Chapter 2
Underwater Seascapes in the Eye of the Diver
Olivier Musard
Abstract Photography is one of the ways in which to study underwater landscapes.
Using this medium gives the opportunity to view the sensitivity of photographers and
in particular that of divers to underwater seascapes. From this realisation, a national
photography competition on this topic was held in 2011. A selection of the very best
pictures offers an interesting overview of the representation, materiality and poetry
of the submarine world’s landscapes.
Keywords Réunion island · French polynesia · Port-Cros island · Coral polyp ·
Zooxantella · Kelp forest · Ripplemarks · Posidonia · Land-sea continuum.
As part of this seminar and thanks to a partnership with the Fédération française
d’études et de sports sous-marins (French Federation of Underwater Studies and
Sports), the Agence des aires marines protégées decided to organise a national
photography competition on underwater seascapes in mainland France and French
overseas territories.
The aim of the competition was two-fold:
• gather material to outline a semiological analysis through a set of questions: Which
angles of view are preferred? What effects do the light and perspectives produce?
What are the most recurrent forms of relief? Is an underwater seascape static or
dynamic?
• illustrate the materiality of underwater seascapes, combining aesthetics and ambiance, reflecting the words of J.M Besse (1992): “Landscape representation is the
continuation and transformation of what, since the Greeks, has been the subject
of philosophy: contemplation (theoria) of the way of the world. Landscape is the
way of the world revealed [. . . ]”.
For these proceedings, some of the photographs are presented to illustrate this double
aim.
O. Musard ()
Agence des aires marines protégées, 16 quai de la Douane,
CS 42932, 29229 BREST Cedex, France
e-mail: olivier.musard@aires-marines.fr
O. Musard et al. (eds.), Underwater Seascapes, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03440-9_2,
17
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014
Underwater Seascapes in the Eye of the Diver
Olivier Musard
Abstract Photography is one of the ways in which to study underwater landscapes.
Using this medium gives the opportunity to view the sensitivity of photographers and
in particular that of divers to underwater seascapes. From this realisation, a national
photography competition on this topic was held in 2011. A selection of the very best
pictures offers an interesting overview of the representation, materiality and poetry
of the submarine world’s landscapes.
Keywords Réunion island · French polynesia · Port-Cros island · Coral polyp ·
Zooxantella · Kelp forest · Ripplemarks · Posidonia · Land-sea continuum.
As part of this seminar and thanks to a partnership with the Fédération française
d’études et de sports sous-marins (French Federation of Underwater Studies and
Sports), the Agence des aires marines protégées decided to organise a national
photography competition on underwater seascapes in mainland France and French
overseas territories.
The aim of the competition was two-fold:
• gather material to outline a semiological analysis through a set of questions: Which
angles of view are preferred? What effects do the light and perspectives produce?
What are the most recurrent forms of relief? Is an underwater seascape static or
dynamic?
• illustrate the materiality of underwater seascapes, combining aesthetics and ambiance, reflecting the words of J.M Besse (1992): “Landscape representation is the
continuation and transformation of what, since the Greeks, has been the subject
of philosophy: contemplation (theoria) of the way of the world. Landscape is the
way of the world revealed [. . . ]”.
For these proceedings, some of the photographs are presented to illustrate this double
aim.
O. Musard ()
Agence des aires marines protégées, 16 quai de la Douane,
CS 42932, 29229 BREST Cedex, France
e-mail: olivier.musard@aires-marines.fr
O. Musard et al. (eds.), Underwater Seascapes, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03440-9_2,
17
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014