This blog posting should really be titled "How to photograph a landscape."

On the first page of his ambitious monograph "Close", photographing conceptual landscape design and land art in Scotland, Allan Pollok-Morris introduces us to his world through the books title -- "when choosing a name (for this book), I opted for a small, unassuming word which, in Scottish dialect, was used to describe a landscape so inspirational that heaven seemed closer to earth in that place."

Born and raised in Scotland, he left his homeland in his early twenties to pursue work and travel elsewhere - encountering landscapes and documenting them internationally. Here he returns and over a span of five years traveling the mainland in search of new works, met with the designers who created them and photographed their work with a passionate eye. In many of these instances the landscapes and land art pay tribute to their genus loci and aspire to push the boundaries of what we commonly refer to as a garden in the horticultural sense.

Close is a truly inspirational portfolio of work -- stunning, inspirational and exceptional. “Close: Landscape Design and Land Art in Scotland” is beyond any other compilation of gardens I have viewed -- Pollok-Morris is able to respect the landscape designers intention with his photographs. Without adding his own signature, editing the composition or simply attempting to add on his own artistic statement, he captures these scenes with patience and an astute sense of light.

The Scottish Tourist Board may be the beneficiary of this work …it will make you plan a trip to the Kingdom of the Pics.

An exhibition of photographs from this book was recently exhibited at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It is expected to travel to the New York Botanic Gardens in the not so distant future.

Enjoy.