Being There - The Passion-The Mission-The Images

Being There is a book and dvd about a photographer in mid-life. Many have paid tribute to Mattias Klum for the artistic quality of his photographs, for the very high standards he insists on regarding authenticity, and for his ability to come so close to exceptional species, cultures, and environments. He and his team have undertaken expeditions to some of the most exciting places in the world. Here he shares some of those experiences-such as his work photographing meerkats in the Kalahari Desert, kinkajous in Panama, and king cobras in Southeast Asia. And we get to follow along with him as he makes his way deeper and deeper into the Amazon rain forest...

"Four macaws flew just above my head, and the current took me where it wished. With only my head and arms above the surface, I passed large clumps of fallen trees, glided over rounded rocks, between boulders and narrow points of rock that jutted out of the water like shark's teeth."

Mattias also tells of his commitment to the environment and threatened species and cultures, about his desire to show these, and to inspire other people to care about them. Where lies the border between the consumer culture and biological and cultural diversity? What price are we prepared to pay to preserve the result of millions of years of evolution? Can we really afford not to?

The foreword is written by Margot Wallström, Swedish eu Commissioner.