Synopses & Reviews
Ocean Soul is a love story. It is a story of reality. It is a story of hope.
The stories start when a boy who loves photography listens to a talk by National Geographic explorers Sylvia Earle and Bob Ballard. He says, "This will be my life's work—to tell the story of the ocean." The boy, named Brian Skerry, does just that through more than 20 articles for National Geographic magazine. Twenty years later, his book, Ocean Soul, will be the ultimately stunning photographic portrait of the ocean as a place of mystery, as a place in trouble, and as a place of hope that will rebound with amazing ease as boundaries are set and observed.
This lavish exhibition of imagery with compelling stories by world famous National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry brings an intimate and unforgettable portrait of all ocean environments and of four key creatures who are poster children for the health of the world's oceans (the shark, the right whale, the leatherback turtle, and the harp seal)—and ultimately our own health.
Skerry, a lifelong diver and advocate of the oceans, is a colleague of Enric Sala, leader of National Geographic's high-profile oceans project, and of world renowned Ambassador of the Oceans and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle. With these two explorers he has been documenting the seas as only an insider can. He has published 20 articles in National Geographic magazine and averages a record two per year. Brian is above all a storyteller. In his lyrical pictures as well as words, he backs into the science of our failing environment by compelling us to love it.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Brian Skerry is a photojournalist for
National Geographic covering marine wildlife and underwater environments, whose award-winning images have also been featured in countless publications worldwide including
People, Sports Illustrated, and
Men's Journal. Skerry has lectured on photography and marine conservation at Harvard University, The National Press Club in Washington, DC and the Royal Geographical Society in London, among other venues. He is a regular guest on ABC's
20/20,
TODAY, CBS Sunday Morning and
Good Morning America.
Dr. Gregory Stone is Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist for Oceans with Conservation International. Since 2000, Dr. Stone has led the effort to create the world's largest marine protected area around the Phoenix Islands in the country of Kiribati and was named one of the National Geographic Society's Heroes of 2007 for this accomplishment.