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? For over 20 years, Frenchman Yann Arthus-Bertrand has been constructing a portrait of the Earth, using aerial photographs. 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. 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." This image shows rows of vibrant tulips in the Dutch countryside. "Since the first flowering in 1594 of bulbs brought back from the Ottoman Empire by the Austrian ambassador, four centuries of selection have led to the development of more than 800 varieties of tulips," said Arthus-Bertrand's photography agency, Altitudes Anyway.
Much like the tulip fields, it takes a moment to spot the human figure among the many cotton bales in this picture. "Gossypium hirsutum, from the British West Indies, is the most cultivated cotton plant species in the world and was introduced to West Africa in the 19th century," explained Arthhus-Bertrand's agency. "With the input costs -- cotton cultivation alone uses a quarter of pesticides sold in the world -- and the marginalization of producers, some governments have encouraged the use of less pesticides and the production of fair trade cotton to ensure that producers are better paid, and that their working conditions are aligned with international norms."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
The Heart of Voh, New Caledonia —
This image of a heart-shaped patch of land, which also adorned the cover of Arthus-Bertrand's book, is one of his most famous photographs from the ambitious project. "New Caledonia, a group of islands in the Pacific, has 200 square kilometers of mangrove that is quite low but very dense -- especially on the Western coast of the largest island, Grande-Terre," explained the photo agency. "Inland, where sea water only penetrates during Spring tides, vegetation is sometimes replaced by naked and over-salted stretches of land, called tanne, like near the town of Voh where nature has drawn this glade in the shape of a heart."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Crystalline formations on Lake Magadi, Kenya —
Surrounded by high volcanic plateaus, these alkaline waters have a high salt content. And though the lake is inhospitable, is it far from unlivable. "Millions of small flamingos come to feed from microalgae -- shrimps and other crustaceans that proliferate in its waters," explained Altitudes Anyway. "Also, one cannot fail to mention that the lake's sesquicarbonate crystals - the purest in the world -- have been exploited for over a century to produce sodium carbonate used in the glass and detergent industries."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Glacier tongue, Sary-Jaz Mountains, Kyrgyzstan —
"I decided to do a work on the beauty of the Earth, and on the impact of man on the planet," said Arthus-Bertrand of his ambitious project. "It's a work which totally transformed me. The Earth was a lot more beautiful than I imagined. I think still today I am astounded by the beauty of the world, and the beauty when seen from above."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Oil residue landfill from the exploitation of oil sands, Fort McMurray, Canada —
Often, what may initially seem like an abstract painting, takes on a different meaning once you know what you're really looking at. "To obtain one barrel of 159 liters of crude oil, one has to extract two tons of peat and soil, and two tons of sand," explained Arthus-Bertrand's agency. "With the money from the oil, the population of the town very close to Fort McMurray has rapidly increased over the past few years. However, even if this wealth is advantageous for the province of Alberta, oil companies, and the inhabitants, it is at the expense of the environment of us all. "
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Sanaa's old town and the Al Khbir Mosque, Yemen —
Sanaa's old town is a labyrinth of backstreets that smell of myrrh and incense -- of which Yemen is one of the world's largest producers. It can be a difficult place to negotiate on foot. But working from the air has its challenges too. "Aerial photography is complicated; the weather needs to be good, you need authorizations which is very complicated because a photographer is always seen as a spy in a foreign land, and you need helicopters in a good condition, on site," said Arthus-Bertrand. "So it's expensive -- much more expensive than taking photos on foot or by car."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Kilimandjaro's disappearing snow, Tanzania —
The snow-capped mountain of Kilimanjaro appears to be more of a snow sprinkle in this image. "This snow, which is more than 11,000 years old, is about to disappear," said Arthurs-Bertrand's agency. "Global warming, deforestation, very low levels of precipitation -- scientists are wondering why the snow on Africa's highest summit which, at 5,895 meters tall, is gradually disappearing."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Louis-Saint-Laurent icebreaker in Resolute Bay, Canada —
"An icebreaker is designed to open up maritime routes. Since 1969, the Louis- Saint-Laurent is the largest and oldest of these ships operating in Canada," said Arthus-Bertrand's photography agency. "With its reinforced hull, its powerful propulsion, and its prominent stern, it moves forward on the ice floe that it cracks and breaks with its weight. From Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea, navigation requires the use of such ships to provide human establishments located at the furthest northern point with fresh supplies." Though in this image, the melted ice doesn't appear to present too much of an obstacle to the hefty vessel.
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Strongbreen glacier in Kvalvagen bay, Spitsbergen Island, Norway —
"Not many people live in the Svalbard archipelago, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean," explained Arthus-Bertrand's agency. "Glaciers cover most of the lands. Increasing temperatures and climate change are causing the ice to melt, easing access to this region which may be full of gas and petrol."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Flooded Honda Industrial Park, November 2011, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand —
"Not even the six-meter-high water protection walls were enough to protect the industrial area of Rojana, where the Honda Plant is located, from the rising muddy waters of the Chao Phraya River," explained Arthus-Bertrand's agency. "Although part of the cars were removed before the flood, a thousand of them were submerged for months and ended up destroyed. The plant will be rebuilt at a cost of $650 million."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Covered market in Port au Prince, Haiti —
A covered market in Port au Prince, is a patchwork of colors when viewed from above.
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Elephants in the Okavango Delta, Botswana —
Arthus-Bertrand might capture African elephants in this image, but it was lions that set him on his hugely successful career path. "I discovered photography whilst doing a study of lions. I dreamed of being like Jane Goodall, studying animals everyday," he said. "I became a photographer by chance, because my wife Anne, who is very important in my professional life, wrote very well, and I write badly, so I think photography was the best way to tell the story of the life of animals. "You can express with photography what you can't write."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya —
A smattering of glowing white tents can be seen at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Satellite dishes on the roofs of Aleppo, Syria —
So often we take in our cities from ground level, gazing up at the buildings which clutter our view of the sky. We can only imagine the tops of roofs we'll never see -- unless, that is, you're an aerial photographer. "Here, a forest of parabolic antennas picks up television programs from all over the world, relayed from space by satellites in geostationary orbit, 36,000 km above the Earth," said Arthus-Bertrand's agency.
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Young girls carrying buckets in the Dogon region, Mali —
"During Africa's dry season, women and girls often travel 10 km on foot to collect water for household tasks," explained Arthus-Bertrand's agency. "In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that this task takes up 40 billion hours a year."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Yak caravan near Skardu, Indus Valley, Pakistan —
Look closer and you'll see that trail of what looks like ants, is in fact a yak caravan, in Gilgit--Baltistan.
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Drying sea salt in the Punta Vigia saltworks, Ocoa Bay, Dominican Republic. —
"I think there is something that all photographers share, and that is that we adore what we do, we are passionate about photography," said Arthus-Bertrand. "Often we work alone, with troubles, lack of money, images that aren't published because no one likes them even though you know you like them. But at the end of the day, we all share this profound passion for the profession we have."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Camel caravan in Lake Karum, Danakil Desert, Ethiopia —
A long line of camels snakes its way across the Afar region -- one of the lowest in Africa. "This salted desert is also the warmest place on Earth, with temperatures rising to 144F (50C)," said Arthus-Bertrand's photography agency. "The Afar, or Danaki desert, is rich in salt, a richness exploited for centuries. Great caravans of hundreds of camels transport this resource all over the country, where the salt is used for food conservation, cooking, and occasionally as a source of money exchange."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Pink trumpet tree on the Kaw mountain, French Guiana —
"Photography is an instant, and in an instant, you capture a time," said Arthus-Bertrand. "There is a huge difference between the video and the photo; a photo is there, it will stay the same you photographed in one 5,000th of a second. It will remain there forever."
Courtesy Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitudes Anyway
Statue of Liberty, Manhattan and One World Trade Center, New York, United States —
And long after the world has changed -- with buildings fallen and rebuilt -- Arthus-Bertrand's photographs remain as a simple and evocative time capsule.