Thomas p. Peschak

Thomas P. Peschak is National Geographic Photographer, Explorer and NGS Storytelling Fellow who specializes in documenting both the beauty and fragility of the world’s oceans, islands and coasts. For National Geographic Magazine he has produced 14 feature stories that cover a variety of natural history and conservation issues, from manta rays to marine protected areas.

Originally trained as a marine biologist, he embraced photojournalism 15 years ago after realizing that his photographs could have greater conservation impact than scientific statistics. Thomas is the Director of Storytelling for the Save our Seas Foundation, an organization he has been an integral part of for over a decade. He is also a Founding Director of the Manta Trust and a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Thomas has written and photographed eight books, including Sharks and People which chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world. His latest book WILD SEAS was published by National Geographic Books in Nov 2021.

His images and stories have won 17 Wildlife Photographer of the Year and 7 World Press Photo Awards. Thomas is popular speaker for the National Geographic Live! Serie, having presented more than 20 shows in 15 cities on three continents. His official TED talk, Dive into an ocean photographer’s world, has been viewed more than 1 million times.