text: They are the images that capture the faces and dramatic landscapes one photographer encountered during a 1000-day journey around the world. Award-winning photographer Uruma Takezawa has made a living discovering and documenting communities in the most remote areas around the globe. For his latest book, the Japanese adventurer spent 1,021 days on the road, to capture amazing images on an odyssey that took him to 103 countries on four continents. During his several year-long journey, Takezawa found inspiration in those who live off the land in harmony with the natural world and the results are a spectacular set of dramatic images, which currenlty form part of an exhibition at New York's Foto-Care Gallery. Japanese photographer Uruma Takezawa snaps a boy wears traditional tribal make up in the The Lower Omo River Valley, Ethiopia . Born in 1977, the Japanese artist first began his career as a marine photographer, travelling the world to capture breathtaking underwater vistas. From there, he discovered a passion for photographing the unknown, travelling alone by bus, train, on foot and horseback to reach his far-flung destinations. 'The ocean and its seascapes had become so familiar for me,' he wrote. 'I desired to see the different faces of the world. I decided to come ashore and make a long trip in order to see the world with my own eyes.' Cowboys drive herds of cattle over a vast meadow in Pantanal in Brazil, where Takezawa spent one week observing their ways . The winner of the third Nikkei National Geographic Photo Prize, Takezawa has made a living documenting remote communities . Standing stones tower against a background of clouds in Isla de Pascua, Chile, otherwise known as Easter Island . The capital of the Cusco province, Paucartambo, Peru, is home to the Virgen del Carmen festival held each July . The Wodaabe Tribe are a nomadic people of cattle-herders and traders populating the Sahel desert of West Africa, in particular Niger . A woman carries a child in a sling while going about her daily errands in Senessa in the landlocked west African country of Mali . In (nearly) 1,000 days, Takezawa travelled to the most far-flung stretches of the world, enduring many tough terrains to find his subjects . Armed with just a small backpack and his camera equipment, Takezawa endured many tough terrains to photograph his subjects, who are as cut off from the modern world as is possible in this day and age. His enlightening body of work is described as a celebration of the connection that exists between people and the land. From Brazil to Uganda, Takezawa attempts to capture the dignity and resilience of his subjects and the power of the human spirit of those who live off the land. Takezawa writes: 'It's a wide world - far wider than we think, and much deeper. That is the most important thing I learned from my long journey. 'It is my hope that the 'Land' photos will enable viewers to sense the width of the world and the depth of people's hearts.' What an incredible view! It's no surprise that vans and lorries line up to watch the spectacular sunset in Akatama, Chile . In his series, 'Land,' Takezawa photographed individuals who are as cut off from the modern world as is possible in this day and age . Rain droplets obscure the view from the window, where a red double decker bus is in clear view on the right hand side . A woman dances in the streets of Havana in Cuba, which the photographer said were filled with rhythm and dancing . His breathtaking photo series captures the dignity and resilience of his subjects and the power of those who live off the land . The Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan are formed by the junction of the Himalayas with several other Central Asian ranges . Tazara Railways, in east Africa, is a 1,860 km single-track railway, which links Tanzania and Zambia . In Lalung Gal Gompa, East Tibet, exists a dense collection of monk quarters laid out on top of each other on a hillside . Dozens of hot hair balloons fly high above the rocky landscape, which includes the famed fairy chimneys, of Goreme, Turkey . Men, women and children flock to a market held once a week in a small village deep in the interior of Dogon Country in Mali in west Africa . Takezawa's round-the-world trip began on March 18, 2010 in Japan and took him to places such as Vrindavan, India (pictured) Takezawa is also an accomplished commercial photographer, working with advertising agencies and magazines. His nearly 1,000 day round-the-world trip, which began on March 18, 2010 in Japan, ended on December 31, 2012. From April 21 to May 5, his show, Land: Photographs By Uruma Takezawa, will be on display at the Foto-Care Gallery in New York City. Takezawa captured a beautiful starry sky as the sun went down in Morondava, the capital of Madagascar . The world's third largest reserve of fresh water, the Perito Moreno Glacier in the Santa Cruz Province of Argentina is a tourist favourite . The Japanese photographer captured the men of the Wodaabe tribe in Nigeria who paint their face with pigment made from crushed rocks . Hallstatt, Austria, is home to one of the world's largest collections of hand-painted human skulls, known as the Beinhaus . His enlightening body of work is described as a celebration of the connection that exists between people and the land . In Budapest, Hungary, Takezawa captured several travellers waiting at a local train station through a marked pane of glass . Takezawa photographed one particular protest in Tripoli, Lebanon, where several men carried black flags mounted to tall sticks . In Tobilisi, Georgia, two little girls sit on a window ledge, which is protected by metal bars, which they peer through . Takezawa photographed these children in an orphanage in Kakuto County in Uganda gathering together for early morning lessons . In Uyuni in Bolivia, he walked on a vast salt lake at an altitude of 4000 meters where pools of water reflected the blue of the sky .
target: Uruma Takezawa, a Japanese photographer, has just won the third annual Nikkei National Geographic photo prize .
  Formerly a marine photographer, Takezawa's latest project documents those who live off the land in harmony .
  He embarked on a round-the-world photography trip in March 2010, which took him to all corners of the world .