I am a travel, adventure, and nature photographer. My images celebrate the splendor and variety of the natural and human heritage of planet earth, and try to convey to the viewer, in a visually beautiful form, the emotions of being in some special places. For the past fifteen years, I have traveled, trekked, and climbed to some of the most remote and beautiful corners of the earth. My work spans an immense geographic range from the coldest mountain on the earth, to tropical countries. Laying down in a colorful meadow dense with wildflowers or clinging precariously to a vertical icy mountain face, listening to the silence of desert sand dunes or to the calls of bustling floating market might seem like very different experiences, however, I feel that they share the same life-affirming benefits. In a society where too many artificial sensory input are available, these simple experiences can make us feel more connected to the world. They give us a sense of beauty, chaotic order, and liveliness which enrich our souls.

Through my photography, I have tried to convey these feelings of wonder and passion to the viewers. I seek to give a sense of place and time by letting the viewer see through the images as much detail as I saw myself. This actually requires to carefully select and interpret visually the subjects so that their essence is revealed. I often go to a great deal of effort just to create a single image. It is my wish that these images will inspire the viewers the desire to discover for themselves the locations depicted. I like to emphasize the beauty, and even the prettiness. I feel that esthetic appreciation will eventually lead to awareness and respect for the natural and cultural diversity of our planet.

I was initially educated as a scientist, and gained wide recognition for landmark contributions to the field of image analysis, which include more than forty articles and one major book. Fifteen years ago, my life was transformed by my involvement in the wilderness of mountains. Like others before, I was first interested in photography as a means to communicate the wonders I had seen first on the high peaks of the Alps, and subsequently other mountains of the world, to people who weren't there. This attempt resulted in magazine publications in six countries, the two closing photographs of the book "Souvenirs from high places, A history of mountaineering photography", and the web site The Mountain Gallery, viewed by hundreds thousands visitors since its creation. This dynamic, participatory approach continues these days with my travels, which have taken me to five continents.

In the meantime, I began to master the use of the large format camera. The more contemplative approach that this type of photography promotes, and the extremely sharp photos it produces are perfect in conveying the visual richness of the landscape. I set out to create a complete vignette of the nature of a whole continent document by illustrating all of America's National Parks with the largest camera used to date for such a project, a 5x7. I try to explore each of the Parks in depth, making several visits during which I do not hesitate to backpack with a 70 lbs load if I feel it to be necessary to complete the coverage of the area. As of fall 2001, I have photographed 55 out of the 57 parks, and I plan to finish the project soon.