Brian Skerry
Brian Skerry
Brian Skerry is an underwater photojournalist who works primarily for National Geographic magazine...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhotographer
CountryUnited States of America
beginning change good information popular population sharks start
I still think there's a big part of the population that has a lot of misinformation about sharks. But I think it's beginning to change a little bit. As good information about sharks permeates popular culture, things may start to change.
effective five maybe regular shoot six underwater
I typically shoot underwater with my regular camera in an underwater housing, and then I usually have two big strobes that I use to light. But with whales, you're not going to be able to really light a 45-foot subject. Your strobes are only effective for maybe five or six feet underwater.
associate herd people predators schools
I think that most people would associate big schools of fish with healthy coral reefs. At Kingman, the predators keep the herd thin, so there aren't a lot of big fish schools.
abundance becoming cape excess fortunate great million numbers seals shark sharks stocks
On Cape Cod, great white shark stocks have been growing, or at least becoming more concentrated, because of the multiplying numbers of seals around Monomoy Island. We are fortunate to have such abundance of these sharks in our own waters. Around the globe, we are killing in excess of 100 million sharks each year.
almost blue photos whale whales
Most whale photos you see show whales in this beautiful blue water - it's almost like space.
change instrument stories
Photography can be a powerful instrument for change, and photojournalists can tell stories that make a difference.
amazing best diving encounters honestly islands whales
I've been diving for about 30 years, and I can honestly say that I've had some amazing encounters with sharks, squids, and other whales. But the encounter with the right whales in the Auckland Islands was probably the best thing I've ever done. It was just that amazing.
cover hard pacific places refer soft western
For where Kingman is located, the coral cover is unique in the world. I refer to it as a universe of hard corals. You are not going to find soft corals like in the western Pacific - places like Indonesia, Palau, or Fiji.
deeper developed feed peer raise waters yearn
I have photographed sharks in waters around the globe, and I always want more and yearn to peer deeper into their world. To feed my passion and to raise awareness, I developed a story about sharks for 'National Geographic' magazine.
along considered dangerous episodes famous great history sea sharks tip white
The Oceanic White Tip is considered one of the most dangerous sharks in the sea along with the Great White and Tiger. It is responsible for some of the most famous episodes of man-eating in history, such as when the U.S.S. Indianapolis sank in 1945.
clean creating empty found national plants seem substance though
Under the snowcapped mountains of Fiordland National Park, freshwater streams empty into the saltwater fiords, creating a unique ecosystem. This is a heavily wooded park, so the water in the streams is stained with tannin, a substance found in plants that makes clean water seem dirty, though it isn't.
best
All in all, the dives I made in Fiordland were some of the best I've ever made.
bit chunk took
The bohar snapper - they have these huge canines. I got bit by one. One took a chunk out of my ear - they are much scarier than the sharks.
afraid check gray great interest normal seemed sharks swim
Sharks don't particularly have a great interest in divers. It seemed that in a normal dive, I would jump in the water, and one or two gray reef sharks would swim in and kind of check me out - and then they would keep their distance. So they weren't particularly threatening or anything to be afraid of.