Great photo book on a great wilderness
924445
Tarkine is a pristine, but unfortunately largely unprotected and threatened, forested wilderness in northwestern Tasmania. This book introduces Tarkine with artistic and beautiful photographs. A few poems are also included. Main subjects of the photos fall into following arbitrary classes: river 9, waterfall 6, forest interior 10, individual tree(s) 13, other plants/fungi/part of tree 13, animal 6, landscape with moorland/ranges/forest canopies 20, mountain 2, rock/stones 11, clouds/fog 6, coast 9 and lake 1. All the captions have been placed at the end of the book. Many captions give the main species in photos but unfortunately not all. Many photos could be larger - they do not always fill an entire page. I recommend this book if you are interested in pristine nature or nature photography.
3248987
Beautiful, artistic photos, and stories that share author Elhem's unique viewpoint about the area.  I own the hard copy version of this book and heartily recommend it to anyone who loves nature, history, and life in general.
1873835
This book is iconic as it is written by a lifelong Colorado resident who happens to be a professional photographer as I am. It is invaluable to anyone
who plans on visiting Colorado with a primary interest in the scenery. Although I have some great travel books in my large collection I wish
there was a book of this quality written by a  native of Utah (and other states as well)  who would also happen to be a professional landscape photographer. A tremendous amount of effort went into the writing and the photography in this book.
2930812
"Last Stand" is primarily a collection of nature photography with chapter introductions written by Barbara Kingsolver.  This is an environmental work in that the aim of the book is to educate about some of the beautiful regions of our country and to tell that there is a significant human threat to the environment.  Kingsolver writes passionately about how the human settlement and human wastefulness is cause further destruction of the environment.  The photography in this book is broken up not into regions of the country, but types of ecological regions: wetlands, forest areas, etc.
The photography by Annie Griffith Belt is absolutely beautiful.  There are two types of photography.  The first type is black and white infrared photography that has been hand colored.  These pictures look like paintings, and while pretty, I was not as interested in these pictures.  The photographs that I found to be stunning were the simple color pictures.  We get to see beautiful landscapes that would make a very nice postcard.  These are images that make a strong case that these are places we need to preserve.
I should state that I do not know anything about photography, so I cannot speak for the craft of taking pictures and how well the photographs come out as technical pieces.  I just enjoyed the photography.
My suggestion is that one should look at this book for the beautiful photography and not for Kingsolver's section introductions.  However, if someone is interested in reading that these are beautiful places that are being ruined by a human cause, by all means, read the text in this book.  Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderful writer, but when she has a cause and is writing non-fiction, she is not nearly as interesting as she is in her fiction.  This book is worth looking at for the color photography.
3640061
i'm currently planning a trip to mongolia and this book has inspired me further.  the photos are fantastic, especially the one of the eagle hunter.
the author likes his history and explains the goings on at the court of the khan in the 12th century in a way that brings it to life.  the characters he meets during his journey are very sympathetically rendered and very real-sounding.  and he is self-deprecating in a british way so there is some great humour.
highly recommended if you're planning a trip to mongolia as it describes all the weirdness you will probably encounter realistically.
2966017
This is a fantastic book with so many wonderful pictures,  especially of the heritage Trail Road.  Definitely one of my favorites!
1532836
This is a BEAUTIFUL book with photos from all over the world and from all sorts of habitats.  I actually bought it as a gift, but think I will order one for myself as well.  It looks like there are HOURS of interest here, since it explains the various ecosystems of earth and shares photos of each and how it impacts the flora and fauna of each region.l
2494042
Joel Sartore has set out to photograph as many species of animals as he can in a 25 year period and develop an "ark" of photographic evidence of animals, many of which are on the brink of extinction. This book is just the first sharing of photos he has done so far. Included are a few essays on the need for better care of the planet, biodiversity, and its inhabitants, as well as highlights of people or groups who are working hard to save animals so that future generations can also enjoy them as living creatures.

The photographs in this ARE INCREDIBLE. There are some really adorable creatures out there I had no idea even existed. Definitely pick this one up for the pictures. It's like taking a virtual trip to the best zoo ever.
4459115
Terrific book!  The photos are spectacular, and it's just a fun book to read - lots of great anecdotes, history, and solid advice on how to do the park right.  This book sealed it for me:  Yosemite will be the next national park I visit.  Got the book a week ago, and I've already dog-eared about two dozen pages for the sites and hikes that I want to hit.
1844606
Sean's writing style is easy to understand and enjoyable while the photographs are well done and he shares both a little about the shot and his settings. There is a section covering how dangerous the wilds can be which is a idea good for the general public but steals pages that could have been used for more in-depth information on techniques. As far as photography advice he does a solid job with the basics and covers a broad spectrum with the unfortunate downside that most of this would already be known information for a more advanced photographer. So great for your just retired uncle who always loved photography but stuck to shooting his friends and family who is now interested in nature but wants to take better photographs while he explores and has a good DLSR with multiple lens. Not what I personally was looking for as a very dedicated photographer looking to improve my landscapes.
376291
Great book with amazing photos. Very happy with this book.
2935770
This book is tremendous.  The maps as well as information letting you know the best times of year to photograph a particular spot are outstanding!  We used the book on two different trips there and got a lot out of it.
3521320
Chugach State Park, on the eastern edge of Anchorage, Alaska, is the third largest state park in the USA, half a million acres of mountains, forest, tundra, lakes and glaciers, much of it readily accessible from roads and trails.  Visitors to Alaska tend to bypass it for the better known scenery of Denali National Park or the Kenai Peninsula, but the Chugach is where many Alaskans go to recreate.  "Chugach State Park: Alaska's Backyard Wilderness" is photographer Carl Battreall's outstanding tribute to the Chugach, a superbly executed collection of photo essays.

Battreal spent a year ranging throughout the park, capturing its sights in all seasons, including its abundant wildlife and spectacular range of plantlife.  The explanatory text is worth the read.  The photography is visually arresting, an invitation to come see it all.  "Chugach State Park" is very highly recommended.  It seems to have had a limited press run but is well worth obtaining, even in used condition, as a guide and souvenir to a great state park.
291697
Our World Tour chronicles a couple's tour around the world in pictures.  The author is a professional photographer and was sponsored by a camera company to use their gear and to make a complete trip around the world.

The author is an excellent photographer and put a lot of effort in finding the most beautiful and interesting places to shoot during his trip.  The photos are laid out in order of the locations that he visited and along with them are a few paragraphs about his stay in each location.  He explains his approach to getting each of the shots, whether it be getting up at 4am to beat the crowd and capture golden sunrise or choosing a particular filter and lens combination for striking effect.

Every photograph is accompanied with a description of the ISO, focal length, shutter speed, aperture, and filters; if you see an effect that you like, you can try to replicate it.  He tells you whether he shot by hand or with a tripod and sometimes goes into an explanation for why he chose a particular camera setting.

The book is printed on paper slightly thicker than a normal book.  I would describe the paper as having some luster, but not fully glossy.  Many of the photographs take up a full page or even two full pages.

Because it isn't a hard-cover, I probably wouldn't consider it a good coffee table book.  The pictures are up to the task, but I think I'd want a hard cover if I was going to put it on display.
4490883
I used this book on my recent trip to the Big Island and really loved it. Liked the section which talks about : Best hike, best snorkeling spot etc. It was fun to read about the history of places we were visiting. Also, the book is very colorful with awesome photographs.
1204338
The photos are great and the author gives us a straightforward, factual presentation that could serve as a routine reference, but somehow he manages to reveal unabashed enthusiasm for these fascinating life forms.  And that's what makes this little Readers' Digest-sized book come alive.  The "Nature notes" on each page are worth the purchase price (which is minimal).
  Yes, these are lichens of the North Woods, but close relatives are found all over North America and, unless you are a lichenoligist purist, this book will be useful wherever you live.
45509
West Coast: Bering to Baja by David Freese This black and white photography book has an unusual format in that the photos are rather small, about 4x6 inches framed by a large amount of white space surrounding them on each page. Mr. Freese is the first to make a book of photographs documenting the entire west coastline of North America from the Bering Straits in Alaska to the tip of the Baja peninsula at Cabo San Lucas. The photographs are presented as if you are traveling from North to South in the order in which a driver would see the sights.  Each photo emphsizes nature, omitting almost entirely the impact of man, so that the resulting images could have been made in the 19th century. However, the skilled photographer that David is, he has combined film photography with digital and has manipulated the photos in the computer to their best presentation. The accompanying text is beautifully written and deeply enhances each image, as well as explaining what is depicted. A lovely book, but I wish the pictures were much larger.