An Uxbridge native who has gone on to become one of the world’s preeminent underwater photographers is the latest artist to have his work displayed at the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill in Whitinsville.

The work of Brian Skerry, recipient of several awards for his National Geographic photography, is on display at the Heritage Gallery through Sept. 25. Skerry was honored with a reception Friday, Aug. 7 at Heritage Gallery. He will present a lecture and slide show later this month at the Singh Performance Center at Alternatives.

The exhibit, “Ocean Wild,” features Skerry’s work over the past two decades for National Geographic, the National Audubon Society, the Smithsonian magazine and U.S. News and World Report.

“Growing up in Uxbridge, Brian spent summer days at the beach or backyard pool swimming underwater, imagining he was swimming with dolphins, whales and sharks,” said Thomas Saupe, Alternatives’ director of community outreach. “While paging through copies of National Geographic, he dreamed of traveling the world’s oceans discovering its secrets.”

By the time Skerry was 15, according to Saupe, he was a certified SCUBA diver. “After attending a lecture on underwater photography, he decided what it was he wanted to do with his life,” he said. “Within a year he had purchased his first underwater camera and began taking pictures off the coast of New England.”

As a college student, Skerry studied photography, film and television production. Much of Skerry’s current work focuses on environmental issues and features stories on endangered animals or threatened marine ecosystems.

“The oceans are in trouble,” Skerry states on his Website. “There are some serious problems out there that I believe are not clear to many people. My hope is to continually find new ways of creating images and stories that both celebrate the sea yet also highlight environmental problems. Photography can be a powerful instrument for change.”

Skerry’s presentation at the Singh Performance Center, “Crucial Waters,” will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27.