The Great Wilderness

This is the second book by mountain photographer Alex Nail and is another very special book indeed. My review is a little behind the curve as I didn't want to hurry my reading of the book. Something this good deserves, like a fine wine, to be savoured rather than gulped down. I read it slowly and in small amounts then immediately read it again.

I think it deserves respect and appreciation on a number of levels. First and foremost this is a thing of immense beauty. That beauty extends both to the images inside and also to the quality of the product. A cloth covered casebound book with an embossed cover that cuts no corners. The exceptional printing inside is, I suspect, very close indeed to the original digital files. This is clearly a labour of love. The attention to detail in the finished product is matched by the herculean effort that is involved in getting to the necessary viewpoints to make these images. The Scottish weather ensures that repeated visits are necessary and many trips are fruitless in terms of the anticipated image. Of course no time spent in these places is fruitless in itself but one would hope that every reader appreciates that each picture is the tiny tip of a huge iceberg of time, effort, sweat, discomfort and often pain. .

The book deals with what Alex describes as the Great Wilderness or roughly the area between Loch Maree and Loch Broom.Many of the mountains are a 15km walk from the nearest road. A significant undertaking in the long days of June, a step change in the minimal daylight of winter and all but impossible for most to imagine when significant distances have to be covered wading through deep snow.

I found many of the images especially poignant as my own ability to reach some of these viewpoints is waning. There are views in the book that I will only see now thanks to the efforts of others. It almost seems wrong to review something this beautiful and so I’m trying to write a response to it while exhorting anyone who loves mountains, Scotland, Landscape Photography or just things of beauty to buy one while you still can. If not for you, treat a loved one to something special.

A special mention should be made of the cartography in the book. The spectacularly beautiful maps are produced by Alex even down to his own calligraphy for the place names.

One particular expedition and image resonates so strongly for me. That being to A’Mhaighdean. Firstly the sheer physical effort of reaching that point is certainly beyond me at the moment and probably now forever. My long winter days labouring through deep snow carrying camping gear are far behind me. It further resonates however for the sheer subtle beauty that Scotland can present to those it deems worthy. The view from A’Mhaighdean down to Fionn Loch is magnificent enough. In winter it is breathtaking. However the degree of subtlety in the soft pink glow just catching the foreground snow as the sun sinks is enough to make me weep. There is so much perfection in bringing that to the printed page and so many steps where it might go horribly wrong.

This book is a hymn to Scottish mountains and this area in particular. It is also a testament to the craft and dedication of one landscape photographer.

I understand there are a few copies remaining. No one who loves these mountains or mountain photography should be missing this book on their shelves. My recommendation is to get hold of a copy while you still can.

*****************

A note on the illustrations used here. It should go wiithout saying that my photographs are not true representations of the quality of the images in the book. They are quick snaps made with a phone in poor light and with some glar from refelctions. That is deliberate to avoid both image theft and also as the images are copyright I wanted to ensure that there was no question of copying them. if you’d like to see better representations of Alex Nail’s work, visit his website at https://www.alexnail.com/