Whether you want to see pandas playing in their natural habitat, follow penguins across Antarctica, or discover the cultural impact of Alaskan salmon, these impressive collections will give you a glimpse of a wide variety of wildlife and its surroundings.
From talented amateur photographers to experts with decades of experience, each book on our list features some of the most striking images that will bring the wildest animals right in front of your eyes.
You are reading: Best wildlife photography books
We’ve made sure to include a few books that donate part of their profits to conservation projects, so you can help contribute to these efforts while enjoying some of the most beautiful wildlife photography from around the world.
For more book recommendations, you can check out our list of books on insects and invertebrates and our selection of wildlife and nature books for kids and teens.
best wildlife photography books to read in 2022
the secret life of the otter, by andy howard
andy howard must spend a fair amount of time smelling seaweed, judging by the stunning images gathered in this photo book. Most are close-up shots with long lenses taken lying face down in the seagrass beds that line the coasts of north-west Scotland and its many islands. This ever-changing area, which Howard calls the “intertidal cafe,” offers rich options for otters and photographers alike. we see mustachioed otters with slicked-back fur devouring octopus, crabs and various fish, including a huge conger eel. cubs frolic in the waves, adults fight for territory, families sleep peacefully after a feast. there’s also some rarely seen behavior, like a rare photo of a canine otter locked in a mating hug with a female dog, jaws clenched uncomfortably around her neck.
Another image shows a torpedo-shaped otter hurtling toward the camera just below the surface, shimmering air bubbles rising around it. Occasional photographs of other coastal megafauna, from white-tailed eagles to harbor seals, add variety to the book. however, some more scenery and field sign shots of otters would have helped put the wildlife and behavior in context.
Like its predecessors, The Secret Life of the Mountain Hare (2018) and The Secret Life of the Cairngorms (2019), this beautifully produced volume has only a few legends. but that at least lets the pictures do the talking. the beauty of the otter speaks for itself. Above all, this is a book to give as a gift, perhaps as a memento of a trip to the Highlands, or as a canny suggestion to a friend or significant other that it’s time to reserve one.
reviewed by ben hoare, bbc wildlife editorial consultant
view a selection of images from the secret life of the otter in our online gallery.
Remembering African Wild Dogs: 6, by wildlife photographers united
The latest addition to the Memories series, this volume is packed with stunning “painted wolf” images. The photographs have been donated by 80 of the world’s best wildlife photographers, and the book aims to raise awareness of the plight of these endangered canids.
birds, by tim flach
this is the latest volume by renowned british photographer tim flach. Like his previous books—equus, dogs, and endangered birds among them—Birds is a stunning visual study of his chosen theme. and like the volumes before it, it showcases the staggering array of beauty displayed by the convincing mix of species that find their way in front of your camera.
Using a combination of studio and field photography, flach brings a dazzling array of birds to the page, including toucans, swans, macaws and puffins, making each a star in their own right. Whether through the magnificent colors and textures of their plumage, the shape of their beaks, the size of their eggs, or their preference for land, sea, or air, the distinctive characteristics that define each bird have ample opportunity to shine.
Background information for the images in each chapter is provided by Richard O Prum, William Robertson Associate Professor of Ornithology at Yale University. But as much as his detailed text helps, it’s the striking images that make this book hard to put down.
view a selection of bird images in our online gallery.
new to earth: baby wild animals, by suzie eszterhas
Photographer suzie eszterhas has spent twenty years taking stunning snapshots of wild animals, focusing particularly on endangered species. His 2021 collection of work New to Earth: Baby Animals in the Wild brings together some of his most beautiful images of young animals, ranging from tiger and brown bear cubs to baby cheetahs finding food on the African savannah.
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As 30% of all proceeds go to the global conservation network, you can simultaneously enjoy the magnificent images while helping to fund wildlife conservation efforts.
bird photographer of the year: collection 6, for bird photographer of the year
This impressive collection of bird images is the result of a photography contest in which participants submitted their best bird photos. The Big Book is made up of amateur and professional photographs capturing the beauty of birds, with a foreword by noted birder Bill Bailey.
The book features shortlisted images from the sixth year of the Bird Photographers Contest, as well as the winning shot, with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity Birds on the Brink to help with their conservation efforts.
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hill and dale: my shropshire year, by andrew fusek peters
Immerse yourself in Shropshire’s diverse wildlife with this collection of photographs by Andrew Fusek Peters. Explore the inhabitants of the valleys throughout the different seasons of the year, from close-ups of insects and birds to wide shots of beautiful landscapes with 200 pages that are sure to keep you engrossed.
Alongside the images, you’ll find commentary that provides a deeper look at the images showing everything from otters and foxes to butterflies and bees.
view a selection of images from hill & dale and peters upland book in our online galleries.
penguin: a story of survival, by stefan christmann
christmann’s sumptuous offering is more than just a collection of incredible award-winning photography. We also get moving accounts and first-hand witnesses of the daily tests of an emperor penguin colony from the German physicist turned nature photographer and filmmaker.
The stage is set for ‘wintering’ in Antarctica, as the colony overcomes a year of hardship to successfully raise their young. the book balances incredibly cute images of fluffy little chicks with harrowing shots of youngsters and a “nursery guardian” who have fallen into a snowdrift and perished.
Human impact is not forgotten here, with the recognition that it is climate change and early melting of sea ice that has led to an increase in this type of tragedy.
but the real triumph of the work is to highlight the role photography plays in research, with the capture of intimate moments unknown to science, such as adults feeding chicks that are not their own, suggesting a more deep and collaborative. caring for children.
Strongly conveyed throughout the narrative is the idea that penguin survival is based on a system of deep trust and affection between partners and colony members; this reading leaves us meditating on the purest and truest forms of love and teamwork.
review by debs allbrook, marine biologist
See a selection of penguin images in our online gallery.
microsculpture: portraits of insects, by levon biss
To achieve such vivid portraits of insects, photographer Levon Biss had to get very close to his subjects, and the results are incredible. Each image was meticulously composed from a combination of approximately 8,000 photos, and it took around four weeks to create a single photograph.
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The end product is an intensely detailed examination that will bring you closer to these insects than ever before.
See a selection of microsculpture images in our online gallery.
little forgotten creatures, by victoria hillman
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Photographer victoria hillman spent more than four years carefully selecting this examination of the animals and plants that thrive within a 40-mile radius ofe in somerset.
With over 100 images to explore and enjoy, ranging from butterflies to frogs, it’s also packed with scientific facts and stories so you can learn even more about the area’s thriving life.
sacred nature, by jonathan and angela scott
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based in the mara-serengeti region of africa, photographers jonathan and angela scott have used their position and understanding of this incredible place to capture the beauty of its landscape and its wildlife, including leopards, lions and cheetahs.
Featuring a mix of black and white images combined with full color images, this book contains 288 pages of stunning photography in total.
fearless women, by mario ludwig
In the first of its kind, this photo book from German publisher Teneues focuses exclusively on the female half of the animal kingdom and their extraordinary stories. The book is divided into five sections that look at different aspects of their lives, with incredible facts and stories in English and German by biologist, author, and podcast host Mario Ludwig.
in collaboration with the specialist photography agency’s library of nature images, presents some 150 stunning images from a variety of the world’s best wildlife photographers, including tim laman, anup shah, fiona rogers and sergey gorshkov .
text and images combined create a captivating book that covers a wide spectrum of animal species and behaviors, from the remarkable breeding balls of the green anaconda (and the females’ ingenious solution for when there are no males around); the good manners required during the courtship of the common kingfisher; the special treatment of the queen bee; and the strict matriarchal society of the spotted hyena. In short, this is a book to make you rethink the role of women.
reviewed by megan shersby, editorial and digital coordinator, bbc wildlife
panda love, by ami vitale
Taken on location in China, photographer ami vitale brings us her stunning, up-close portraits of panda bears, taken both in sanctuaries and in the wild.
These vivid images shed light and love on the playful cubs and adult pandas that inhabit the region.
the shape of the salmon: an alaskan state of mind, by amy gulick
Get acquainted with these hard-working fish as they make their way upstream in Alaska’s cold rivers.
Taken by Amy Gulick, these full-color images showcase not only the salmon themselves, but also the lives they interact with, including native Alaskan families and hungry grizzly bears scouring the water for their next food.
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