David Skernick

I ordered this book online, and while it has many truly beautiful photos in it, there are only five pages of text between the acknowledgements, foreword, and introduction. I had hoped for some routes and suggestions, but that or anything close to it, are missing from between these covers. Oh and there are several pages in the back that detail the locations, camera, lenses, and settings of every photo. I have a prejudice against photographic books that seem too much like drugstore spinner rack postcards. Maybe at least a quarter of these shots seem of that ilk. There seems to be no logic, sequence, or overall theme to the layout of the book.
Okay, let me bitch some more. There are quite a few shots of wild and domesticated animals, many of which aren’t very creative, more like, “Hey, there’s some sheep, shot it now.”
All that being said, I’ve been to many of these places, and I would be proud to have taken many of these pictures. Every time I open it up, I want to return to those places.
The moral of online purchases: handle your expectations and let the buyer beware. Caveat emptor, in honor of my Latin major and late wife.… (mais)

**This book was reviewed via Netgalley**

Yellowstone Country collects together stunning works of art by David Skernick, a nature and travel photographer. These are snapshots of nature's beauty, and the serenity of the quiet 'civilised’ places that border wild ones. These are truly things of greatest value, for none can name their price.

One of my favourite pictures is a random Big Boy statue in the middle of the field. Many of the others recalled my childhood growing up on on my grandparents’ horse farm. There were several pictures of horses, and some of rusty trucks, circa 1950s, resting in a field. Then there are the photos of wild places- mountains, snow covered trees, riverscapes, elk, deer, moose, bison, bears and wolves.

For a writer, I found this to be a wonderful source of photo prompts and tools to help describe scenes in my own stories. For writers and poets of any flavour, this is a wonderful resource. For those who enjoy nature photography, this is an excellent addition to a photography library.

🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻 Highly recommended… (mais)