Matthieu Paley is a photographer and National Geographic Explorer who has spent the past 25 years traveling the world, documenting remote cultures and human resilience. He focuses on regions often misrepresented, with a deep commitment to preserving self-sufficient communities, disappearing traditions and the connection between spirituality and the environment. For over a decade, Paley undertook challenging mountain expeditions to document the Afghan Kyrgyz nomads, one of the most isolated communities on Earth. His dedication to visual storytelling took him from the Arctic to jungles and deserts, exploring how self-sufficient communities sustain themselves and how their relationship with food defines their lives. Rooted in this philosophy, he planted his own food forest in Portugal, nurturing over 2,000 trees as a living extension of his connection to the land. Currently, Paley is developing “Our Urge to Walk,” a story exploring the deep connection between walking and what it means to be human — how it shapes evolution, sparks creativity, and fosters both spiritual and existential understanding. He is conversational in seven languages and uses this ability to forge genuine connections that infuse his storytelling with intimacy and depth.

Photo by Matthieu Paley