The Planet Earth season’s flagship event is an astounding exhibition of 120 photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertand entitled Earth from the Air. This photographic portrait of our planet illuminates its beauty and raises awareness of our impact on the world we inhabit.

The free outdoor exhibition at Oxford Castle runs until January 2009.

Organisers expect around 250,000 people to visit the exhibition and are organising an associated programme of educational events and a complimentary exhibition at the O3 Gallery in the castle.

A narrative accompanies each photograph. Yann Arthus-Bertrand hopes the combination of words and large-scale images in the exhibition will inspire people to care about the planet and its eco-system.

“I am trying to explain that everything is connected — insects, earth, trees. We are all connected. And if we change this balance we put mankind in danger,” Yann said.

Yann has always considered himself a naturalist. Aged 30, he was director of a game reserve in France, before moving to Kenya with his wife Anne. It was there he discovered his unique way of capturing the beauty of the natural world, piloting a hot-air balloon and studying lions in the Maasai Mara Reserve.

When he returned to France he became a professional photographer.

In 1991, he founded the Altitude Agency in Paris, a specialist aerial photographic library, the only one in its field, drawing on the work of photographers from all over the world.

Earth from the Air was a massive project for Yann. Originally he has spent seven years carefully researching the landscapes he has selected, flying over 76 countries and clocking up 3,000 flying hours by helicopter. Earth from the Air has taken him to Antarctica, Alaska, southern Argentina, Australia, Siberia and Africa. Now many years on he is still continuing his passion for this project.

The idea was to create a photographic record, a census, of the state of the planet at the turn of a new millennium. Commenting on the project Yann says: “The unbridled acceleration of our demographic and industrial history is radically changing the face of our planet.

“For ten years I have been photographing the Earth and trying to show it in a simple and genuine way. They’re qualities that I prefer in photography.

“During these thousands of hours of flight, camera in hand, I have learned much and it is my pleasure to share what I have learned.”

This major exhibition is the result of this work, although the project continues. With over 100,000 shots in the collection, Yann has chosen the 120 large photographs in the Oxford exhibition to communicate his own vision. The addition of a walk on world map adds a further 30 images and text linking to an Agenda for change, encouraging the visitor to make a difference.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand has produced close to 70 books of his work. His book The Earth from the Air has been produced in 14 languages.

He holds the most prestigious award in France, the Legion D'Honneur, for his photographic work on the environment. He also chairs Good Planet a non profit association for the promotion of sustainable development He now lives near Paris in France, where he has a studio and a garden tree house.