Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who captures images that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea but also bring attention to the pressing issue which endanger our oceans.

Why you should listen

Using the camera as his tool of communication, Brian Skerry has spent the past three decades telling the stories of the ocean. His images portray not only the aesthetic wonder of the ocean but display an intense journalistic drive for relevance. Skerry's work brings to light the many pressing issues facing our oceans and its inhabitants. Typically spending eight months of the year in the field, he often face extreme conditions to capture his subjects. He has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats and dived beneath the Arctic ice to get his shot. He has spent over 10,000 hours underwater.

A contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine since 1998, Brian Skerry has had twelve stories published in the magazine with several more upcoming.

Brian Skerry’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Brian Skerry

Oceans

Revealing the ocean’s glory — and horror: Brian Skerry on TED.com

June 2, 2010

Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life above and below the waves — as he puts it, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change. (Recorded on the Mission Blue Voyage, April 2010 on the National Geographic Endeavor, the Galápagos […]

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