Name: Polar Opposites
Item: Polar Opposites
Rating: 5
Author: D.R. Martin

Must read 🏆

A coffee table classic, filled with breath-taking images, and hearkening back to the visual style and excellence of National Geographic.

Synopsis

Polar Opposites is a stunning visual exploration of Earth’s polar regions. This captivating 150-page hardcover book, measuring 11” x 8.5” with a striking dust jacket, showcases over 130 awe-inspiring images that highlight the remarkable similarities between the Arctic and Antarctic.
Polar Opposites takes readers on a breathtaking journey through these icy landscapes, revealing the intricate connections between these seemingly disparate environments. From the majestic icebergs and glaciers to the diverse wildlife that calls these regions home, the book offers a unique perspective on the beauty and fragility of our planet.

Lauri Novak’s 2024 book, Polar Opposites is a photographic journal that celebrates the spirit of discovery and exploration. The book is full of extraordinary visual moments, coupled with introductions of the scenes and locations. The text is a natural companion to the photographs, offering insights, helpful tips for fella photogs, and personal discoveries of the images that steal the show on every page.

The book pairs side-by-side images of the Arctic and the Antarctic. An idea that is both simple and obviously the most powerful way to highlight the extreme similarities of natural and man-made elements. The pictorial opens on the polar mountains, cold and desolate yet stunningly beautiful, with vistas of lofty snow-capped peaks, and thought-provoking images of crying eyes at both ends of the earth. Next, Novak captures the polar waters, ranging from tranquil to angry, though they are most likened to vast quilted patterns of green and grey that instill peace and calm.

The camera then looks at the towering ices formations. “The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water” … how perfect is that? If you never thought about colors of ice, or how it feels and sounds, you soon will. The vibrant cool images are then replaced with the warm-blooded wildlife of the polar regions. With notable exceptions, it is amazing how each pole is inhabited by similar animal groups, including seals, birds, whales, and a Darwinian assortment of unique animals.

Finally, the photo journey ends with the contrast of man’s interaction with the polar worlds, ranging from early historic remains of exploration in such inhospitable locations to the modern bells and whistles of the hospitality industry carving out a piece and taste of exploration for the modern adventurer.

In summary of Lauri Novak’s Polar Opposites, this is a book that begs to be held in your lap and read with children and grandchildren, ideally with cool glossy pages. Presented in the classic style of the old National Geographic, this book shows how opposites can be so vastly different, yet still so similar. Is this a metaphor for the human condition? It is hard to turn the pages and not wonder. From North Pole to South, I give this five out of five stars (5 of 5).

Reviewed by

Oh sure, you'll read this, but you won't leave a comment, fine. D.R. Martin is the mind behind the Grim Chronicles series, which he dreamt up in Bangkok, TH. Youngest of 8 kids in a navy family, he has a BA in Film, an MA in Media, and lives with his wife, teenage son, and two cats in Chicago-land.

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