It’s hard to believe that it’s 5 years since I mentioned Pentti Sammallahti retrospective book Here Far Away on this blog So I’m delighted to see a new monograph Des Oiseaux (on birds) being published by the excellent Xavier Barral A true poet of the camera, this collection of bird photos comes in two language editions -French and English, because accompanying these photographs, the ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre showcases the relationship to the seasons that is a fundamental aspect of the life of birds. I look forward to receiving this in the coming weeks. Write up from the publishers - Traveller-photographer Pentti Sammallahti captures the myste­ries of nature on his travels and among these, the world of birds. Coastlines, swamps, parks, endless plains, forest clearings, snowy landscapes… In these isolated areas, birds slyly reveal their pres­ence.

Like visual tales, his B&W photographs attest to his extraordinary eye for detail, to light that sculpts spaces, to silent expanses in which a human or animal presence suddenly appears. The experience of the image is twofold: beyond its narrative virtuosity, his use of a two-colour process, with immaculate whites (as in the plumage of his swans or pink flamingos) confronted with deep blacks, creates a play of textures and powerfully renders a world in which birds play a unique role.

Interview with Pentti Sammallahti

Tags:Pentti Sammallahti,Xavier Barral,Des Oiseaux