Earth from Above, Updated Edition

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But The Earth From The Air is the real good news - this planet is stunningly beautiful, and it's not dead yet. And camels cast extraordinary shadows in the desert. And people always smile at a photographer in a balloon. Some of this stuff proves that J G Ballard was right when he said that Earth is the only alien planet. I would like to wax lyrical about more of the images in this book of books (the fruit markets of Mombasa! the cloth dyers of Fez!) but this is a book which makes words a bit superfluous. From the age of 17 he became involved in the movie industry. He gave up the movie industry in 1967 to run the Château de Saint Augustin wildlife park in Château sur Allier (centre of France). He then left the country with his wife Anne when he was 30 (1976) to live in Kenya in the Massai Mara national park. He lived amongst the Massai tribe for 3 years to study the behaviour of a lions’ family and took daily pictures of them during those years. He thus discovered a new passion for photography and the beauty of landscapes when observed from above in hot air balloons. He understood the power of a picture and how to communicate using this means. The premise of the book is fantastic. A huge book (it is literally the largest book in my library, measuring 37 x 30 cm and weighing over 4,5 kg) with pictures shot from helicopters from around the world accompanied by informative captions. The photos have been taken during the course of more than a decade, in dozens of countries and from a perspective usually not seen before. What could be better? On closer inspection though, all is not so rosy. Each photo is accompanied by a short essay or explanation, ussualy local trivia, the history of the shot or the environmental impact of industrial activity at each specific location. These words are as important to me as the images, because I see our role here on the planet as gardeners nurturing it for future generations and not conquerors of a hostile environment to be subdued and plundered. My first trip to Paris in 1997, the most memorable moment was not the Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur or the Louvre, but an unexpected open air photography exposition on the iron fence around Jardin de Luxembourg. Huge prints (2 by 1.5 m) of the most incredible sights from hundreds of places around the world. With all this amazing city to explore, I ended up returning to the place 5 times in 2 weeks, spending long minutes analizing each frame. I knew nothing about Yann Arthus Bertrand at the time, only what I read in the introduction: that he spent 10+ years in helicopters and small planes, hunting for the perfect light, the perfect composition, the best way to transmit this dual message:

Arthus-Bertrand founded the Altitude Agency in 1991, the world's first press agency and image bank specializing in aerial photography. The agency holds 350,000 "selected images" taken in more than a hundred countries. [2] With a history of environmental activism, the photographer sought to exhibit his work at the Rio Conference in 1992, and eventually made a decision to document the condition of planet Earth. [3] UN sponsorship [ edit ] In 1994, intent on conveying his perspective on environmental sustainability to other humans, Arthus-Bertrand successfully attained sponsorship from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the purposes of a long-term photographic project entitled, "The Earth From Above, Wild Animals, Horses, and 365 Days".Fields of tulips near Lisse, Netherlands — A good portrait doesn't just display its subject -- it gives us a tantalizing glimpse of their innermost thoughts. So how do you capture that feeling, when your subject is the entire world? His book "Earth From Above," sold over 4.7 million copies. Similarly, the 2009 film he directed, called "Home," became the most-viewed online documentary at the time. All in all, this is a fine photo book if you disregard the slanted captions and the fact that the pictures are not to be studied in close detail. Its dimensions are truly impressive and there are a lot of fine quality pictures in here, so if you want a photo book on your coffee table just to browse through from time to time, this is a fine choice. If however you want to immerse yourself in both the text and the pictures, be sure you know what you're getting. Well okay, a lot of it is. You do get pictures of Chernobyl and rusting tanks in deserts, but even the grim images are drenched in glory. And it's as huge as it's wonderful - you almost need a removal van to get it home. Marshall McLuhan used to say that when people moan about the news always being full of depressing stuff, they're overlooking the adverts - they're the good news, he said - housewives, smile! this will rid your floors of waxy yellow buildup - gentlemen, this men's fragrance plus this rebranded lager means you'll believe you're attractive! If only for a moment! And so on.

Here, we take a look at some of Arthus-Bertrand's most breathtaking images taken high above a dramatic and diverse planet that 7 billion people call "home." As part of a series of outdoor displays, the "Earth from Above" free exhibition was set up at the gates of Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, whereby the images appeared as big posters. At the conclusion of the first decade of the 21st century, the series of public exhibitions have been seen by over 200 million people. [4] Film [ edit ] Following the Rio summit, Arthus-Bertrand subsequently created a picture inventory of landscapes from across the world with each picture, and accompanying text, encouraging the reader to be responsible in their treatment of the earth. The book from the project, Earth from Above (French: La terre vue du ciel), sold several million copies and was translated into over 21 languages. [3] Exhibitions [ edit ] These captivating photographs illuminate many aspects of our planet. Geography, engineering/ construction, habitat/ climate, and people. It's not uncommon for students or guests to lose themselves in an examination of the photographs. Earth from Above is a United Nations-supported ecological project conceived and led by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The project includes a photo essay-style collection of aerial photography produced by Arthus-Bertrand, in which the photographer captured vistas of Earth from various aircraft during a ten-year period. [1] It gave birth to a book also entitled Earth from Above, of which millions of copies were sold.Yann Arthus-Bertrand was born in a renowned jewellers' family founded by Claude Arthus-Bertrand and Michel-Ange Marion. His sister Catherine is one of his closest collaborators. He's been interested in nature and wildlife from an early age. Although seemingly just a book of beautiful photos, this is actually a book with a mission. Whether or not you like the mission, is quite another matter.

Compounding the problem is the font they've chosen to use for the text. I don't wear glasses, have 20/20 vision and have no problem reading books or from a computer screen, but the font used in the book made me squint. Sarif fonts, like the one used in the book, are known to be aesthetically pleasing but harder to read than sans serif fonts. The serif font chosen for the book seems to be especially hard to read. It would be fine for larger headings here and there, but for small captions and longer essays, it is a really unfortunate choice. For over 20 years, Frenchman Yann Arthus-Bertrand has been constructing a portrait of the Earth, using aerial photographs.In 2007, Earth from Above was launched in a film format, broadcast on French national television as a 4-episode, 8-hour television series. The series, presented by Arthus-Bertrand, has been approved for four seasons (15 episodes) and was created over a four-year timespan. [3] See also [ edit ]