Geir Jartveit, NSMIF/p — Norway

Photography, to me, means going deep into my inner self, no matter where I am or who I am with or in front of, it is always like a mirror reflecting our own research. Through others, we recognize ourselves and realize that we all belong to the Whole, to the Unity, since frontiers no longer exist, they just fade away.

Photography – it’s a battle. Fighting the forces of nature, waiting the long hours, always trying to find the right angle and the right moment, and again: reaching for the perfect shot. Photographers, all over the world – we’re in it together, living the same dream, fighting on the same battleground.

Our beautiful world – planet Earth – is constantly threatened by war, pollution and global warming. The number of species inhabiting our plant is rapidly declining. We are no doubt in the middle of an ecological crisis – we are already fighting to survive.

As photographers, we can make a great contribution to this fight for life, depicting the natural beauty surrounding us and documenting, shot by shot, the vast richness of the animal kingdom still with us.