Louis Marie Auguste Boutan, marine biologist and naturalist, was born on 6th March 1859 in Versailles.
He studied marine biology at the Maritime Research Station "Arago" of Banyuls-sur-Mer (France), where he experienced the application of photography as a tool to support the scientist’s studies. He developed, with his brother Auguste and Joseph David, the Laboratory technician, several devices to capture underwater images. The first camera built in 1893 used dry glass photographic plates and captured many underwater snapshots which have been published and are now preserved.
They also tested a rudimentary flash, which utilized an alcohol lamp, magnesium powder and air enriched with oxygen which were placed in a 200 Litre barrel under water. This device allowed him to reduce the long 30 minute exposures to only a few seconds. Later he designed new lighting equipment which used electricity.
The Barcelona Underwater festival would like to pay tribute to this pioneer, recreating some of those moments which allowed the first underwater images to be obtained by a diver.
