Our favourite photography books

• Tuesday 1 December 2020

If you know someone who loves …

(1) the outdoors

(2) wildlife

(3) photography

(4) all three of these things

… and you’re not sure what to get them for Christmas, then don’t worry – we’re here to help.

Below is a list of some of our favourite coffee table and photography books that we believe would make the perfect gift for anyone who has a fondness for the natural world.

Produced over seven years and shot entirely using a traditional Hasselblad film camera, Wild Light is a stunning panoramic exploration of the Scottish landscape by award-winning photographer Craig Aitchison. Featuring over eighty panoramas, this remarkable body of work captures the essence of the Scottish wilderness through the seasons and portrays the Highlands and Islands at their most beautiful. Celebrating the rich natural heritage, incredible geodiversity and varied landscape for which Scotland is internationally renowned, this book will delight anyone who treasures the Scottish mountain landscape.

Thirty years ago, John Beatty sailed by way of the Falkland Islands to Antarctica, where he was to work as a field assistant on the British Antarctic Survey. This adventure, lasting seven months, shaped the course of John’s life. Over the three decades that followed, John travelled extensively, encountering the natural rhythms and raw beauty of the world in its most remote and spectacular settings. He took with him an innate photographic skill by means of which, through countless rigorous and self-reliant experiences in the wild, he developed an intensely personal and unique vision, the expression of which is distilled in the images contained in this book. Wild Vision is the first retrospective of John’s work and we highly recommend it.

In his third and most atmospheric collection of images to date, multi-award-winning photographer Alastair Lee once again turns his lens to his spiritual home: Pendle Hill. This evocative book traces the contours of East Lancashire’s most distinctive landmark to revisit the infamous events that took place under its brooding presence in the seventeenth century, before chronicling the evolution of the vibrant communities that now flourish beneath its flanks. Celebrating the independent spirit of these upland dwellers and intimately capturing how Pendlefolk interact with this epic landscape, the pages of this illuminating book are permeated with the flora, fauna, farming and the very fabric of the hill – along with the occasional whisper of witchcraft.

More than five years in the making, Lake District Mountain Landscape (also by Alastair Lee) is a spectacular photographic perspective of Britain’s much-loved national park. With an emphasis on the mountain heights, Alastair captures the otherworldliness and majesty of the ‘English Alps’ in all seasons and conditions. An experienced climber, Alastair brings all his skill and tenacity to the task of capturing sunrise from the summits of the highest peaks in England, moonlight on icy slopes and seas of cloud filling the familiar valleys of Lakeland. A work of extraordinary commitment and originality, this book is full of revelations for Lakelanders and visitors alike.

Villager Jim’s Peak District brings together the stunning photography of the elusive new star on the wildlife photography block. Sneaking about at dawn and dusk, capturing images that surprise and delight, Villager Jim’s photographs of his local Peak District entertain and enchant his growing audience. It’s hard to believe this is Europe’s busiest national park as Villager Jim gives us a sneak peek at the Peak District’s quieter, gentler side. Close your eyes and imagine the dawn birdsong in the images of deserted country lanes, meet the wonderful wildlife on Villager Jim’s doorstep, and let him introduce you to the garden birds he calls his friends. Villager Jim’s Peak District is a collection of over 180 beautiful photographs that speak volumes for Jim’s love of the Peak District’s landscape and wildlife, and all of Mother Nature.

In Extreme Scotland, award-winning adventure-sports photographer Nadir Khan takes us on a jaw-dropping tour through Scotland’s epic mountain landscape. Nadir showcases his work with some of the best adventure athletes in the world – including Ines Papert and James Pearson – in a portfolio that has placed him at the forefront of adventure-sports photography in the UK. From the icy walls of Ben Nevis’s frozen north face to the raging seas of the north coast, Scotland plays host to world-class adventure sports of every discipline. Ice climbing, kayaking, ski-touring, trail running, surfing, mountain biking and rock climbing are all captured beautifully in this fitting testament to Scotland’s outstanding landscapes and adrenaline sports.