Ethereal By Mark Cornick and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S08E03
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I take a look at Ethereal by Mark Cornick, a thoughtful collection of abstract coastal photographs inspired by Cornwall and West Wittering Beach.
Ethereal by Mark Cornick
In ththis episode of On My Bookshelf I take a look at Ethereal by Mark Cornick.
Ethereal is the result of an eight year exploration of abstract coastal photography using intentional camera movement. The book brings together two of Mark’s long term projects. Fathom, photographed on the far western coast of Cornwall, and Timeless Seas, created at West Wittering Beach.
A particularly engaging aspect of the book is the inclusion of Cornick’s field notes. Written while working on location, these short reflections provide context for the photographs and help build a stronger connection between the images and the coastal landscapes that inspired them.
The result is a thoughtful collection of abstract coastal photographs that encourages the reader to slow down and spend time with the work.
You can watch the full video below where I share a closer look at the book.
You can purchase Ethereal by Mark Cornick directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/ethereal-by-mark-cornick
Immersive by Bill Ward and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S08E02
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I take a look at Immersive by award winning British photographer and actor Bill Ward.
Immersive – A Look at Bill Ward’s Ocean ICM Project
In the latest episode of On My Bookshelf, I take a look at Immersive by Bill Ward, a beautifully produced 88 page, casebound photography book published by Kozu Books.
Many will know Bill for his long acting career, including roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale, but he has also built a strong reputation as an award winning landscape photographer and a leading voice in Intentional Camera Movement (ICM).
Immersive is Billl’s four year exploration of photographing from within the ocean itself. Wearing a wetsuit and using waterproof housing, Bill places himself in, on, and sometimes beneath breaking waves, creating long exposure ICM images that explore movement, light, texture and energy.
The book is divided into themed chapters including Roots, Crest, Search, Surge and Beneath, each reflecting a different aspect of his relationship with the sea. It is a compelling and thought provoking body of work, and in the video I share my thoughts on the book and why it resonated with me.
If you wish to purchase a copy of Immersive by Bill Ward, you can do so directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/immersive-by-bill-ward/
Wild by Jo Stephen and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S07E09
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at Wild by Jo Stephen and published by Kozu Books. Is this collection of intimate landscapes and portraits of nature a book for your bookshelf?
Intimate Landscapes and Portraits of Nature
Some photography books are big and heavy, and they dominate a section of my bookshelf. Other photography books are smaller and seem to blend in with the other titles on that shelf. But it's these less obvious books that often have the best surprises in them. One such book is Wild by Jo Stephen. A relatively small book but one that has the power to transport you to a world of nature.
The photographs don't shout and scream at you, but they are powerful. Some photographs are clear and focused, where others use soft focus or multiple exposures. But they all create a sense of nature, connection and calm.
In a world of big vista landscapes vying for your attention on social media, it's a relaxing and yet highly engaging experience reading Wild. You can see why in this episode of On My Bookshelf.
🛒 See Wild by Jo Stephen on the Kozu Books website - https://www.kozubooks.com/out-of-print/wild-by-jo-stephen
🎞️ See the other Kozu Books titles that have featured on an episode of On My Bookshelf in this playlist.
Forgotten Souls by Matt Oliver and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S07E08
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at Forgotten Souls by Matt Oliver and published by Kozu books. Is this collection of silver birch photographs a book for your bookshelf?
Souls and Memories
Do trees have characters and souls? In the eyes of Matt Oliver, they do and in his new book Forgotten Souls he takes on a journey around a land that was once a hub of industry but has now been reclaimed and revitalised by silver birch trees. On paper, this sounds like a narrow scope for a photography book, but as you'll see in this episode of On My bookshelf, a single subject can produce a huge variety of photographs.
I'm not going to say too much more as I cover it all in the video, but regardless of if you are a lover of woodland photography or not, this book is well worth a closer look. Enjoy!
If you'd like to learn more about Matt Oliver you can read his interview in Outdoor Photography magazine (issue 319)
🛒 You can purchase a copy of Forgotten Souls directly by Matt Oliver directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/forgotten-souls-by-matt-oliver
🎞️ See the other Kozu Books titles that have featured on and episode of On My Bookshelf in this handy playlist.
Stillness in Motion by Sally Mason and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S07E07
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at 'Stillness. In Motion' by Sally Mason and published by Kozu Books. Is this 'collection of images exploring motion in nature and the beauty of the ephemeral' a book for your bookshelf?
Stillness. In Motion
There is something powerful about the printed photograph. I am as guilty as the next person by not spending sufficient time to look at a photograph when I view it on social media. It's all too easy just to scroll and scroll and scroll until something catches your eye. And even when something catches your eye, I don't spend enough time to properly absorb the photograph.
This is why I love photography books. Looking at a photography book is a purposeful act and one I dedicate time to, as opposed to scrolling when bored. Giving myself permission to spend time looking at a photography book has allowed me to appreciate photographs that I might not have given much of a look if it had appeared on social media.
Sally's 'Stillness. In Motion' is an excellent example of where I might not have instantly connected with the photographs, but when I took the time to immerse myself in them, I found them to be works of art. The title 'Stillness. In Motion' couldn't be more apt.
Find out more about this wonderful book in this episode of On My Bookshelf.
Purchase 'Stillness. In Motion' by Sally Mason
ou can purchase 'Stillness. In Motion' by Sally Mason directly from Kozu Books at https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/stillness-in-motion-by-sally-mason
Kelp by Mark Littlejohn and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S07E06
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I dive into Kelp by Mark Littlejohn to see if this photography book is a book for your bookshelf.
The Beauty of Seaweed?
On paper, a photography book all about seaweed doesn’t sound that appealing. However, if that seaweed is kelp, and the photographer behind the camera is Mark Littlejohn, then you have to look at the prospect of such a book with very different eyes.
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I’m taking a look at Mark’s book of kelp photographs. Is it too repetitive, or is each photograph a unique work of art that highlights the colours, contrast, complexity, and elegance of kelp? Let’s find out.
Purchase Kelp by Mark Littlejohn
🛒 You can purchase Kelp by Mark Littlejohn directly from Kozu Books at - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/kelp-by-mark-littlejohn
More Episodes of On My Bookshelf
🎞️ See more titles from Kozu Books in this On My Bookshelf playlist.
🎞️ Watch any of the On My Bookshelf episodes here.
Aqua by Hans Strand and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S07E04
Hans Strand is a world-renowned nature, environmental and landscape photographer from Sweden. In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at his latest book from Kozu Books, titled Aqua, to see if it is a book for your bookshelf.
Beautiful Photographs, Beautifully Printed
I expect many of you will have seen the work of Swedish photographer Hans Strand. His nature, environmental and landscape photographs have a global reach, and he is recognised as a leading photographer in his field. He also loves to publish books, including Beyond Landscape, which I covered in a previous episode of On My Bookshelf.
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I’m going to take a look at his latest book, Aqua. Is Hans’ collection of photographs that documents the beauty and complexity of glaciers, wetlands, lakes and rivers, a book for your bookshelf?
Purchase Aqua by Hans Strand
🛒 You can purchase Aqua by Hans Strand directly from Kozu Books at https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/aqua-by-hans-strand
We May As Well Dance by Valda Bailey and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E11
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at We May as Well Dance by Valda Bailey. Is book of abstract and expressionist images, by one of the leading photographers in this genre, a book for your bookshelf?
The Art of Photography
Photography is a wonderful medium, and whether you believe it to be art or not, the sheer variety of genres and styles is enough to give any lover of photographs a lifetime of images to enjoy.
While my own bookshelf is dominated by books on landscape photography, there are also books on people, locations, wildlife and even a TV show. I enjoy them all, but they all have one thing in common. Everyone will identify the images in those books as photographs.
The images in We May As Well Dance are very different. They are still photographs (captured using a camera), but the use of ICM and multiple exposures that Valda has expertly adopted produce images that take on an abstract, expressionist style. At first glance, they could be mistaken for paintings or some other form of art.
With We May As Well Dance being such a big departure from the types of photograph I enjoy, would I still be able to enjoy it? Let’s find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You can purchase a copy of We May As Well Dance by Valda Bailey directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/we-may-as-well-dance-by-valda-bailey
Even The Birds Were Afraid To Fly by Al Brydon and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E08
In this episode I take a look at Even The Birds Were Afraid To Fly by Al Brydon and published by Kozu Books. Is this collection of "lo-fi" photographs a book for your bookshelf?
Challenging But Rewarding
The On My Bookshelf playlist now has thirty-five videos in it but my passion for photography books shows no signs of slowing down. However, I’m not only looking at books that align with and inspire the style of photographs I like to take, but I’m also trying to expand my photographic horizons by embracing photography from a wide range of styles and genres.
Even the Birds Were Afraid to Fly is a book that falls into the latter category. Sitting down to look through this book I initially struggled to connect with the photographs. I would go as far as to say that I found it challenging and I wasn’t sure what I would say about the photographs.
My experience of looking at so many books has taught me that some photographs need more viewing time before you start to appreciate them. This is very much the case for this book. Well, for me personally at least. It’s time I’m glad I spent though.
Find out why I’ve found this book so rewarding in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You can purchase a copy of Even the Birds Were Afraid to Fly directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/eventhebirdswereafraidtofly
Hidden Worlds by Robbie Shone and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E07
Would you be willing journey 2000m below the surface of the earth to capture a photograph? Fortunately for us there are photographers like Robbie Stone who have made the exploration of caves their life. In his book, Hidden Worlds, Robbie shares some the images he has captured over the last 20 years. Is this a book for your bookshelf?
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
When you think about photographing the landscape you will likely think of mountains, rivers, forests, clouds sunlight. But I would imagine few of us consider photographing the landscape that is below the surface of the earth! And why would we. It’s cold, claustrophobic, dangerous and most importantly there’s no light!
For photographers like Robbie Shone though, what lies beneath our feet is a world of adventure and discovery, and a world that must be photographed. In his book, Hidden Worlds, Robbie shares some of the photographs he has captured over the last 20 years exploring the deepest, longest, and largest caves in the world.
This book offers a view into a fantastical world that most people will never see, but is it a book for your bookshelf?
You purchase a copy of Hidden Worlds by Robbie Shone directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/hidden-worlds-by-robbie-shone
Komorebi by Martin Rak and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E06
Komorebi is a book that takes you on a journey into the world of trees, forests and woodland landscapes. But is Martin Rak's book of his favourite woodland images from the last 10 years a book for your bookshelf?
Sunlight Filtering Through the Trees
The team at Kozu Books have a great track record of publishing high quality photography books from a diverse range of photographers. I’ve reviewed some of these books in previous episodes of On My Bookshelf and you can watch those in this handy playlist.
Expanding on their lengthy list of titles, they now bring us Komorebi by Martin Rak. Martin is an award-winning photographer from the Czech Republic. The book features his favourite woodland photographs from the last ten years. The book title, Komorebi, is a Japanese word which roughly translates to “sunlight filtering through trees”. While this is a great summary of the photographs in this book, there is so much more to discover as I find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You purchase a copy of Komorebi by Martin Rak directly from Kozu Books at - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/komorebi-by-martinrak
Beyond Landscape by Hans Strand - Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E04
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Beyond Landscape by Hans Strand and published by Kozu Books. Is this retrospective collection of Hans Strand photographs a book for your bookshelf?
I feel like I need to take up carpentry Why? Because I’m going to need a bigger bookshelf! Despite my desire to acquire fewer photography books this year, the last couple of months have seen an influx of new titles. To be fair, they’ve all been titles worth getting. They have all in some way, added something or influenced my photography. Plus, I’ve enjoyed a few lazy Sunday mornings with coffee just enjoying the printed photography of others. One of life's simple pleasures.
When Beyond Landscape arrived in the post, I had high hopes for this retrospective collection of photographs by Hans Strand. In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Beyond Landscape to see if it is indeed a masterclass in composition.
Aspen by Adam Gibbs and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E02
On My Bookshelf is back and in this episode, I'm looking at Aspen, a photozine by Adam Gibbs and published by Kozubooks. Is this collection of autumnal landscape photographs from Abraham Lake and the Kootenay Plains a book for your bookshelf?
OMBS Is Back!
After a break of a few months, I’m pleased to say that On My Bookshelf is back! To celebrate the start of a new season of On My Bookshelf I’m looking at a photozine by Adam Gibbs called Aspen, It’s published by Kozubooks, who have been building up an amazing line of photography books including Tides and Tempests by Rachael Talibart (which featured on OMBS last year).
I’ve been following the work of Adam Gibbs for a few years now. I first became aware of his work when he won the International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition 2018. This then led me onto his YouTube channel where I found his photography compelling, and I enjoyed his style of presentation. In particular, Adam was photographing areas of the world that I had not seen before.
When Adam published his video of a recent trip to Aspen, I knew that I needed to look at the photozine he later published of that trip. Now that I’ve got my copy, I wanted to share my thoughts about the zine so you too can decide if it should be a title for your bookshelf. Enjoy!
Tides and Tempests by Rachael Talibart and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S03E11
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I take a look at Rachael Talibart’s Tides and Tempests.
Sirens
Though I was familiar with Rachael’s work, it wasn’t until I saw her talk at The Photography Show in 2019 that I became a bit of a fan. Listening to her talk about her life, her journey from solicitor to photographer and most importantly her photographs, changed the way I viewed her work. Sometimes there is nothing like engaging with a photographer on a personal level to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for their work.
In the presentation, Rachael talked a lot about her body of work called Sirens. Though these aren’t the type of photographs I might capture, I found them fascinating. There is always something to learn from other people’s work. One of the things Rachael talked about was how her pictures lacked a sense of place. In other words, they could have been taken anywhere. This is perhaps why Rachael’s photographs have such a wide appeal. This is a complete contrast to my work which is very much about where the photograph was taken.
With my interest in Sirens very much sparked I decided to purchase a copy of the book. Unfortunately for me I was a little late to the party as it was completely sold out. I was disappointed for sure, but I had a feeling that since Sirens had been such a success Rachael would look to publish another book in the future. Fortunately for me I wouldn’t have to wait too long.
Tides and Tempests
Fast forward to December 2020 and my pre-ordered copy of Rachael’s new book Tides and Tempest has finally arrived. This book and Neil Burnell’s Mystical are the two books I have been most excited about getting this year. Was Rachael’s book worth the wait? Is it a book for your bookshelf? Let’s find out.
I do hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf. If you’d like to purchase a copy of Tides and Tempests you can do so directly from Kozu Books here. Go on, treat yourself!
Seascapes by Neil Burnell - Kozu Books - Landscape Editions Volume 11 - On My Bookshelf S01E04
In the latest episode of On My Bookshelf, I take a look a book called Seascapes, a collection of fine art long exposure images by Neil Burnell. Should this book have a place on your bookshelf?
Great Things Can Come In Small Packages
I've been following the work of Neil Burnell for some time now. Not only does he shoot my local area but the images he creates from these locations are simply stunning. I like to shoot long exposure images myself, but the fine art long exposure images that he creates are another level altogether.
So when I found out that Neil was doing a 2nd edition of his very popular Seascapes book, I ordered one immediately. When this small, but perfectly formed book arrived, I was instantly captivated by how good the images looked in print. I knew I had a book packed full of inspirational photographs.
But is this a book for you? Well, let's take a look.
I do hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf and if you want to pick up a copy of this fantastic book then you can buy directly from Kozu Books by clicking here.
But be warned this is a limited edition book so you'll need to hurry! If you do miss out you can check out Neil's work and see all his social media links on his website.