I first met Al Hornsby in July 1993 when, as a key-note speaker at Sydney’s Scuba Expo event, he combined his poetry, music and photographic images into a memorable audio-visual presentation, ‘Indigo Dreams’; a production that highlighted the need for all divers to take a personal interest in protecting the marine environment, and one in which he urged his audience to, “reflect on what we might do to become another voice, another caretaker of our oceans and our world.”
Almost a quarter of a century later, and Al Hornsby’s ‘voice’ has lost none of that early passion and commitment. In the preface to his latest work, ‘Face To Face’, he notes that, “The world, and especially the ocean and its fascinating creatures, is increasingly fragile and desperate for our understanding, respect and protection. Hopefully, Face To Face can do its small part in communicating just what is at stake should we ultimately fail to adequately respond.”
It’s a message that many of us are happy to pay lip service to, but one that – all too frequently – is easily overlooked in the hurly-burly of daily life. Helping re-awaken that awareness of our obligations to the natural world, Al Hornsby’s, ‘Face To Face: Up Close With Mother Nature’, is a tribute to one man’s talents and genius in not only capturing images that reflect a life-long understanding of the need for environmental awareness, but whose enquiring mind has, since childhood, given him an affinity for, and understanding of, the world of nature and its many and varied life forms.
Employing his skills and talents as both a photographer and a writer, Al Hornsby’s, ‘Face To Face’, offers an amazing above-and-below water journey through the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific that’s inspirational in its scope.
From the Grizzly Bears of Wyoming through to the Whale Sharks of Cebu, in the Philippines, this book is a masterpiece of photographic excellence and joyous descriptions.
Concluding with: “For the sea. For the planet. And, especially, for every creature, large or small, with whom we share – for good or bad – our profoundly interconnected existence.” This book is one that will resonate with everyone who dives for years to come.
For further information about Al Hornsby, or to order copies of the book, please see the website at: www.alhornsbyproductions.com (Nektonix readers who enter the family and friends promo code, “ff” in the shopping cart will enjoy a 25% discount on the cover price.)
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Categories: Book Reviews
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