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Ocean Soul
Ocean Soul is a love story. It is a story of discovery. It is a story of hope.
The story begins when a boy who loves the sea attends an event with underwater photographers and has an epiphany: “I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but I now understood how I would do this. I would do it with a camera.” With sheer determination, hard work, and a little bit of luck the boy, named Brian Skerry, realized his dream with more than 20 awe-inspiring articles for National Geographic magazine. Now, with Ocean Soul, he showcases his stunning photography and describes his adventurous life in a gripping portrait of the ocean as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with the proper attention and care.
The story begins when a boy who loves the sea attends an event with underwater photographers and has an epiphany: “I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but I now understood how I would do this. I would do it with a camera.” With sheer determination, hard work, and a little bit of luck the boy, named Brian Skerry, realized his dream with more than 20 awe-inspiring articles for National Geographic magazine. Now, with Ocean Soul, he showcases his stunning photography and describes his adventurous life in a gripping portrait of the ocean as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with the proper attention and care.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2011
About the author
Brian Skerry
26 books54 followersBrian Skerry is a photojournalist and visual storyteller specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering stories on every continent and in nearly every ocean habitat. In 2014 he was named as a National Geographic Society PhotographyFellow and then named a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow in 2017. In 2017 he was also awarded the title of Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year.
For National Geographic Magazine, Brian has produced a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence, all cover stories. A fourth cover story, in February 2017 focused on protecting ocean ecosystems in US waters and during this coverage Brian produced the first images of a sitting US President underwater. He is currently at work on his 29th story for NGM.
Brian’s work has also been featured in publications such as The NY Times, TheWashington Post, Paris Match, Esquire, and Audubon. He is the author of 12 books including the acclaimed monographs Ocean Soul and SHARK. His latest book, Secrets of the Whales will be released in April 2021 by National Geographic as part of a multiplatform project he created that includes a cover story in National Geographic magazineand a 4-part documentary filmseries on Disney +.
Brian is an 11-time award winner in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and has also been recognized with awards from Pictures of the Year International, Nature’s Best and Communication Arts. He the only photographer to win the coveted Peter Benchley Award for Excellence in Media. In 2010 National Geographic magazine named one of Brian’s images among their 50 Greatest Photographs of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the National Geographic Photographer’s PhotographerAward, an honor bestowed by his colleagues, other National Geographic photographers. The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences awarded Brian the 2019 NOGI Award for Arts, an award frequently referred to as the ‘Underwater Oscar’ and in 2020 he received the President’s Award from the Conservation Law Foundation.
Brian frequently lectures on ocean exploration, storytelling and conservation having presented at venues such as The United Nations General Assembly, The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, TED Talks, The National Press Club in Washington, DC, The Royal Geographical Society in London and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
He has had numerous solo photographer exhibits including Portraits of Planet Ocean, a two-year exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC and Ocean Soul at Visa pour l’image in Perpignan, France. Other exhibits of his work have been held in cities worldwide including Geneva, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Shanghai. Brian is the Explorer-In-Residence and a Trustee at the New England Aquarium, a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a Fellow National of The Explorers Club. He also serves as a Nikon Ambassador.
For National Geographic Magazine, Brian has produced a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence, all cover stories. A fourth cover story, in February 2017 focused on protecting ocean ecosystems in US waters and during this coverage Brian produced the first images of a sitting US President underwater. He is currently at work on his 29th story for NGM.
Brian’s work has also been featured in publications such as The NY Times, TheWashington Post, Paris Match, Esquire, and Audubon. He is the author of 12 books including the acclaimed monographs Ocean Soul and SHARK. His latest book, Secrets of the Whales will be released in April 2021 by National Geographic as part of a multiplatform project he created that includes a cover story in National Geographic magazineand a 4-part documentary filmseries on Disney +.
Brian is an 11-time award winner in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and has also been recognized with awards from Pictures of the Year International, Nature’s Best and Communication Arts. He the only photographer to win the coveted Peter Benchley Award for Excellence in Media. In 2010 National Geographic magazine named one of Brian’s images among their 50 Greatest Photographs of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the National Geographic Photographer’s PhotographerAward, an honor bestowed by his colleagues, other National Geographic photographers. The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences awarded Brian the 2019 NOGI Award for Arts, an award frequently referred to as the ‘Underwater Oscar’ and in 2020 he received the President’s Award from the Conservation Law Foundation.
Brian frequently lectures on ocean exploration, storytelling and conservation having presented at venues such as The United Nations General Assembly, The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, TED Talks, The National Press Club in Washington, DC, The Royal Geographical Society in London and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
He has had numerous solo photographer exhibits including Portraits of Planet Ocean, a two-year exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC and Ocean Soul at Visa pour l’image in Perpignan, France. Other exhibits of his work have been held in cities worldwide including Geneva, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Shanghai. Brian is the Explorer-In-Residence and a Trustee at the New England Aquarium, a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a Fellow National of The Explorers Club. He also serves as a Nikon Ambassador.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 6, 2016
Spectacular photos - macro, aerial, portrait and landscapes - as you'd expect! You also learn about the photo shoot, diving in very cold water and what it means to work below ice, the expensive (and extensive) gear required, the planning/research stage, the fish and mammals themselves and their environments, the impact of man and global warming, and so much more. And may I say again, truly glorious images!
January 16, 2022
Considering the foreward, introduction, and each chapter intro went on at length about the emotion, soul, and empathy of every photo, I was a bit disappointed at the quality of most of them. A very select few I could see what Skerry meant, and they were superb photos. But the rest seem about what you get from wildlife photographers who want a really pretty photo. They make you say 'ooh' or 'aah' like fireworks, but they don't evoke anything emotionally. Some were even less than that, with the amount of blur or light interference.
April 26, 2018
Outstanding marine photography and short, insightful essays introducing each section (the photos are loosely clustered into themes based on distinct ocean environments). Reading this emphasizes the importance of protecting this resource and doing what we can to help restore already damaged environments such as coral reefs.
June 29, 2020
The stories told throughout this book are exciting, and inspiring to hear, especially as a newly certified scuba diver, and someone planning on a career in marine biology. The photos Brian Skerry has taken and displayed in this book are beautiful, and incredibly powerful, showing a wider world we cannot see otherwise
January 1, 2020
Mostly pictures- stunning ones.
Also some stories about the photographer's most amazing experiences in the ocean.
Also some stories about the photographer's most amazing experiences in the ocean.
October 25, 2012
Combine stunning photography of the world's marine inhabitants with tales of the hair-raising adventures required to get those amazing shots and a passionate plea to respect our oceans and allow them to heal, and you have some fascinating reading. I think I involuntarily said, "Wow..." on about every other page!
January 22, 2012
absolutely beautiful.
February 1, 2012
A great mix of wonderful images communicating important issues and stories. Also brings attention to the risks Skerry takes for his work.
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August 28, 2015779.3 S6277 2011
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews