Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal (Farm Animal Photography Book)
Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal (Farm Animal Photography Book) book cover

Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal (Farm Animal Photography Book)

Hardcover – September 18, 2018

Price
$25.85
Format
Hardcover
Pages
128
Publisher
Princeton Architectural Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1616897154
Dimensions
8.75 x 0.65 x 10.25 inches
Weight
1.85 pounds

Description

"The message of Radiant is that farmed animals deserve respect....The book is enjoyable and easy to read because the animals featured are the lucky ones who will not be killed to produce food or clothing. They are companion animals or are living as organically as possible. This is not commonplace for these species, which Scott somberly acknowledges. Radiant presents the lives that all farmed animals could have in a kinder world. It also tells the stories that are not told as much as they deserve to be. For that reason, this book is incredibly important to a world in which factory farming is commonplace. While some may argue against the anthropomorphism and gentle tone, it must be said that it is an effective technique to make animals that are usually objectified engaging and relatable to humans." - Journal of Animal Ethics, "Milton Glaser (1929-2020), grandee of them all in art and design, is the subject of a new volume in Moleskin Books’ Inspiration and Process in Design series....The current volume is a tribute to the art of the everyday experience, the moments in which the smallest details become significant." - DART: Design Arts Daily, "My newest coffee table book - Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal by Traer Scott - not only has me entranced with its soulful, stunning photographs of rescued individuals, but I'm learning about the oft-forgotten underdogs who provide the backdrop for this true work of art. The Ameraucana hen, for example, lays different colored eggs!" - VegNews Magazine"Photographer Scott (Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey), known for her portraits of dogs and wildlife, turns her attention to farm animals in this loving tribute. The elephant (or Jersey cow) in the room, of course, is how many of these species are used for food. Scott doesn't shy away from this topic, nor does she dwell on it. She chooses instead to focus on her subjects, all of whom were photographed under ideal circumstances-close to the humans they know and love, and at the sanctuary farms they call home. This allowed Scott to truly capture the confidence and regality of Henri, a Slate Heritage Breed turkey (favorite snacks: grapes and watermelon) who has assumed the role of caretaker for a flock of chickens; Marcia, a Nigerian Dwarf goat who loved (human) kids; and Buffalo Bill, a gentle, affectionate water buffalo being trained as a therapy animal for autistic children. Each entry begins with an overview of the breed's heritage and key characteristics (the donkey's famous stubbornness, for example, is actually a valuable self-preservation instinct) along with the individual animal's unique traits. Scott's look at these species is equal parts affectionate, informative, and respectful."-Publishers Weekly"In her new book, Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal, Ms. Scott aims to change the perception of barnyard beasts-less living machines, more lovable friends.. Ms. Scott writes about her subjects, "They may not be as outwardly emotive as dogs, as cuddly as cats.but any farmer can tell you that they have just as much personality, even if they're a little less portable and perhaps a mite stinkier."- The Wall Street Journal "I have a dream of living on an estate with a bunch of farm animals one day, but for now, there are these beautiful portraits of endearing and delightful animals, many of whom were rescued from dire situations. Each photo is accompanied by a biography describing the happy animals' personalities-like Henri the turkey, who loves grapes, or Bean the goat, who sleeps at the foot of his mom's bed." - BookPage"Traer Scott's Radiant presents portraits of farm animals-from chickens and cows to pigs and goats and beyond-that live up to its title." - Mental Floss"Photographer Traer Scott's Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal is a remarkably soulful book of portraits of the beasts we normally take for granted -- or try not to look at too hard. Scott, who has previously created books on shelter dogs, raptors and nocturnal creatures, has assembled a simple and beautiful book of the visages of cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and more exotic animals (a yak, a miniature donkey, as Indian peafowl) that live on farms or as pets."-Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette"Scott celebrates farmed animals who have been saved from lives in servitude and are instead living happily in the care of people who see them as friends, not food. These captivating up-close color portraits put us just inches away from our animal friends, showing us every detail of their beautiful faces, and letting viewers into their emotional worlds." - VegNews Traer Scott is a photographer and the author of eight books, including Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and their Stories and Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey . She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, daughter, and creatures.

Features & Highlights

  • Beautiful portraits of farm animals that bring to life their sparkling personalities and stories.
  • Photographs of animals
  • — From cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens to Dolly the wooly llama, Bianca the Sicilian miniature donkey, Percy the Indian peafowl, and Justice the yak. Some of the animals are pets; others live happily on farms and sanctuaries.
  • Heartwarming stories
  • — Traer Scott shares her anecdotes about a Texas longhorn steer whose best friends are a trio of goats, a turkey who likes to snack on grapes and watermelon, and many others.
  • Informative facts
  • — Did you know donkeys' stubbornness is a well-honed survival tactic? That Scottish Highland cattle are the oldest registered breed of cattle in the world? Scott's captions combine detailed histories of the breeds with the personal sagas to create enchanting tributes to our four-legged (and winged) friends from the farm. If you liked
  • Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and Their Stories
  • ,
  • Nocturne: Creatures of the Night
  • ,
  • Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey
  • , then you'll love
  • Radiant: Farm Animals Up Close and Personal
  • .

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(163)
★★★★
25%
(68)
★★★
15%
(41)
★★
7%
(19)
-7%
(-19)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

everyone should read this book

Oh, these critters. They're beautiful, unspoiled and soooo very worthy of our respect. Homo sapiens, open your selfish, self-centered eyes to see the charm of critters. They're far superior to us. We should accept that fact and allow ourselves to learn from them.
20 people found this helpful
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LET'S TREASURE FARM ANIMALS THE WAY WE TREASURE OUR PETS

THIS BOOK IS MAGNIFICENT!
I WISH WE LIVED IN A VEGAN/VEGETARIAN WORLD BUT SADLY WE DON'T!
THANK-YOU MS. SCOTT! IT'S TIME FOR EVERYONE TO STEP UP AND
HELP THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS! CAFO'S ARE IMPACTING OUR GLOBAL WARMING!
Emily Stuparyk, author, when only the love remains: the pain of pet loss &
seasons of healing: a suicide survivors's notebook
17 people found this helpful
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Not just a book of animal photographs

This is not just a book of animal photographs although the skills of multi-award winning photographer Traer Scott make it a compelling artistic achievement. Radiant also tells a story about gentle, intelligent and loving creatures who are the lucky ones. They are cared for in farm sanctuaries by people who nurtured them from sick, abused or unwanted animals to the stunning creatures who are described on each page. They range from the familiar to the exotic, but we learn something enticing about each of them from Traer's descriptions.

Radiant is a treasure for all ages, but especially for children and grandchildren who will be the custodians of nature for years to come. A great gift for everyone.
13 people found this helpful
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Read Farm Sanctuary instead, a much better book.

I was excited to read radiant but am left with a lot of confusion. Here she takes unflattering pictures of the animals, they are more beautiful in their environment, as they were intended to be seen, and interacting is also so touching to see. Then after hearing about the emotionally beauties they are if you re read the introduction it is about making sure you know where your “food” is coming from, and no pressure to not eat these beautiful beings that feel pain just like a human does. In the end it is saying, keep unjustly hurting “farmed” animals. It does not matter if raised in the backyard or factory farmed, the ending is the same and unnecessary. I dont see that this book, pictures or purpose is helping anything except the author, who released a book that misses the full point. The comment that what hurts even more then the animals is the environment I also found a very uncaring comment- so the life killed is not so bad then? It all is bad, but obviously this author was not touched deep enough by these beings beyond the project to see they deserve life, and were never ours to begin with.
11 people found this helpful
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Magnificent!

Just an absolutely beautiful book! It shows these wonderful animals in their natural beauty and invites us to celebrate their lives. I sincerely hope that this compels people to look closely at these animals, who are so often relegated to the domain of consumption, and helps people rethink their choices-- each animal has an individual story, personality, and presence of being that really shines through in these provocative photos.
9 people found this helpful
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A Beautiful Coffee Table Book!

If you love animals - as I do -, and appreciate great photography - as I do - you'll be happy you purchased this book. It would make for a lovely gift, too!
6 people found this helpful
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Do cows have personality?

I found myself drawn to this Radiant by Traer Scott, having grown up on an organic subsistence farm long before most even knew there was such a thing. (I blame my mother!) For many, Scott’s book will be an eye-opening book to the inner life of farm animals, for me it was a nostalgic reminder of all the unique personalities that critters on our farm displayed. I’ll never forget trying to convince pigs to move in a specific direction; they were more attracted by lying in the cool water of a stream or rooting in the mud or pasture. And they were too danged smart by half! Scott catches all that insouciance in his many pictures of our porcine friends and his description of the various breeds he portrays.

Scott’s photographs are graced by curious cows, attitudinal alpacas, diminutive donkeys, garrulous goats, cantankerous chickens, and much, much more. In all his pictures, the personality and presence of these animals is accented and celebrated. I find myself thinking that all this nostalgic knowledge is why families find themselves drawn to petting zoos; we have lost a vital connection to the animals that accompany us on our stay on this planet. While we benefit from their existence, they are relegated to factory farms that most of us will never see or even consider.

Scott’s photographs are a vicarious journey through the characters on a farm. Each picture is accompanied with some facts about the breed and a brief biography of the specific animal pictured. These animals live in sanctuaries, some born there, but many more rescued from abusive conditions. In addition, the introduction of the book includes facts about how farm animals have personalities just as their domestic cousins such as dogs and cats do and an overview of animal husbandry in its present form as factory farms. (While not all farms are factory farms, the vast majority of meat produced comes from them.) This overview contains facts about the factory farm’s impact on the environment, on the animals so raised, etc. Scott also includes additional information about different animals that he encountered on his journey to capture all these animals in photos, and the peace and contentment that he found when encountering these characters in sanctuaries. It is a brief glimpse into his pilgrimage that could stand as a book in its own right if it were expanded.

As someone raised on a farm, I do wish Scott had included pictures of some of these animals in their first days of life. For instance, while I consider adult pigs rather homely, baby pigs are some of the very cutest beings on the planet. You just want to hold and cuddle them as they nuzzle and wiggle, and they’re just as smart and trainable as their parents, while being way more cuddly. Another baby/parent paradox is the Muscovy duck; while their head’s red bare flesh makes them one of the least attractive ducks, their chicks are the most adorable of all the duck breeds that we raised, incredibly yellow and fluffy. I also would have liked to see some of the breeds that we felt had outstanding personalities along with unique beauty, such as Indian Runner ducks and crested bantam chickens. But I guess I want all that because Scott’s beautiful photographs remind me of all the beauty and personality of the animals on our farm. And nostalgia for a time when our handful of cows had a hundred acres to roam, as did our chickens, ducks, and other livestock, is not a bad thing. While we benefited from their eggs, milk, etc., and even their manure, they were a cared for and respected part our family farm and were left to freely range as they would through meadows, woods, pond, and streams. I wish all farm animals had that freedom.

Highly recommended for those who love farms, animals, or who want an eye-open gaze into the personalities of animals we take for granted and yet so many of us never see or touch in person. Scott’s book is a reminder that we owe these animals that we bring into existence the respect and care they deserve.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
5 people found this helpful
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Buy This Book! You won't be disappointed. The photos are amazing!!!

I LOVE this book, The Photo Ark VANISHING! The photography is absolutely amazing. The photos are large and perfect. I purchased it for my special son who loves photos of animals. I was afraid the photos would be small or disappointing. I wish I had purchased this book a long time ago! My son is going to love looking at these photos many times, again and again. I'm enjoying it, myself! Thank you, Joel Sartore. You are brilliant!
3 people found this helpful
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Amazing, unusual, and beautiful pictures!

Loved this book. The pictures were enchanting and by providing the animal's name, made it much more accessible. A Christmas present to two young sisters who are thrilled by farm animals!
3 people found this helpful
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Cute, Quirky and Wonderful

With a front cover like this I could not pass up the opportunity to read this book. Cows are my favourite animal, and once I read the synopsis I knew I’d love it. Cute, quirky photographs with wonderful anecdotes to add to the mix. I did however have to read this book on my kindle app on my iPad, a small black and white kindle just did not do the awesome pictures any justice at all. I can imagine a wonderful large hard backed black glossy book would be just perfect for the coffee table. The photography was incredible, my only grouch is, I would have loved to have seen more pictures, maybe one close up and one full body shot of some of the animals. The stories supporting each animal were the perfect accompaniment. I loved it. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
3 people found this helpful