After working for 18 years as an orthodontist, Phil Borges, American, "embarked on a lifelong journey to explore and photograph dramatic human landscapes around the world." Borges began his photographic work in Seattle, Washington with high-risk inner-city teenagers. His goal was to "understand the stories behind these individuals and capture them on film." This same quest for understanding led Borges to create the award-winning exhibit and book, Tibetan Portrait: The Power of Compassion, about the endangered people of Tibet. "I was inspired by Irving Penn's classic portraits of native people, taken in front of seamless backgrounds. Although I usually include the background, it's always secondary. These pictures are portraits of individuals, not representatives of some exotic group."

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