"People always say we live in a fractured and cynical country. I can't bear it!" Famed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand pushes a different image of his homeland with his latest monumental project.

The 79-year-old, best known for his aerial nature photographs known as "Earth from Above", set out to create a "family album" of France for his latest visual catalogue that rejects popular ideas about the country.

Instead of the news bulletin images of burning bins or street demonstrations, and far from the country's ill-tempered politics, Arthus-Bertrand's new portrait series paints a gentle picture of a diverse and often cheerful nation.

He spent more than two years travelling around the French mainland, installing a portable photo study and inviting locals to come and pose, with fri

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