What To Read Before Your Next Wildlife Photography Adventure
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
Planning your next wildlife photography trip? Here are some books that have inspired my own adventures, from Arctic expeditions to watching wildlife in the UK.
When someone books onto one of my wildlife photography tours, they usually ask what camera to bring.
Far fewer ask what they should read.
A good book has a brilliant way of changing how you see a place before you've even arrived. You learn a little about the wildlife, the people, the landscape, and suddenly the trip begins weeks before your feet have left home soil.
This isn't a formal reading list. These are simply books I’ve enjoyed and often recommend to guests before and while we travel. The kind I’d happily pass across the breakfast table on a trip. If one of them makes you look at a place differently before you’ve even arrived, then it’s done its job.
A Woman In The Polar Night
Cristiane Ritter
If you're joining my Arctic Adventure, this is the one book I'd recommend above all others.
In 1934, the painter Christiane Ritter left her comfortable home in Austria for a year with her husband on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. On arrival, she is shocked to realise that they will be living in a tiny hut in one of the most remote places on Earth.
This isn't a photography book. It's a mesmerising memoir about silence, darkness, polar bears, isolation, and slowly falling under the spell of the Arctic's otherworldly landscape. Nearly a century later, her writing still feels astonishingly fresh.
No Word For Wilderness
Roger Thompson
Before we head into the mountains of Abruzzo, I'd encourage you to read this.
This book tells the story of one of Europe's rarest mammals, the Marsican brown bear, and the people trying to protect them. It explores conservation, conflict, and the delicate challenge of coexistence.
You'll come away with a much deeper appreciation of the landscape we're photographing, and the conservation stories that shape it.
Where The Seals Sing
Susan Richardson
If you're joining my Norfolk seal photography trip, this makes wonderful reading beforehand.
Grey seals are endlessly expressive. It's easy to become absorbed in photographing them, but Susan Richardson gently reminds us to slow down and appreciate them as individuals, not just as photographic subjects.
Part nature writing and part personal reflection, this book explores the hidden lives of Britain's largest native predator with warmth and curiosity.
The Man Who Spoke Snaikish
Kivirõhk Andrus
Before heading into the forests of Estonia, this story is a great place to start.
The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk is a quirky, funny, and slightly surreal novel rooted in Baltic folklore and deep woodland life.
It’s not about wildlife in any direct sense, but it captures something of what it feels like to live close to forest and tradition.
The Butterfly Isles
Patrick Barkham
Before spending a day in Hampshire photographing butterflies and wildflowers, I'd happily recommend this.
Britain has some extraordinary butterflies, yet most people barely notice them.
Patrick Barkham’s journey around the UK in search of all its 59 species is funny, informative, and sharply observant. I’m sure you’ll find yourself noticing every patch of grass a little differently afterwards.
The Roads To Sata
Alan Booth
If you’re joining the Japan wildlife tours, this pairs well with what we’ll see in the field.
The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth is a classic piece of Japan-based travel writing. He walks the length of the country, meeting people and observing everyday life far from the cities. It’s a lovely read with a real sense of place and rhythm.
If you prefer fiction, Haruki Murakami works just as well - Kafka on the Shore especially, which feels strangely close to the way rural Japan can feel in winter.
Sea Room
Adam Nicolson
If you're joining me on the Scottish coast, this is a beautiful companion.
Sea Room by Adam Nicolson tells the story of three remote Hebridean islands and the birds, weather, and history that shape them.
It’s atmospheric and deeply tied to the sea. You start to see how landscape and life are completely intertwined here.
Photography is much more than simply pressing a shutter. It begins with curiosity for wildlife, place, and the stories of the landscapes that we inhabit during each trip. Hopefully one of these book recommendations might inspire your next trip.
Paul Alistair Collins
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