Michael Yamashita
Michael Yamashita has combined his dual passions of photography and travel for over 25 years as a shooter for National Geographic and, more recently, with his Singapore-based film production company.Specialising in Asia, he has covered Vietnam and the Mekong River, Marco Polo’s journey to China, the Great Wall, the DMZ between North and South Korea, as well as almost every aspect of Japanese culture, from samurai to fish markets.His most recent story on the legendary Ming Dynasty admiral and explorer, Zheng He, first appeared in the July 2005 issue of National Geographic and was released as a documentary feature film in 2006. The film, The Ghost Fleet, was named 'Best Historical Documentary’ at the 2006 New York International Film Festival. Yamashita’s book, Zheng He, published by White Star, was released in the fall of 2006.

His other books include In the Japanese Garden, Mekong: Mother of Waters and, most recently, Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey (also published by White Star). Marco Polo is also the subject of his award-winning National Geographic Channel documentary, Marco Polo: The China Mystery Revealed, in which Yamashita retraces the 13 th-century Venetian’s epic excursion to China.Selling over 200,000 copies worldwide in its initial printing, Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey was re-released by Rizzoli in the fall of 2004.

A frequent lecturer and teacher at workshops around the world, Yamashita has received numerous industry awards, including those from the National Press Photographers Association (Pictures of the Year), the New York Art Directors Club and the Asian-American Journalists Association.Major exhibits of his work have opened throughout Asia, in Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, as well as in Rome, Frankfurt, Los Angeles and Washington, DC.His images of Korea’s DMZ were featured in an exhibit at the Visa Pour L’Images photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France in 2005.

Yamashita’s current projects include an account of his photographic journey along the Great Wall, which will be published by Sterling in 2007. A series of feature documentaries is also planned.

When not traveling, Michael Yamashita lives in rural New Jersey, where he also maintains a studio and an extensive stock library, and is an active volunteer fireman.

Nat Sumanatemeya
Bangkok-born Nat Sumanatemeya graduted from Thammasat University with a degree in film and journalism in 1992. From 1993 to 2000, he was a staff writer and photographer for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Sumanatemeya specialises in marine life photography. His images have been published in leading dive magazines such as Rodale’s Scuba Diving, Marine Photo (Japan) and Asian Diver (Singapore).

Sumanatemeya is also the winner of the 2002 David Doubilet award for international underwater photography. The following year, he assisted Nicolas Reynards on a story on the Moken (sea gypsies) for National Geographic. Most recently, in 2005, Sumanatemeya won the Epson photography competition held in Japan in the category of black and white digital prints.

Olivier Föllmi
Olivier Föllmi was born in 1958 of a Swiss father and French mother. At the age of 17 he discovered the Himalayas thanks to his love of mountaineering and spent the next 25 years hiking through its hidden valleys. He became a specialist in Tibetan village culture, travelled the length and breadth of French-speaking Europe as a lecturer and co-directed two films for Canal+in the Himalayas.

Föllmi’s work has been featured in magazines such as Life, Paris-Match, GEO, National Geographic Stern, Epoca and Aérone, to name but a few. He was nominated for the Visa d’Or at the 11th international festival of photojournalism and his photos are put up for auction every year at the Hôtel Drouot. He is the author of 18 photography books and two adventure stories.

Olivier Föllmi is listed in the Who’s Who in France among the ‘20 000 biographies whose reputation, worthiness, merit, talent and skills contribute to the activity and influence of France.’

Palani Mohan
Palani Mohan was born in Chennai, India and moved to Australia as a child. His career in photography began 20 years ago with the Sydney Morning Herald and, since then, he has been based in London, Hong Kong, Bangkok and now Malaysia.

Mohan’s work is regularly featured in many of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers. He has also published two photographic books and is working on a third. The first, Hong Kong Lives — an intimate portrait, is a black and white reportage-style look at daily life in Hong Kong. The second, Hidden Faces of India, is a collection of nine photographic essays covering the length and breadth of India. He is currently working on a book on Asian elephants.