Alastair Lee's stunning new A4 hardback collection of mountain, landscape and climbing photography is simply rather too lovely.
'EYES UP' - £21.99 from Posing
Productions
Back in September we told you about a new collection of life and
landscape photos called 'EYES UP' from outdoor photographer and
writer Alastair Lee.
Sub-titled 'A pictorial odyssesy of life and landscape through a
climber's lens', the A4-sized, hardback book is now reality and
sitting on the OUTDOORSmagic desk looking pleased with itself and
murmering seductively about being rather a good Christmas
prezzie.
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Mist burning from the shores of
Ullswater on the cover
of Alastair Lee's photographic extravaganza Eyes
Up
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So what's it like? First, it's very nicely produced with a real,
hardback cover, glossy paper and good repro, which would mean nothing
if the pics themselves weren't worth looking at. The good news is
that they are, very much so.
EYES UP is a collection of often stunning mountain and landscape
shots from - mainly - New Zealand, Canada, the UK, China and the
Alps. Some of the mountainscapes will blow your mind and have you
heading to the airport at the first opportunity, but the more
familiar British shots, like the panoramas of Widdop Rocks, are just
as enticing.
Lee has a great eye for textures and feel with the result that
there's an uncanny sense of travelling with him and 'being there',
but the book's anything but egotistical. There's something very
accepting and awestruck about a lot of the photos that takes you
there as a passive travelling companion.
It's not just mountains and climbing shots though. There are some
beautifully observed takes on the natural world - butterflies,
sky-scapes, people, culture and some really visceral close-ups.
There are also some slightly self-indulgent computer-enhanced play
shots that you'll either love or hate - think a climber Photoshopped
onto a giant flower for example or climbing a column of smoke - but
even if you find them a little jarring, the rest of the book is still
stunning in itself. For some more examples of the pix, take a look at
our earlier preview.
Verdict We like EYES UP a lot and it'd make an ace Christmas
gift for any walker or climber. The nice thing is that, and this may
surprise regular readers of the Leeside, with the exception of the
computerised shots, there's no ego in the photos.
The result is that the book's more than just a load of climbing
pictures or beautiful landscapes, it's a bit of a visual journey.
That probably sounds a tad pretentious, what we're trying to say is
that EYES UP sharpens your sense of wonder in a way that's quite
different from the aggressive, muscularity of a lot of outdoors
photography. It's actually quite 'zen', letting the landscape speak
for itself. We like.
Buying You can find EYES UP in good bookshops, on the web, or
you can buy it direct from Alastair's own web site
Posing
Productions for £21.99 including postage and packing.
