In Review: Let's Get Lost

Our featured book this month is 'Let's Get Lost', a stunning photographic book of adventure curated by Finn Beales.

Curated by award winning lifestyle and travel photographer Finn Beales, 'Let’s Get Lost' is a book that crosses many genres. It could be described as a travel guide, a photographic journal, a pictorial compendium to off-grid locations, or even a paean to the wilderness. It also looks at the impact of getting lost, despite how hard this is to do in today’s technological world.

'Let’s Get Lost' is divided into several topographical chapters where landscape photographers invite us to share their own experiences of capturing the scenery at a number of spectacular remote locations. Wild coastlines, dramatic mountain scenery, vast wilderness and dense forests all feature here. From the ever changing light of the Namibian desert to touring Fogo Island, so secluded that it is recognized by the Flat Earth Society as one of the four corners of the world. These are off-grid locations, chosen to whet our appetite for exploration. Each adventure has a first person narrative, so the reader gains an insight into the photographer’s philosophy and feels like a companion on the journey. The stunning images of these wild environments occasionally include a human dimension, reflecting our role in comparison to the wide world around us.

‘Behind the Lens’ offers tips from the photographers, from how best to photograph ice to the importance of carrying bear spray when hiking in Canada! Most of the professionals stress the need to stow away the equipment and to be present in the moment, the priority of capturing images not only on film but also in the mind.

Perhaps, after our period of enforced restriction, we are driven to seek the visual escapism that this book affords. For us, this is a book to get lost in, to open when life gets dull or to remind us of the benefits of venturing beyond our living room and out of our comfort zones. To experience the joy of getting lost, and in doing so, find our way home.