National Geographic LIVE is a special speaker series, the first of it’s kind in Canada. Fortunately for us, it debuts in Calgary! There is one simple message that all speakers and their beautiful photographs reaches out to convoy: they want YOU to care about the planet.
Skerry is a seasoned ocean photographer that has spent more than 10,000 hours under the waters to photograph the beautiful and mysterious creatures under the sea. From under the freezing waters of the Arctic to remote and rarely explored areas off of New Zealand, Skerry captures breathtaking moments of wonderful life in their natural moments. This event was just a privilege and exciting adventure for me!
My favourite picture of the presentation was that of the “Harp Seal Kiss”- A harp seal mother sniffs her pup before feeding it to make sure she’s only feeding her pup. Such a tender moment captured quite exquisitely! Got to admit- it’s cute!
Skerry aims to capture the true nature of various undersea creatures- sharks, harp seals, leather back turtles, coral reefs, and many more. Brian is a brilliant speaker, energetic and animated in his voice as he passionately speaks of what he aims to bring out of his photo subjects when he takes their portrait. He especially creates an undeniable appreciation among the audience for the treasures under the sea, as we were able to take a privileged glimpse at these rare treasures.
Skerry delves into the stories he creates for National Geographic by providing context of all his subject- how hammerhead sharks are very evolved sharks with superior adapted vision and sense of smell, colourful and blossoming coral reefs can only be found in remote areas that have been barely affected by human activity, how nature has provided the leather back turtles with adaptions to ensure that at least some of their young live, and more. I’ve learned more about sea creatures and sea life from this one hour and a half talk than in my entire life!
Skerry portrays the beauty of his majestic subjects, but also their tragedies- he’s been on fishing boats and captured precious moments of a swordfish caught in a fisher’s net, the amount of junk sea creatures that die for a handful of shrimp, the devastated ecosystem where a healthy one should contain more predator than prey- Skerry’s goal to bring about a change in people’s mind to care about the sea had definitely resonated within me!
Thanks goes to the Epcor Center to providing me tickets to this great opportunity! Each photograph brought an angle to the story and landscape of the sea world in a new and refreshing way! I highly recommend for all, young and old, to attend of the last two speaker series for National Geographic LIVE! Educational and exciting, National Geographic LIVE brings a fresh light to the world around it, what we know about it and what we can do for it!
All photographs are owned by Brian Skerry