"By taking a look at themes which span the globe, such as ancient rituals, rites of passage, business, pain, perfection and sacredness, this is a book which manages to encompass what it is to be human." - Amateur Photographer "Astounding" - Aesthetica Magazine "A visual extravaganza" - New York Times Why do we play games? That is the question Belgian photographer Hannelore Vandenbussche decided to explore, travelling to numerous countries to roam the world of sports, passion, athletic competition, transition, and emancipation. The athletes she portrays keep old traditions alive or carve out new territory, perform rituals, and celebrate with boisterous parties centred around their games. Meet Buzkashi players astride their horses in Central Asia, Donga stick fighters in Ethiopia, Tarahumara runners in Mexico, big wave surfers in Nazare, and many other athletes in these unusual sports. These unique photographs capture athletes from both indigenous cultures in remote parts of the globe and from familiar, Western cultures. They poignantly convey how old traditions are kept alive and new ones are carved out, how rites of passage, ritual, and celebration are all part of the culture of play. Human Playground showcases a hugely diverse range of sports from places as far-flung as Mongolia and Madagascar, from jockeys in Dubai to land divers in Vanuatu. This extraordinary book of photographs is dedicated to a subject that is being presented in an entirely new way.

Blue Ice is the new book from photographer Alex Bernasconi whose unique approach to wildlife photography has been honoured with multiple prestigious awards. Bernasconi's breathtaking panoramas reveal the spectacular beauty of the Antarctic landscape shaped by its extreme climate, while his wildlife portraits depict the surprising diversity of Species, highly adapted to the challenging conditions in which they live. A foreword by the British glaciologist Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, explains the dynamics of the geography and ice masses, and the effects of climate change, while Dr Peter Clarkson draws on his personal experiences as a member of the British Antarctic Survey in his introduction, which also recounts the challenges of working and living in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Blue Ice provides a remarkable Visual record of an eco-system at risk, revealing the extraordinary, unexpected beauty of the Antarctic, the most remote and endangered place on Earth.

A collaboration between best-selling author Di Smith and fine art photographer Ker Stanley, A Lighter Way of Being is a contemplative and poetic journey to the heart of mindfulness with South Africa as a backdrop

Where do we turn to find respite from the hyped up frenzy of life in South Africa? How do we let go of holding our breath?

Through a tapestry of prose, heartwarming memoirs and conceptual art, Di shares her personal stories of living through the trials and tribulations of a country she deeply loves, mindfully pointing out a clear path to guide us through the messy reality that is everyday human life.

Humphrey Jennings was one of Britain's greatest documentary film-makers, described by Lindsay Anderson in 1954 as 'the only real poet the British cinema has yet produced'. A member of the GPO Film Unit and director of wartime canonical classics such as Listen to Britain (1942) and A Diary for Timothy (1945), he was also an acclaimed writer, painter, photographer and poet. This seminal collection of critical essays, first published in 1982 and here reissued with a new introduction, traces Jennings's fascinating career in all its aspects with the aid of documents from the Jennings family archive. Situating Jennings's work in the world of his contemporaries, and illuminating the qualities by which his films are now recognised, Humphrey Jennings: Film-Maker, Painter, Poet explores the many insights and cultural contributions of this truly remarkable artist.

A collection of stunning photographs capturing the essence of fashionable London, from the known--Annie Lennox and her daughters, Emma Watson, Russell Brand, and more--to the unknown"I spent the last 30 years working and living in this great city and it is a hard place to leave. Apart from the architecture and history it is a place of wonderfully diverse and gifted people. New York may pride itself on being a melting pot but London has this street fashion thing which keeps on and on popping up new talent and new personalities. When I say personalities this is not limited to the rich and famous. London produces wave upon wave of eccentric, engaging, unique, talented, courageous individuals. There is something 'cool' about London and its people, whether they are born and bred there are just passing through for a while." --Chris Craymer"Top fashion photographer Chris Craymer shares his portraits of London denizens who embody London style--people in his world, friends, people he has worked with, and people he aspired to meet. His subjects include the famous--Robert Pattinson, Peaches Geldof, designer Bruce Oldfield, Liam Gallagher--and the not-so-well known--an architect, budding ballerina, fashion editors, designers, artists, photographers, students, hairdressers, make-up artists, and his own daughter.

This monograph is the first to collect the photographs of internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Barry McGee. Though best known for the inventive graphic sensibility of his paintings and drawings, McGee's use of photography is an essential, often underappreciated, component of his artistic vision. Captured at all hours and around the world with whatever camera is at hand, McGee's images are immediate, casual, intimate, and anarchic all at once. His work boldly employs geometric shapes, clusters of framed drawings and paintings, distinctive characters, and found objects such as empty bottles, surfboards, and wrecked vehicles. Whether incorporated into his iconic multi-element compositions, or printed in the innumerable fanzines and artist's books that often accompany his exhibitions, photographs pervade McGee's practice. Barry McGee: Photographs provides unique insight into the process of a major American artist, and is a testament to the immense amount of visual information McGee has absorbed to build one of the most eclectic and innovative artistic legacies of our time.

There is an astonishing world just waiting to be photographed underwater. With marine biologist Dr Alexander Mustard as your guide you can learn all you need to know to explore the amazing creatures and landscapes that lie beneath the surface. From information about diving equipment and cameras, to crucial advice on understanding and controlling light underwater, this book provides all the background you need before you take the plunge. Topics covered include wide-angle light, macro lighting, ambient light and macro techniques. All this is illustrated, of course, with stunning images of the weird and wonderful animals and sights he has encountered beneath the waves.

Brigitte Bardot is arguably the most familiar face in French cinema and one of the most loved stars of the 20th century. She is recognised the world over for her work in film, as a singer, and as an animal rights activist. The photographers Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill both worked with Brigitte Bardot at the peak of her fame in the 1960s and early 1970s, photographing the star on set and behind the scenes on films including The Legend of Frenchie King aka Les Petroleuses, Shalako and Viva Maria. ACC Art Books and Iconic Images are proud to present the work of these two acclaimed photographers with many stunning images taken from their archives to reveal iconic and never-before-seen images of the star. From on-set to off, playful moments to candid captures, Being Bardot includes more than 150 photos in colour and black and white, contact sheets and revealing, first-hand memories. Being Bardot is a must for all fans of cinema, photography and Brigitte Bardot. 

Features photographs that capture moments which perfectly articulate the true meaning of romance.

In this stunning reimagination of an entire season, acclaimed and award-winning author and photographer Cedric Pollet presents 20 of the most beautiful winter gardens accross France and the UK. Winner of the Garden Media Guild - Garden Book of the Year award, Pollet showcases these breathtaking winter gardens which are at their best when most gardens are at their barest. Rich with blazes of colour and light, these gardens use creative structural planning and subtle textures to greate masterful visual and sensory ensembles. From berries and barks to vibrant shrubs and evergreens, these gardens will delight and inspire in equal measure, all captured in extroardinary photographs by Pollet, one of today's masters of garden photography and accompanied by insightful text which picks out the reasons these gardens are so special. The second half of the book is an illustrated directory of over 300 plants which encourage you to achieve these effects in their own gardens. From the author of bestselling Bark: An Intimate Look at the World's Trees, this beautiful guide is a unique and unmissable book on some of the most creative and inspiring gardens around today.

The UK shipping forecast covers the waters of Western Europe and separates them into 31 sea areas encompassing the UK, from Dover to Southeast Iceland to German Bight- of which Power photographed all of them, over a period of four years. Each image is captioned with the 0600hr forecast on the day they were taken. This newly edited and revised second edition includes over 100 previously unpublished images. 'The shipping forecast, of course, exists to save lives. It warns those at sea, or about to put to sea, of approaching storms. But for the majority of us, in Britain at least, its strange, rhythmic language is unashamedly romantic and oddly reassuring, despite forming an image of an island nation perpetually buffeted by wind and waves. It manages to do all this while remaining virtually incomprehensible: the general synopsis at 0 1 00. Low, Southeast Iceland 995 moving slowly southwest, filling 1 00 7 by 0 1 00 tomorrow. Low, Biscay 958, expected Wales 1 00 5 by the same time. Low, Trafalgar 1 00 3, moving slowly east, losing its identity.'

With the rise of feminism, women photographers conquered the mainstream, with an increasingly commodified art world now viewing them simply as photographers and not merely a novelty or subcategory. Some women combined their photography practice with video, installations and other media, while others used the camera as a tool for questioning the concept of imagemaking itself, or for opening a fruitiful dialogue with subjects, instead of imposing an outside viewpoint. A rising awareness of environmental concerns went hand in hand with the issues of globalization and diversity.

For more than 20 years, Vincent Peters has been among the best photographers internationally. The artist, a native of Bremen, Germany, lives in Paris and Ibiza and sees the world as his playground. His unmistakable signature style sensitive, classic photos is in equally high demand for celebrity, fashion, and advertising photography. With minimal resources, he is able to create dramatic images that look like stills from an imaginary movie. Every picture makes you wonder what will happen next. His first photo book, "The Light Between Us," was published in 2014 and showed his best shots of actors, models, and musicians. Now he dedicates himself to his favorite subject in "Personal" women. Once again, we encounter stars as they have never been seen before; Penelope Cruz, Linda Evangelista and Irina Shayk are only some of the prominent ladies featured. Vincent Peters hand-selected the pictures for this book, most of which have never been published before. Along with his portraits, there are also nudes that highlight his masterful use of light to create sensuous photographs. This enables him to create mysterious images that celebrate feminine beauty and draw us inexorably under their spell."

This new paperback edition features 'No Less a Woman', the breast cancer awareness campaign with Stella McCartney. 100 women bravely share un-airbrushed photographs of their breasts alongside honest, courageous, powerful and humorous stories about their breasts and their lives. Women from all walks of life took part, aged from 19 to 101, sized AAA to K, from Buddhist nun to burlesque dancer. Their perspectives and experiences are revealing and profoundly moving. Intimate, visually refreshing, maybe even surprising, Bare Reality will make you reconsider how you think and feel about your own body, and those of the women in your life.

For the first time ever, a photographic coffee-table book celebrates South Africa’s most important national parks and nature reserves. South Africa’s Wildest Places by photographer, author and adventurer Scott Ramsay features 30 of the country’s most important and beautiful protected areas, including all 19 national parks and 11 provincial reserves. As one might expect, the 400-page book is big (30cm x 30cm) and weighty (3kg). South Africa’s Wildest Places is the ultimate photographic reference for the country’s famous natural heritage, it’s diverse wildlife and it’s awe-inspiring scenery. Few people know South Africa’s wild areas as well as Ramsay, who travelled for three years to more than 40 of South Africa’s national parks and nature reserves. He spent several weeks – sometimes months – in each park, exploring each one extensively, taking beautiful photos and interviewing rangers and researchers. Over three years, he visited each park at least twice, sometimes as many as four times. From the huge arid lands of the Kgalagadi to the teeming wildlife of Kruger, from the fynbos- rich Table Mountain National Park to the wild coast of Mkambati, Ramsay is happiest when immersed in wild places, and his enthusiasm and devotion to conservation is reflected in the range and quality of his photography.

Obie encompasses a decades-long sweep of his life’s work and covers the globe. It is part coffee-table book, part travelogue, part autobiography and part storybook, with a bit of philosophy thrown in for good measure. It’s a great photographer, documenter and character looking back through his ever-increasing archive (built up over 60 years) and choosing the images that resonate the most, and which have a story to tell. Obie captures the rare, the human, the wonderful, the cosmic even. And he doesn’t just take pictures; he also meticulously records it all in words. His descriptions are often as intriguing, as beautiful or as crazy as his photographs.

What would an animal look like if it were a human? The question is actually a contradiction in terms, and Tein Lucasson's answer is as humorous as it is creative. With digital photo technology, he combines pet portraits with human poses, celebrating each animal's unique personality, while drawing on his passion for costume and art history. Open up Animal and discover a raccoon sporting a sailor's suit, an aristocratic pig enthroned above a roulette table, and a giraffe grinning in its thick wool sweater. Text in English, German, and Italian.

American Brad Washburn's impact on his proteges and imitators was as profound as that of any other adventurer in the twentieth century. Unquestionably regarded as the greatest mountaineer in Alaskan history and as one of the finest mountain photographers of all time, Washburn transformed American attitudes toward wilderness and revolutionized the art of mountaineering and exploration in the great ranges. In The Last of His Kind, National Geographic Adventure contributing editor David Roberts goes beyond conventional biography to reveal the essence of this man through the prism of his extraordinary exploits from New England to Chamonix, and from the Himalayas to the Yukon. An exciting narrative of mountain climbing in the twentieth century, The Last of His Kind brings into focus Washburn's deeds in the context of the history of mountaineering, and provides a fascinating look at an amazing culture and the influential icon who shaped it.

"Francis Wolff's images of musicians at work are so relaxed and intimate that they capture the spirit not just of the moment but also the era." - Herbie Hancock One of the most renowned Jazz photographers of all time, Francis Wolff (1907-1971) was essential to the success of the Blue Note record label. Born Jakob Franz Wolff in Berlin, Germany, he soon became a Jazz enthusiast, despite the government ban placed on this type of music after 1933. In 1939, Wolff, a Jew, left Berlin where he had worked as a commercial photographer, and established himself in New York. He began working there with his childhood friend Alfred Lion, who had co-founded Blue Note Records with Max Margulis. The latter soon dropped out of his involvement in the company, and Wolff joined Lion in running it. Wolff took thousands of photographs during the Blue Note recording sessions and rehearsals. His highly personal visual concept would be forever associated with both Blue Note and jazz as a whole. This book compiles more than 150 Francis Wolff photos of jazz stars, most of which are published here for the very first time. Among the many artists portrayed are Art Blakey, Tina Brooks, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Thelonious Monk, Lee Morgan, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter. It also includes a special introduction by Grammy Award Winning music historian and jazz critic Ashley Kahn. Text in English, with an introduction in English, French and Spanish.

"...Immerse yourself in this selection of spellbinding shots from his latest book, The World." -Food & Travel Michael Poliza is more than a seasoned globetrotter who has travelled through almost 170 countries. He is also a collector of the world, always on the lookout for breathtaking landscapes, remote regions, and intact nature reserves. With his camera ever on hand, Poliza does not only want to experience the beauty of the planet, but also to make it accessible to all. In his two great books, Africa and Eyes over Africa, as well as his single volumes on South Africa, Kenya, and Namibia, Poliza opened our eyes to the diversity of the African continent. In AntArctic, the WWF ambassador created a sensitive double portrait of the polar regions. And in his characteristic aerial photographs, he even opened up new perspectives on well-known places like Mallorca. In this trade edition of The World, Poliza opens his digital treasure chest to reveal previously unpublished images from all seven continents. Like a true photographic world tour, we travel with him to Australia and New Zealand, to Vietnam and Myanmar, to the west of the USA and north to Canada, to the Galapagos Islands and Bolivia, across the Antarctic and the many lands of Africa. No matter how different the regions he explores, the photographer always captures extraordinary images, instilling both the beauty of our planet and an urgent need to protect the natural world. Text in English and German.