Mattias Klum was born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1968. He started taking pictures as a teenager, and since 1986 has worked full-time as a freelance photographer, portraying animals, plants, natural and cultural settings, through articles, books, films and exhibitions. Expeditions have taken him across the planet, from Borneo and Brunei to Mongolia, Thailand and Rwanda. His work has appeared in international publications such as National Geographic, Geo, Terre Sauvage, Der Spiegel and The New York Times. His first story with National Geographic in 1997 made him the first Swede ever to have his work on the cover. Klum has published ten books to date, including, When the Mist Rises (Panda Book of the Year in 1993), A Journey Through Sweden, Borneo Rainforest (Panda Book of the Year in 1998), and The Secret of Africa. He has also produced documentary films, including Borneo's Rainforest, The Brittle Thread (on Asia's last lions) and The Linnaeus Expedition (across seven continents). His numerous awards include a medal from the King of Sweden for his work as a nature photographer. Klum also lectures worldwide, and in 2007 founded Terre Grande Publishing.
