Somersaulting manta rays, dashing dolphins, swarming schools of fish and munching sharks inhabit a world beneath the ocean’s surface that few get a chance to see. Conservation photographer Thomas Peschak visits incredible seascapes around the world, and his photos reveal these hidden ecosystems. “You can’t love something and become a champion for it if you don’t know it exists,” he says. Join Peschak in a new, immersive TED Talk format as he shares his stunning work and his dream for a future of respectful coexistence with the ocean.
Thomas Peschak strives to merge photojournalism and cutting edge science to create powerful media projects that tackle critical marine conservation issues. Thomas P. Peschak is an assignment photographer for National Geographic Magazine and the Director of Conservation for the Save our Seas Foundation (SOSF). He is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has been named as one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world. Originally trained as a marine biologist, he retired from science fieldwork in 2004. He became an environmental photojournalist after realizing that he could have a greater conservation impact with photographs than statistics. Yet he remains rooted in marine science through his roles as Director of Conservation for SOSF and Founding/Associate Director of the Manta Trust. Thomas has written and photographed five books: Currents of Contrast, Great White Shark, Wild Seas Secret Shores and Lost World. His latest book, Sharks and People, was released in 2013 and chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world. He is a multiple winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards and in 2011 and 2013 he received World Press Photo Awards for his work.
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