photo: © Julia Nimke
Some landscapes call not for speed, but for slowing down. In Deserted - In Pursuit of Drylands it revolves around dry areas where space, silence, light and texture almost become more important than the subject itself. In this book, Rucksack Magazine collects photography and essays about deserts and other drylands, places where the human dimension quickly disappears and the landscape takes the leading role.
The book takes you through Moab, the Atacama, the Mojave and the Namib, among others. Not as a classic travel book with route descriptions, but as a visual exploration of landscapes that are at once barren and layered. Sand, rock, dust, shadow and bright light together form a world that seems empty at first glance, but for photographers it is full of details.
Just like in their previous book Elements , the photography is again of the highest standard, with work by Emilie Ristevski (1.3 million followers on Instagram) and Mirko Nicholson.
The images and essays lead you to places such as the Mojave Desert in California, the Namib in Namibia and the Bardenas Reales in Spain. Deserted tries to unravel the mystery that connects all those 'drylands'.
These landscapes force you to look closely. Composition, scale and light become more important than spectacular action. A track in the sand, the edge of a shadow or a small human figure may be enough to create tension.
That combination of emptiness and careful attention makes Deserted a compelling book for lovers of landscape photography, travel photography and photographic books in which atmosphere matters more than explanation.
Rucksack Magazine is an English-language and internationally acclaimed magazine that looks for strong visual and written stories. Driven by a passion for discovery, adventure and photography.
Deserted - In Pursuit of Drylands - Rucksack Magazine
Pages: 240
Price: €39.99
Publisher: Lannoo
Bound, in English
