (2008) (article) ↩
- Underwater videography tutorial (2010) (article) ↩
- SDUFEX 2010 review (2010) (article) ↩
- O-ring care tutorial (2011) (article) ↩
- GoPro HERO2 review (2012) (article) ↩
- Drift HD review (2012) (article) ↩
- CrumplePop GoPro plug-ins review (2013) (article) ↩
- Keldan Luna 8 review (2011) (article) ↩
- Our World Underwater judges (2012) (article) ↩