I thought I would follow-up my post about a trip to North Wales with a review of the book we used as inspiration.
Photographing North Wales is a photo-location guidebook published by Fotovue and written by Simon Kitchin, a superb landscape photographer based in North Wales, so he really knows the area well and it shows.
The first thing that stands-out about this book is the quality. The imagery is stunning and it’s motivating, which is the whole idea, especially if you’re starting out and for seasoned ‘togs the same, you’re never too experienced to pick-up ideas and tips.
Opening the fold-out cover the reader is presented with ephemeral information and the book continues in this way, not with ephemeral, but really useful information on every page. For example the book divides North Wales into 7 regions, going from Anglesey to Snowdonia, which is divided itself, this makes finding interesting subject in the area you’re going to really easy to find.
The locations are then listed, numbered so they can be easily found within that region, but it doesn’t stop there, once you’re into a subject you want to photograph Simon splits the subject into viewpoints and then supports each view point with information and local knowledge, and it doesn’t stop there either! There’s an information box on each subject giving the reader information on how to get to the location, how accessible it is and the best time of year to visit.
The book is filled with Simon’s photography, which is superb, and some shots from guest photographers, including one particularly stunning image of an American F15e Strike Eagle fighter plane flying through the Welsh Valleys (the photo is by Ben Gilbert). How could you capture such images? The book goes on to tell you how and where to stand for the best chance.
The useful information doesn’t just stop there, the book finishes with more information about events and when they take place in North Wales and a small bio of Simon.
I absolutely recommend this book, although it may seem like it is pitched at beginners, everyone can benefit from an expert’s experience and local knowledge.
These photo-location books are a series and you can find one for pretty much most regions of the UK, penned by other fantastic and talented photographers.
Photographing North Wales is published by Fotovue Outdoor Photography (ISBN: 9780992905118).
