The Marine Institute hosts Doug Allan, the man behind the lens of Blue Planet

Multiple EMMY and BAFTA award-winning wildlife cameraman and photographer, Doug Allan, was in the Marine Institute yesterday to share his remarkable insight and deep understanding of marine mammals having devoted a lifetime to filming the sea's most majestic creatures.

Having qualified as a marine biologist, Doug now specialises in capturing spectacular footage of animals in the Arctic & Antarctic. He has spent the last 25 years bringing the most remarkable sights in the natural world into our homes. He has been involved in over 60 films and series including some of the most ground-breaking wildlife TV series of our times – Ocean Giants, Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth. To use Sir David Attenborough's words, "Cameramen don't come more special than Doug Allan".

His photographic awards include eight EMMYs and four BAFTAs. He has twice won the underwater category in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Cherry Kearton Medal for his wildlife images. He has three Honorary Doctorates, as well as two Polar Medals.

His footage of orcas attacking grey whales, polar bears trying to capture beluga whales, and leopard seals snatching emperor penguins were the first of its kind. He has been a pioneer in both artic filming as well as research and has an extensive list of fascinating stories and insights.

Doug treated the captive audience in the Marine Institute to inspirational stories from his polar and underwater film-making career alongside some of his breath-taking images and photographs. He told tales of how he survived encounters with polar bears, walruses and minus 40 degree temperatures to capture images of the planet's most majestic animals, above and below the ice.