Headlands by Norman McCloskey - On My Bookshelf S07E12

Setting the Standard for a Landscape Photography Book

Over the years I’ve made no secret about how much I like Norman McCloskey’s earlier two books, Beara and Kingdom. They are exceptional not only for the photographs in them, but also the presentation, layout, and sequencing. It’s a tough formula to get right, and I can only think of one other photographer who excels in book production. Can you guess who that is?

So, when Norman teased the release of his fourth book and third in a trilogy along with Beara and Kingdom, I couldn’t wait to see what he would produce. But sometimes when you get so excited about something and your expectations rise, the real-life experience can sometimes leave you disappointed and flat.

When my copy of Headlands dropped through the letter box, I was a little apprehensive. Should I have been? Let’s find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.

Purchase Norman’s Books 

✔️ Visit Norman's website and sign up for his newsletter - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/

🛒 Purchase Headlands by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/headlands/

🛒 Purchase Kingdom by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/kingdom/

🛒 Purchase Beara by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/product/beara/

🛒 Purchase Parklight by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/product/parklight/

🎞️ Watch the episodes of On My Bookshelf for Beara and Kingdom here -

🎞️ Watch Ólafur Arnalds & Talos - We Didn't Know We Were Ready (feat. Niamh Regan & Ye Vagabonds) -

Kingdom by Norman McCloskey - On My Bookshelf S05E09

A Book That Truly Inspires

I have now made thirty five episodes of On My Bookshelf. That’s a lot of books and that doesn’t even take into account all the books I haven’t made episodes for. The point is, I love photography books. One of the things I try and do though is look at photograph books that don’t always align with the style of photographs I aspire to take. These books could still be on the genre of landscape photography or sometimes something completely different such as street or documentary photography.

Every now and again a book comes along that delivers exactly the style of photography that I aspire to take. One such book was Beara by Norman McCloskey. It rapidly became one of, if not my favourite landscape photography books. I loved it for both for its photographs and for the layout and sequencing of the photographs.

Nearly three years after the release of that book, Norman has just published his third book, Kingdom. Is Norman’s latest body of work still the book I reach for when I want to be inspired? Is it a book for your bookshelf? Let’s find out.

You can purchase a copy of Kingdom by Norman McCloskey directly from Norman at - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/kingdom/

Beara by Norman McCloskey - On My Bookshelf S02E04

Discovering Beara

I'm not sure if I was aware of the work of Norman McCloskey before I got Beara, but I do know how I discovered Beara.  I was flicking through the March 2019 issue of Outdoor Photography magazine when I spotted a feature on the book.  As luck would have it my wife had been asking me what I wanted for my birthday so I asked her to get me a copy of Beara. 

Obviously, the sample pictures in the magazine were enough for me to want a copy but it wasn't until I actually got the book and read it that I realised what a fantastic collection of landscape photographs Norman had put together. 

Anyway, I don't want to reveal all my thoughts here on the blog.   Instead, why don't you check out the latest episode of On My Bookshelf and let me tell you a little more about Beara.

I do hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf .  Will you be picking up a copy of Beara?  Have you been to the Beara Peninsula?  Let me know in the comments below.

PS - You can pick up a copy of Beara direct from the author by clicking on this link here.