Geological Landscapes of Britain Photography
It is perhaps pertinent to say a few words about the
photographs to be found within the pages of this unique book.
The photographic technique employed for Geological Landscapes of
Britain is unusual in these days of digital post processing in that no special
effects or artificial enhancement has been used. With the exception of minor
corrections to exposure level, the images are exactly as captured at the scene,
thus resulting in accurate renditions of the scenes and textures depicted.
Accuracy is important in most fields of scientific photography as we wish to
represent the world as it is and not how we would like it to be. The relative
quality and precision of images is similarly important and the author has made
efforts to maintain a consistent quality throughout the 100 plus full colour
plates provided within this book.
The story behind the collection of the many images which
constitute the related image library is also fascinating. It involves a good deal
of travelling around Britain in varied weather conditions, from clear skies and
sunshine to hail storms, roads blocked by snow and, of course, the British rain
which is never far away and which called a halt to proceedings on more than one
occasion. There are also tales of interaction with wildlife, all of which were
positive and enjoyable, while one or two were simply remarkable, and at least
one
tale of disaster associated with the research for this book. Indeed such
stories would fill a book on their own account. There were times when the author
took significant risks in order to get to a particular position from which unique images
might be captured. At other times, extremes of conditions prevented any
meaningful images to be captured at all, even after long treks to reach specific
locations.
Undertaking such a task requires a certain resilience and
often a sense of humour. Hopefully, the result is a coherent and up to date
collection of images which together constitute an interesting and worthwhile
image library of British geology. The author will continue to develop this
library in future years, building a unique and definitive high quality image source for natural
Britain. Proposals for photographic collaboration on other projects
will be entertained and the author may be contacted directly in this
context.
Copyright © Julian Ashbourn 2009