Jimmy Nelson | Before They Pass Away

Photo © Jimmy Nelson-All Rights Reserved

I've traveled quite a lot and visited far flung places, read and viewed many travelogues and photo essays...but I've never heard of Goroka.

But having viewed Jimmy Nelson's phenomenal opus Before They Pass Away, I now know what it is, and so will you.

British photographer Jimmy Nelson carried his 4x5 plate field camera to 44 countries around the globe; from the rain forests of Papua New Guinea to northern Mongolia to the Namibian desert, to document a tribal cultures that may disappear before we know it.

According to the photographer's website,  "the goal of this visual anthropology, published in Nelson's new book, Before They Pass Away, was to capture the lives of remote and endangered tribes. The tribes he captures might seem wild and somehow alien, but they show clear dominion over their remote and unforgiving environments, offering a remarkable glimpse back in time to how we urban dwellers once lived."

About 30 tribal groups are documented in Nelson's website and book...ranging from the Kazak of Mongolia to the Karo of the Omo Valley, lovers of ethno-photography and aficionados of anthropology will revel in exploring this work.

The book has over 500 images to be featured in large book, printed in a huge 42 x 59 cm size. The price of this special exclusive collectors' book is around $8000. However, a more modest version exists and will be available for $95 in September 2013 from Amazon.

In the meantime, I'll be frequently enjoying Nelson's tribal photographs, and I encourage you to do so as well.