About Brian

Brian Skerry is a film producer/director and veteran photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater realms. Brian’s signature style is to create intimate stories and visuals that inspire audiences to see the world in new ways.  His recent documentary film credits include Secrets of the Whales and Return of the White Shark, both currently streaming on Disney+. In 2021 Brian received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary as a producer of Secrets of the Whales.

Brian Skerry gears up to free dive and photograph sperm whales off the coast of Dominica.

Since 1998 Brian has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, where he has created and photographed more than 30-feature stories, including 7 cover stories. His work has also been featured in  publications such as Sports Illustrated, The NY Times, The Washington Post, Paris Match, Esquire, and Audubon. He is an 11-time award winner in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition held in London. Brian has also been recognized with awards from Pictures of the Year International, Nature’s Best, Communication Arts and is the only photographer to win the coveted Peter Benchley Award for Excellence in Media.  In 2025, he was named Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA).

In 2014 Brian was named as a National Geographic Society Photography Fellow and then named a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow in 2017 the same year he was awarded the title of Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. In 2016 he received the National Geographic Magazine – Photographer’s Photographer Award, a recognition bestowed by his colleagues, other National Geographic Magazine photographers. In 2019 he received the NOGI Award for Arts and in 2021 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Worcester State University in Massachusetts.

Brian and Neil DeGrasse Tyson Receiving Awards

Brian is the author of 12 books including the acclaimed monographs Ocean Soul, SHARK and Secrets of the Whales. 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 is a longtime consultant to the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston, the Explorer-In- Residence at th New England Aquarium and a Founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Speech to the UN General Assembly

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