BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

OUR WILD WORLD

Imagesfrom ld

BelgianphotographerTui

DeRoywasraisedinthe

GalápagosIslands,having

arrivedintheextraordinary

EdenicEcuadorian

archipelagowithherparentsattheage

ofjusttwo.Partphotobookandpart

memoir,A LifetimeInGalápagosis the

resultofwhatis nowherfive-decades-

longGalápagoanodyssey.

DeRoy’sphotographyofendemic

wildlifeis ofcourseexemplary,but

someofherlandscapeshotsare

otherworldly.Rough-hewncliffs

batteredbystorms,lavariversoozing

fromvolcanos,sumptuouscelestial

photography– eacha reminderthatthe

Galápagosis muchmorethananisland

safariexperience.

Thearchipelago’smostrecognisable

starsareheavilyfeatured,too– from

marineiguanastogianttortoisesto

Galápagossharksandpenguins.Booby

fanswillnotbedisappointedeither–

they’rewellbeyondpagethree,butthe

blue-footed,red-footedandNazca

boobiesareallabundant.

TheGalápagosis perhapsonlysecond

toAntarcticaasa destinationwhere

animalsarenaïveenoughnottofleethe

momenttheyencounterhumans.It’s

thesortofplacethatcanmakea

publishablephotographerofeven

a smartphone-wieldingtourist.

Consideringtheincredibleaccessto

faunaaffordedtoDeRoy,thereare

someshots– especiallyearlyinthe

book– thatarea littleunderwhelming.

Atothertimes,thedesignis toobusy,

includingtoomanysmallphotographs

withconfusingsubjects.Here,thespace

wouldhavebeenbetteremployedby

fewer,largerimages.

Whilenotexactlyencyclopaedic,the

proseis animportantguide,notjust to

DeRoy’slifeandexperience,ortothe

floraandfauna,butinhighlighting

threatsofclimatechangeandexcessive

tourism on the islands.

Comprehensive and colourful, this is a

thorough photographic examination of

one of the world’s unique environments.

Jamie Laerty Writer and photographer

A LIFETIMEINGALÁPAGOS

BYTUIDEROY,BLOOMSBURY,£40

Book

choice

Wildlife photographer Tui De Roy celebrates the Galapagos Islands.

Tu i D e R o y