Arctic Sanctuary – Stunning Images of a Protected Land [ Review ]

Do you enjoy breathtaking scenes of Nature, reading about pristine remote wilderness areas and/or care about environmental issues? If so, the book Arctic Sanctuary – Images of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by photographer Jeff Jones and writer Laurie Hoyle is for you. And as a bonus, if you enjoy photographing the land, an outstanding and high-quality book like this with well executed images is a great way to help you see things in new ways and encourage your development.

     This 173 page fine art photography book published by the University of Alaska Press contains over 150 stunning images that reveal the land, light and colors of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That refuge, a federally protected area spanning nearly 20 million acres sits along the northern most boundary of the United States. For years it is an area that’s also been threatened by those seeking new sites for gas and oil development and this book is a testament to those who have worked hard to keep it permanently protected.

     Jeff Jones has an exceptional talent for capturing “big sky” landscapes. That talent along with his commitment to produce each large format and highly detailed photograph from many smaller images (using a time-consuming technique called stitching) help bring each of these subjects and scenes even more vividly to life. In addition, a great many of the images are panoramas that fill the width of these beautifully printed pages showing us a view similar to what our eyes would see and adding greatly to the feeling of being there.

     This photographer also has a strong talent for using color, details, patterns and contrasts to visually convey the character or personality of this place–a place that many would otherwise consider a cold and barren landscape. And, he’s used those skills to create each image that simultaneously captures the visual beauty and grandeur of a timeless moment. As a landscape photographer for 25-years I know the amount of patience, perseverance and physical/weather/insect challenges it takes to capture a large body of photographic images like these. And to Jeff Jones I offer my most sincere praise and a heartfelt “Job well done!”

     Accompanied by informative and easy-to-read text that describes the images and the region written by Laurie Hoyle, this is a book you can read, savor and enjoy again and again. Arctic Sanctuary – Images of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge published by the University of Alaska Press is a visual delight and a book I can highly recommend to nature lovers, landscape photographers and those who care about the environment.

Links: Click here to visit wilderness photographer Jeff Jones’ website. Click here to read more about this book or order it on Amazon. Click here to visit the University of Alaska Press website.

Arctic Sanctuary: Images of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Rating: Highly Recommended