Denis Belliveau, MR 07,  used photos to describe the two years he and Francis O’Donnell spent retracing all 25,000 miles of Marco Polo’s 24-year, 13th century journey by land and sea from Venice to China and back at the ECWG’s Cosmos Club dinner on Feb. 11, 2012.

Richly enhanced with Belliveau’s award-winning photographs, the program detailed the highs and lows of retracing Polo’s path, trying to see what Polo saw and feel what he must have felt.

Until Belliveau and O’Donnell did it, no individual or team  had ever retraced Marco Polo’s entire route, although several Expeditions tried and failed.  One of Belliveau’s and O’Donnell’s self-imposed rule was “No Flying.”

Belliveau’s  photographic career has taken him to over 60 countries where he has amassed a wealth of mesmerizing images. His work has been published in numerous magazines, periodicals and books, including Photographic Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine and most recently the B.B.C. documentary series “Planet Earth” which aired on the Discovery Channel.

He is the recipient of the Gallery Award, Eastman Kodak’s highest honor for a professional photographer. “In the Footsteps of Marco Polo” was nominated for an Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. Denis is employed as Director of Photography and senior cameraman for the award winning P.B.S. television Series, “Real Moms, Real Stories, Real Savvy.”

He lives in New York City with his wife Lisa and sons Jake and Cary James and is currently working on his next documentary.

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