Wild Dorset: The Year in Photographs by Colin Varndell

In the January 7 issue of Amateur Photographer, I read an inspirational article about planning ahead for a year of nature photography. It gave a concise breakdown of the opportunities in each month, with a handy timeline that I cut out and stuck on my notice board (I wish I'd paid more attention to it January to May, but that's another story.)

So when I found out that he had written a book in a similar vein, I was really keen on reading it. It differs from his articule in AP in that it is specifically about the Dorset countryside and wildlife, and doesn't focus primarily on photography. It has almost 200 photographs, superb landscapes and wildlife shots showing almost anything you can think of. (I love the pictures of bank voles and weasels, and the kingfisher shot is excellent - but there isn't a duff photo in the whole book.)

With 140,000 images in his stock library, Colin Varndell must have photographed just about everything relating to nature and wildlife in the British Isles. It certainly seems like it - his book is simply packed with information, and is a vital resource for anybody interested in nature not only in Dorset, but in the UK in general. The idea of a chronological tour through the year works really well and makes it easy to dip into to see what is going on at any particular time.

Colin Varndell's book is well worth reading, it is an inspirational resource for wildlife photographers and his photographic output is staggeringly good. I hope that sometime he follows it up with a book specifically relating to wildlife photography, as his technique is clearly faultless and the AP article contained a mine of useful information.

Article on Colin Varndell in DorsetLife Magazine

Wild Dorset: The Year in Photographs at Amazon.co.uk

I can't find his website, but Google Images shows a lot of his pictures