From December 2006 to February 2008, I was completely immersed in this, my most ambitious book project ever, alternating one month on location in China with one month back here in the UK, backing up all images and converting the best files to tiffs, before they were uploaded onto the Natural Visions site. My office researched and faxed me facts and figures – sometimes to antiquated fax machines ­­ – so I could utilise all the downtime at airports and on planes to write copy.

360 images have been used to showcase the varied wildlife and plants found in mountains, forests, deserts, wetlands and coastlands in this vast country that ranges from tropical rainforests in the south to frigid forests in the north.

Green China is a celebration of China’s natural world and Stacey International’s flagship title for 2008.

Price £34 (includes postage UK only)

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My third panda book was published in April 2008.  We finally managed to edit many thousands of shots taken over a 13-year period and 7 trips to Wolong, in Sichuan Province (where the May 2008 earthquake reached) down to 200 images. They show pandas feeding, drinking, playing, climbing trees and lounging; thereby providing an insight into this iconic animal’s way of life; with each picture having an extended caption.

My favourite image: Panda slide

A nonchalant stroll up a slope suddenly turns into a nightmare descent for a panda. Losing its balance on a snowy slope, it slithers unceremoniously on its back; head downwards, with all four limbs in the air. Tracks found by researchers in deep snow show that a panda will toboggan down a slope on its belly, apparently for fun!

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Below is a very small selection of the extensive press coverage Panda received.

BBC Wildlife magazine

‘…. stunning photographs, succinct captions ……and sound text that should appeal to anyone interested in the species’.

Amateur Photographer

‘Looking at her latest pictures of pandas, it’s not surprising that Heather Angel is one of Britain’s favourite wildlife photographers.  Whether you are a fan of pandas or Heather Angel, this is one book not to be missed ’.

This is my second title in the Wildlife Monograph Series – my first was Giant Pandas.

Puffins are my favourite seabirds and the most productive place to work is Iceland  - the Atlantic puffin capital of the world.  It was here I got some fun shots of puffins plucked from the cliff top in a gale and hovering like a hawk. Their feet, wings and tail are clearly all askew from the powerful wind.

My favourite image:  Puffin head-on in the rain

Selecting the cover picture of a book always causes great debate and anguish (we had at least 10 mock-ups for my latest panda book – PANDA), if the editor and I agree, then the sales team or US publisher chucks it out.  My publisher wanted to use a puffin with sand eels in its bill, but I was not keen as this had been done before.  It was only on my last shoot sitting on a rain sodden island off Mull that the shot appeared.  After a puffin came ashore and stood outside its burrow, silver jewel-like raindrops accumulated on its black head. The only snag was  – like all puffins – it constantly moved its head from one side to the other failing to look straight at the camera. As I couldn’t go anywhere until the boatman came to pick me up, I sat down and 3GB later I had the shot which everyone loved  - fortunately!

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Macro has for long been a great passion of mine; although smaller fry and abstracts of plants never sell as well as action shots of wildlife or cute furry and fluffy babies.

The realm of macro photography is like no other, because it homes in on a small portion of what we normally see in the natural world. By focusing on only a part of a plant or animal, we view it in a totally new light. We appreciate colours and textures - especially if they are quite subtle; patterns and designs become highlighted. We can make the ordinary look extraordinary. Many a time I have seen things in the focusing screen that were not apparent to the naked eye.

Take a glimpse at the intimate world of natural close-ups, ranging from plants, insects, amphibians and reptiles to marine life, fossils and shells. All conveniently grouped into three sections: Ambient Light, Mastering Flash and Working Indoors.

As the light was fading in our garden I spotted some hoverflies homing in on lily flowers. Only as I focused the camera, did I discover that they were alighting on the stamens to feed on the pollen. The large sticky pollen grains were adhering to all parts of their bodies – notably their legs. I opted for available light, using a fast shutter speed to freeze the movement, which necessitated a virtually wide-open aperture on a D2X. As a result, the lily petals are rendered as a soft, diffuse coloured backdrop.

Price £18 (includes postage UK only)

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A beautifully illustrated book of inspirational nature and wildlife photography by one of Britain’s leading photographers provides a fascinating insight into how a professional photographer with over 25 years’ experience approaches her craft.

Many of these images formed the basis of Heather’s Natural Visions exhibition.

Click here to purchase an autographed paperback copy from Heather Angel.  £10 including post and packing for UK only.

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In this beautifully printed book, Heather Angel shares the techniques she has used to capture representative floral photographs as well as artistic interpretations from around the world. She includes tips on everything from plants in their habitat, to close-ups and abstracts and shares the techniques she demonstrates on her annual Creative Plant Photography course at Kew Gardens.

For centuries, water has ignited the creative talents of artists, writers and poets alike. More recently, it has inspired photographers and here Heather Angel emphasises the magical qualities of water. In addition, she highlights the special problems associated with the photography of all three phases of water – liquid, vapour and solid, as well as life in water. Pictures of Icelandic waterfalls in summer and winter were specially taken for this book.

Here, Heather Angel reveals 101 of her favourite tips and hints that have helped her capture thousands of extraordinary photographs, no matter how harsh the environment or how challenging the subject. A must for every gadget bag!

This enchanting panda portfolio was taken in Wolong, China’s largest panda reserve by wildlife photographer and zoologist, Heather Angel. She made four trips to the heart of China specifically to photograph pandas for this book, which details their lifestyle and behaviour as well as discusses the conservation issues which must be addressed if these endearing animals are to survive.

Heather Angel writes in the Introduction … “Photographs transcend all language barriers; they can be appreciated by anyone irrespective of their native tongue or ability to read. But for any photograph – nature or otherwise – to communicate, it must arrest the attention of the viewer…… It may be a single facet – the composition, lighting, colour harmony, colour contrast, texture or abstract form – or any combination of these that catches my attention and motivates me to take a camera out of the photopack.”

This book captures the splendour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which has living collections containing over 30,000 different kinds of plants. There are separate chapters devoted to plants from specific habitats ranging from tropical forests and deserts to mountains and grasslands. The multifarious plants attract an array of wildlife which are also featured. Heather has had a long association with Kew and has run a practical plant photography course there for 14 years.

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Wild animals are amongst the most difficult and challenging subjects to photograph, because many will not tolerate a close approach, while few behave to order. This practical book is a celebration of the distinctive and perceptive eye of an established top wildlife photographer. Throughout, pictures have been selected to illustrate the way lighting and composition enhance the subject and the techniques used to achieve this end are explained in the informative captions. Heather Angel’s own photographic and clothing checklists will be invaluable to anyone planning an overseas trip to a wilderness area.

You will gain greater enjoyment from your own pictures by appreciating the way latitude, light and weather create atmosphere and give drama to a scene. You can also learn about colour in the landscape, how to exploit perspective, frame a view and plan a field trip. Landscape photographs can be taken in a realistic, impressionistic or abstract way. Heather Angel’s own landscapes are often deceptively simple, but she works hard to select the best possible viewpoint to complement the lighting. Her over-riding message is that the essence of successful landscape photography is not the price tag of the equipment, but a seeing eye.

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Heather Angel has drawn on her wealth of experience as a top and much-respected nature photographer to produce an invaluable guide to one of the most popular photographic disciplines. Every aspect of nature photography is covered in this book, with the importance of careful composition and appropriate lighting running through it as a central theme. Containing nearly 180 colour photographs, Nature in Focus is both a celebration of the natural world that surrounds us and an invaluable source of reference for photographers and naturalists alike.

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Heather Angel uses windows both as vantage points and as picture frames to create a portfolio of arresting images of garden views; while the lively text provides information on the history, planning and planting of the gardens, supported by quotes and tips from the gardeners and designers themselves. The concept for this book was triggered by seeing framed views of classical Chinese gardens and the result is a book which both enthuses and inspires.

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Whether photographing your own or other people’s gardens, this practical guide, packed with tips and hints will help to achieve memorable garden pictures.  The book is aimed at gardeners and garden lovers just as much as keen photographers.  Heather’s photographs will inspire us to take a closer look at gardens and garden plants, while her enthusiastic guidance will encourage readers to use their cameras more imaginatively.

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This comprehensive coverage of Britain’s natural world was a tour de force by Heather Angel, who produced the 350 images in just over a year. It is an exquisite tribute to our natural heritage, which will appeal  to countryside lovers and photographers alike. The initial print run for this title was 125,000 copies!

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Heather went back to her roots as a marine biologist when she co-authored this book with Pat Wolseley. She also took all the photographs of the inland and coastal wetlands and their inhabitants. The book, which is designed as self-contained spreads, each one with several projects, has proved invaluable to teachers and parents alike.

Heather Angel is one of the 40 featured wildlife photographers whose work is showcased in this volume. Her image of a chameleon eye appears on the cover of the hardback edition.

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Amongst this eclectic collection of images of our planet and beyond, taken through microscopes and telescopes, with X-rays and from satellites, Heather Angel contributed several photomicrographs and macro shots of the natural world.

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