Born in Baghdad in 1953, Qasim Sabti became crippled as a seven-month-old baby. Since he grew up in a neighborhood with many athletes who were local heroes, he won attention by distinguishing himself with his artistic abilities. As a teenager, students would pay him a falafel sandwich for a drawing, or for one of his poems or love letters in beautiful Arabic calligraphy.

Remi Benali began his photography career in 1989 after receiving his law degree. He worked with the photo agency Gamma for twelve years, including three years as a Press Correspondent in New York City. He has been working independently since 2002 and lives in Provence.

World famous for his intrepid explorer's style of photographing the most exotic places, Reza has covered most of the globe for National Geographic and other major international publications.

Sarla Chandra, born in 1943, is a Science post graduate from St.John’s College, Agra, India. She is a talented artist, who has been painting for the best part of 40 years, often combining her works with her studies of Indian philosophy, mythology and scripture. It is her unparalleled knowledge of these subjects that she manifests onto the canvas.

Shehzad Noorani has deep interest in social issues that affects lives of millions of people in developing countries. He has covered major stories resulting from manmade and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Other assignments for international developmental agencies like UNICEF...

Stephen Trimble was born in Denver, his family's base for roaming the West with his geologist father. After a liberal arts education at Colorado College, he worked as a park ranger in Colorado and Utah, earned a master’s degree in ecology at the University of Arizona, served as director of the Museum of Northern Arizona Press, and for five years lived near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Kosmos is proud to present photographs by Subhankar Banerjee. His two year photographic journey in raging blizzards with a wind-chill factor of minus 100 degrees F encompassed 4,000 miles undertaken by foot, raft, kayak, and snowmobile in all four seasons. His goal: “to see official, permanent wilderness designation for the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”

Tex Skuthorpe,, an Aboriginal artist from Goodooga north western NSW, was privileged to be taught his people’s traditional culture by the Noonghaburra elders from Noonghal country. Being the eldest boy of the Emu and Sand Goanna totems gave Tex the responsibility to teach and record Noonghaburra law.

Ulrich Soeder (Dresden, Germany), a psychologist and photographer is concerned about the integration of inner and outer worlds, and honoring personal and spiritual roots.