![\"Sacred](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sacred-Nature-Cheetah-at-dusk.jpg\")
\nIt\u2019s with this in mind that the work of photographers such as Jonathan and Angela Scott becomes all the more vital. When AP talked to Art Wolfe (Nature and nurture, 10 December) he made the valid point that people are affected by the visual. People respond to images, and when there\u2019s a beautiful or impactful image that actually connects people to things \u2013 such as animals \u2013 they may not otherwise encounter, then that serves to hit them on an emotional level. Statistics are dry and abstract; images are something we can relate to.<\/p>\n![\"Sacred](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sacred-Nature-Elephant-and-hail-storm.jpg\")
\n
Landscapes in danger<\/h2>\n
The Scotts \u2013 perhaps best known for the popular BBC One TV series Big Cat Diary<\/em> \u2013 understand this. Having spent much of their adult lives investigating, exploring and studying the incredible open wilderness of Africa, they know their beloved landscapes are in danger of vanishing. It\u2019s timely, then, that this book should come out now.<\/p>\n They live in Lang\u2019ata, close to Nairobi National Park, and workwise are based largely around the Maasai Mara National Reserve in south-west Kenya. It\u2019s the perfect platform for the pair to photograph and study the range of subjects that make up the body of work featured in Sacred Nature<\/em>.<\/p>\n The work of the Scotts has been known to focus mostly on big cats, but here we see that\u2019s not necessarily true. In fact, theirs is an all-encompassing project that features just about every aspect of the wildlife that walks the African landscape. That includes the people who live there, such as the Maasai herdsmen and their families. That\u2019s perhaps the greatest lesson of this book: the symbiotic relationship between man and the land. As the Scotts point out, there once was a time when man and nature lived in balance and harmony, yet now we seem determined to destroy the planet that once acted as our cradle.<\/p>\n If you are at all familiar with the work of the Scotts, you’ll understand that there is real strength in their images, particularly in their black & white work. Like all good wildlife photography, the images are not mere documents. Instead, we find ourselves actually drawn into the world of these animals. The images are, at times, masterclasses in how to photograph wildlife within its environmental context. It’s a generous book as well; huge and beautifully produced. It is clear that a great deal of care has gone into its presentation and it is well worth the attention of anyone with even a cursory interest in images of the natural world.<\/p>\n Ultimately, this is a book that is not only a great collection of images and a stark warning about the consequences of inaction in the face of impending catastrophe but also a glimpse into the Scotts themselves and their relationship that has endured throughout such an incredible career. Clearly they are a pair with an intrinsic understanding of one another’s methods. As a result, we have a book that is incredible, beautiful and very moving.<\/p>\n Published by<\/strong> HPH Publishing<\/p>\n Price<\/strong> \u00a339, hardback, 288 pages<\/p>\n ISBN<\/strong> 978-0-99469- 240-5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wildlife photographers Jonathan and Angela Scott showcase the best of nature. Oliver Atwell uncovers a stark warning amid the beauty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":335,"featured_media":99201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[663],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-99198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book_reviews"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Sacred](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sacred-Nature-Zebra-stallions-fighting.jpg\")
\nSCORE: 5 out of 5<\/h2>\n
![\"Sacred](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sacred-Nature-cover.jpg\")
\n