National Geographic Live: Ocean Wild

Overview

While you were probably spending your late teenage years consuming a diet of MTV Cribs, Pimp My Ride, Room Raiders and Next, National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry was diving underwater with a crappy little secondhand Nikonus II camera and taking pictures. It's estimated that the now 53-year-old BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year who's had works published in Playboy, as well as given a talk at Harvard, has spent over 10,000 hours underwater photographing various beautiful creatures.

In a recent interview with Concrete Playground, Skerry told us his favourite experience was here in New Zealand, photographing the Southern right whales that live near Auckland Islands. He also told us how he became an accidental conservation photographer after witnessing the effects of climate change in the oceans over the years. "I began just wanting to make pretty pictures. Just beautiful pictures of animals and places that really appealed to me and interested me, but the reason that I have pursued some of these stories about conservation is because I felt the need... I think conservation is important and I think a good journalist can move the dial towards good if they do their job correctly."

Skerry will be making a pitstop in Auckland on October 21st and in Wellington on October 22nd to share some stories about the adventures he's had over the years.