Ocean Soul
Brian Skerry
National Geographic
“Ocean Soul” is a visual love story. It is a story of discovery. It is a story of hope. The story begins when a boy who loves the sea experiences an epiphany: “I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but now I could understand how I would do it. I would do it with a camera.” With sheer determination, creativity, hard work, and a little bit of luck, this boy, myself, has seen his dream come true with more than 20 inspired articles for National Geographic. Now, with my book Ocean Soul and this corresponding exhibition, I can showcase this selection of photographs to tell stories of the ocean and portray it as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with proper attention and care. Over the course of my 30-year career, including some 10 000 hours underwater, I’ve explored the world’s oceans with a camera, telling stories about animals and ecosystems as seen through my eyes and my personal experiences. Eight months per year are spent working in the field, at dive locations, ranging from tropical coral reefs to beneath the polar ice. These dives have included living on the bottom of the sea for seven days in saturation; diving to more than 100 meters using mixed gas, and traveling in everything from snowmobiles to the Goodyear Blimp to get the picture. The countless animals range from giant whales to the tiniest fish, each having a wonderful story to tell.
Preview
Although my passion is to make images that celebrate the beauty of marine wildlife, in recent years I have also turned my attention towards the many problems facing Earth’s oceans in order to tell a more complete story. The sea is dying a death by a thousand cuts, with assaults from over-fishing, pollution, increased warming and acidity. As most of this happens beneath the surface, it is not easily understood, and I feel a responsibility to shed light on such issues through my photography. Fortunately, my conservation work has received international recognition and has helped achieve some protection for ecosystems and individual marine species. Photography is a powerful instrument for change, and with awareness comes hope. What I enjoy most about my work is making pictures that evoke the true essence of an animal, feeling its life force, a tangible, emanating energy that defines the individual being. I try to use that energy to make pictures which are more than simply a record, wanting instead to preserve a moment in time, an instant when a creature’s spirit is captured in a blend of light, gesture and grace. Ocean Soul describes these individual life forces within the sea that emanate from the ocean as a whole. And I suppose it is also how I see myself, as an ocean soul, having spent the majority of my life chasing that dream and being drawn by that tidal force of the sea.
Brian Skerry
