Review of Jerry Rawson's book Peak District Moods, by Julie Bunting
This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on 28th July 2003, and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.
PEAK DISTRICT MOODS
This latest title from Halsgrove is, as we have grown to
expect from this publisher, a visual treat. Jerry Rawson has
compiled more than 140 of his stunning full-colour
photographs taken throughout the Peak.
The usual preliminary flick through the covers proved
impossible, with page after page calling a halt as the Peak's
moods came to life. Some apparently simple compositions
exemplify the way a professional photographer sees his world.
Jerry Rawson has captured close-ups which many of us would
barely have noticed as we admired the wider outdoor scene:
mosses and lichens on a limestone wall, frozen blades of
grass, a cushion of autumn leaves with every vein and outline
etched by morning frost. Says Jerry: 'You will find some
pictures in the book with azure skies and sunshine, but I
prefer the impact of dramatic light, stormy conditions and
especially around dawn and dusk when the light can be a
revelation ...'
We see the landscape of the Peak transformed by the moodiness
of our weather and seasons, part of the reason why walkers so
love the region and perhaps why the author, a member of the
Outdoor Writers' Guild, has lived in Buxton for over 30
years. Jerry's 'fleeting moments of perfection' are dramatic,
as Peakland moods will be, capturing storm clouds, dawn skies
and sunsets, rolling mists and lulls between snowstorms. The
written word really can not do these photographs justice. The
author himself offers simple titles and brief descriptions
along with the all-important location.
Peak District Moods by Jerry Rawson, published by
Halsgrove,
is on sale in local book shops (to order, quote
ISBN 1-84114-270-0) price £12.95.
Top
[Created 9 Jul 2003. Last updated 24 Oct 2008 - 11:02 by Rosemary Lockie]