Somerset captured in beautiful colour in Halsgrove's 'Spirit of ...' series.
TWO pocket sized books about Somerset have just been released by Halsgrove in the Spirit of' series.
The books measure only 16x12cms but they are hardback, glossy and packed with colourful images.
The Spirit of Somerset' has been compiled by photographer Chris Nicholson who says the county is a wonderful place for a photographer to live.
"Panoramic landscapes, big skies, ever changing seascapes, historical architecture, grand houses, thatched cottages and natural history are just some of the subjects to point a camera at," he says.
The ancient meaning of Somerset is land of the summer people' and that could be true today as the county attracts a massive influx of visitors in the summer.
"Most come because of its natural beauty that they can walk, drive or cycle through - Somerset has such a diverse range of scenery that finding something of interest is not difficult for the visitors; golden beaches, rocky cliffs, wild moorland, rolling hills and flat marshland - Somerset has them all."
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One of my favourites is a double photo of Dunkery Beacon in high summer, with the red of the heathers and rich blues skies with just a few wisps of white clouds. In contrast is the magical scene of snow on the Somerset Levels, while another shows Blue Anchor Bay with golden wheat fields extending right to the edge of the cliffs, with Dunster and Minehead in the distance.
Glastonbury and Muchelney Abbeys give reminders of grandeur, while Montacute House, Taunton Castle and Wells Cathedral are there to see in their entirety.
A colourful portrait of Exmoor's red deer.
This is a wonderful collection - just 64 pages but packed with colourful images to show off our wonderful county.
"It has been an impossible task to cover every form or aspect of life in the county within this modest volume," said Nicholson, "so I've tried to choose those that show the kind of places that keep people returning to the Land of the Summer People year after year."
This is a fine collection for those who live here as well as those who are just passing through.
THE second collection is The spirit of Exmoor Red Deer', by Ray Stoneman.
The red deer is Britain's largest mammal with several thousand living on the open moor and using the woods and combes for safety - the most abundant deer on Exmoor.
Their sight, hearing and sense of smell are excellent so it is quite difficult to get close to them and Stoneman has a beautiful collection showing one of the best photographic studies of this stately animal.
You may feel you have to be a bit of a red deer nut to look at 64 pages of, well, red deer!
But the collection shows them through the seasons, majestic stags, hinds, young calves, jumping, dancing - yes dancing - and swimming
It is a fine collection of another colourful aspect of our natural life in Somerset.
Each book, published by Halsgrove, costs £4.99.
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