Man praying in Sahara desert, Algeria.

The photographs from Sebastião Salgado almost look too surreal to be real. But the images of nature and mammals that he captures are spectacularly real, now on display at the Dina Mitrani gallery.

Iceberg in waters off of Antarctica.

From Africa to Alaska, Salgado has snapped some unbelievably beautiful scenes, of Brazilian tribes in the jungle, African elephants, arctic icebergs, Alaskan mountains ranges. Salgado is unabashedly on a mission to show us the grandiosity – scenery that could never be recreated by man – of the landscapes around us that are in such precarious positions today. These photographs, here in a collaboration with the Peter Fetterman Gallery of Santa Monica, were taken over the course of eight years, in numerous countries.

Some are simply breathtaking: a river running through a misty mountain gorge; a melting iceberg; the undulating sands of a desert – if you didn’t know better, they could look photo-shopped in their perfection. Others show men and women, working in mines or herding cattle, which have little more somber quality. And others focus on animals in their native habitat, like the swarming penguins in Antarctica.

Elephant in a nature preserve, Zambia.

The Brazilian Salgado initially started out his career as an economist, before turning his eye to nature and photographing for agencies such as Magnum and Sygma. He and his wife then founded Amazonas Images, and dedicated much of their time to preserving the Amazonian rain forests (they created a natural reserve and institute in the Atlantic Forest in 1998).

Whether you are a fan of nature photography, or of stunningly composed photography, this is a must-see exhibit. Mostly in black-and-white, the images couldn’t be filled with more life and “color.”

“Sebastião Salgado: Genesis” runs through Jan. 10 at Dina Mitrani Gallery, 2620 N.W. 2nd Ave., Miami; www.dinamitranigallery.com.