( CNN ) As teenagers , the women of the Ethiopian Mursi tribe pierce their lower lips and put a clay plate in it . They are one of the last tribes in the world who still practice this tradition and the new generation , influenced by the outside world , might decide to abandon it . That 's why British photographer Jimmy Nelson decided to travel the world for three years , visiting 35 tribes in all five continents , to document their lives and customs before they disappear . He drank vodka with the Mongolian Tsaatan tribe in freezing conditions and admired the beautiful Himba tribesmen in the Namib Desert . The result of his journey can be found in his new book of photographs , `` Before They Pass Away . '' `` The whole idea is to make ( the tribes ) iconic . To give them the attention that we give ourselves in the developed world , '' the 45-year-old photographer says . From a very early age , Nelson was confronted by cultural diversity . He grew up in different African countries before moving to England at the age of seven to attend a catholic Jesuit boarding school . Going back to Africa to meet with nine tribes in four different countries was a special experience for him . Read this : modernizing the Maasai to avoid extinction . `` Africa is evolving the quickest in my opinion . It has lost the majority of its ethnicity and authenticity , '' he says . `` I grew up in Nigeria , Sierra Leone , Gabon and in Cameroon . I 've been living for 45 years , and what I saw in my childhood is not there anymore . '' Being humble . Nelson and his crew , consisting of an assistant and a cameraman , covered Africa in five trips . They visited five tribes in Ethiopia , and one each in Kenya , Tanzania and Namibia . Nelson says the most challenging part of his African journeys was approaching the tribes in southern Ethiopia . `` There are many small tribes in a small area and everybody is protecting their own turf . So they can be quite intimidating , '' he says . When first approaching the tribes , Nelson left the camera equipment behind . He says even though all the tribes had been documented before , he was conscious to explain to them what he wanted to do . Only the Kenyan tribe , Samburu , knew he was coming . Maasai Cricket Warriors : 'Bowling is just like throwing a spear ' Although he was always traveling with a local guide , Nelson had to rely on body language and gestures to communicate with the different tribesmen and gain their trust . But he says it was all about appealing to their vanity . `` Initially it 's idolization . You put them on a pedestal and then you touch their muscles and show that through lots of gestures , lots of hero-worship , '' Nelson explains of his initial meetings with the Ethiopian tribes , who would often greet him carrying Kalashnikov rifles . `` You arrive and they are all wild and intimidating , it 's all about being macho . '' One thing that stood out to Nelson when meeting the different African tribes was their awareness of their appearances . He says he noticed a lot of male vanity in the African tribes . For example , many people think the men in the Namibian Himba tribe are actually women . `` This is a classic example of the whole idea behind the book that appearances can be deceptive , '' he says . `` Very few of us will ever look as beautiful as these people . '' The Himba : Namibia 's iconic red women . Signs of modernization . When Nelson and his crew traveled across the Omo Valley four years ago , to find the southern Ethiopian tribes , it took them three weeks to reach them . Today , he says , the roads have been improved and it only takes a few days . He thinks this is one of the reasons some of the tribes are slowly abandoning their traditional lifestyle . `` At the moment ( the African tribes ) are evolving quickly because of the digital age . Many of them have a mobile telephone , so they are aware of an outside world , '' he says . The book `` Before They Pass Away '' is just the first third of his project . The next step is to go back to all 35 tribes and show them their photos , explaining to them why he made them . The idea is to then visit another 35 tribes in more politically unstable areas , where he would need the authorities ' help to get access . But most of all Nelson hopes the portraits will encourage a deeper dialogue between the tribes and the developed world . `` By illustrating these people in a grand aesthetic , romantic , idealistic and iconic way , I 'm trying to attract the public 's attention to a subject matter that they would n't normally be interested in , '' the photographer explains . Before Nelson embarked on his three-year-long journey , he was just expecting to make a visual document to celebrate the tribes for what they looked like . But now he thinks there are greater lessons to be learned . `` In my eyes the tribespeople are emotionally and socially very rich but materially very poor , and we ( in the West ) are the opposite , '' he says . `` How aware of how special they are is debatable , hence why I want to start this discussion . Before they pass away . ''
Jimmy Nelson photographed One tribes all over the world for book ` At the moment ( the African tribes ) are evolving quickly because of the digital age Nelson photographed tribes in Tanzania , Namibia , Tanzania and Kenya . He wanted to create a record of `` a fast disappearing world ''