Rob Read reviews Forgotten Little Creatures by Victoria Hillman

The world is awash with photography books. A trawl through the pages of Amazon will reveal hundreds of titles on the subject covering every conceivable photographic genre. My shelves are stacked with them, and it seems as if I am not alone with my never-ending appetite for the visual stimulation that this art form offers. 

With a keen interest in nature and the outside world, there is no surprise that wildlife, nature and landscapes form the vast majority of my shelves’ subject matter. But dozens of these titles lie largely dormant, the initial wave of appreciation having sadly waned, leaving them collectors of dust as I move on to visual pastures new. 

But every now and then a book appears that bucks this trend and elevates itself to the ‘well-thumbed’ section of my collection. Something which not only inspires admiration for the talent of the photographer, but also makes me look at my own photography in ways I had never considered before. Perhaps the best photography books not only take you on a journey through the photographer’s eyes, but their mind too. 

Victoria Hillman handed me a copy of her ‘Forgotten Little Creatures’ at Rutland Birdfair a couple of years ago. It was some weeks before I managed to sit down over a cup of coffee and take time to enjoy the delights that each image delivered. A Snake’s Head Fritillary rising majestically through the bokeh of dew-soaked water meadow; the googly eyes of a Damselfly isolated deliciously by the shallow depth of field; the somewhat sinister outline of a backlit spider waiting for the morning sun to dry the dew droplets from its body - just some of the many gems in this collection.  

But it’s not just the images, there is a nice balance of text to accompany them written by someone with the experience to deliver the information with equal amounts of authority and passion. A trained scientist, Victoria provides a nice blend of scientific fact, technical photographic information and personal anecdotal text to balance the pictures and inform the viewer.  

I am often asked ‘what ingredients make a good picture’ – a difficult question to answer. As with all art forms, and photography truly is art, it is perhaps up to the viewer to decide. After all, we all look at things in unique ways. When I see an image that makes me wish I had taken it myself, that perhaps is the truest test of a good photograph in my eyes. Before I picked up Victoria’s book, I didn’t take anything that came remotely close to the graceful pixel collections she captures. But it inspired me to experiment and I now look at some subjects in different ways and I’m creating images in new ways. If you buy a book that inspires you in this way, then that has to be money well spent. 

Put simply, this book is like a good bottle of wine, delightful from the first to the last glass. Steal yourself from drinking the whole bottle in one go and savour every sip. Do yourself a favour and order a copy directly from Victoria by clicking the link to her website. She’ll even sign it for you if you ask nicely.

Rob Read. November 2020.