Bob Talbot is an internationally renowned marine photographer, award winning filmmaker, and dedicated environmentalist. Whether he is consulting for Ang Lee on the motion picture LIFE of PI or battling whalers in court for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Talbot uses an eclectic range of skills to share the beauty of the sea and to protect it.
Bob was drawn to the sea as a child. He got his first glimpse beneath the surface when he was eight years old and began diving when he was thirteen. A year later he was given a Nikonos camera as a gift and his creative fuse was lit
His iconic photographs were first published as fine art lithographs when he was in his early twenties and soon became the best selling line of marine artwork in the world. His images have also appeared in a wide range of publications from Time magazine to National Geographic.
At the age of nineteen Bob began shooting motion picture film with a wind-up Bolex 16mm camera. Since then his motion picture work has been featured in television productions that have taken him from Antarctica with his childhood hero Jacques Cousteau, to the Arctic seal hunting grounds with Paul Watson —from the caverns of Grand Cayman with David Blaine to his beloved Monterey Bay for the BBC/PBS production of BIG BLUE LIVE.
Talbot’s feature film credits include FREE WILLY, FLIPPER, INTO THE BLUE and DOLPHIN TALE 2. He directed and photographed the award-winning IMAX film OCEANMEN – EXTREME DIVE and acted as a director and cinematographer for sequences in the Academy Award-nominated IMAX film, DOLPHINS. He recently completed work on his production BEING DOLPHIN 4D and is currently working on his feature documentary film FIN.
Talbot specializes in creating unique, highly immersive special venue media that speaks to his mission of connecting people to the sea. His clients include: IMAX, Simex Iwerks, California Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, California Science Center, The National Aquarium and National Marine Sanctuaries.
For his advocacy work Talbot has been presented with The Environmental Hero Award by Vice President Al Gore, the prestigious SeaKeeper Award by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, and the Ark Trust Genesis Award.
He has served on the boards of the American Ocean Campaign, Earth Communications Office and on the Board of Governors for Oceana. He served nearly a decade on the board of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation from 2008 through 2016.
When asked why he is so passionate about ocean conservation, Talbot’s answer is simple “The sea has given us life. It’s time we returned the favor.”
