The Canada Magazine
This week the Canada issue of Lodestars Anthology - officially released in the UK on October 18 - will be avalible through our online store. So we thought we'd celebrate by sharing some of the wild and wonderful images and illustrations that fill the pages of issue 6. Thank you as always to our truly spectacular contributors - the world is indeed filled with some rather talented beings. You can order the magazine here.
About the magazine: Canada is a land where lakes glow, mountains soar and island life prevails. Wild, rugged and unfazed by time, luxury resides in unexpected corners, cities delight and outdoor adventure beckons, for nature is indeed all around. You yearn to explore, to get lost, to reconnect with a pristine beauty so hard to encounter in the modern world. The seasons astound - from frozen winters to summer’s never-setting sun - while waterfalls carve canyons, rivers become frozen highways and people smile, aware of their heritage and all that this land has gifted them. You’ll find snow and maple syrup, art and architecture and a landscape both inspiring and eternal. Greetings from the Great White North.
Some featured destinations:
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort Fogo Island Inn Vancouver Toronto Montreal The flavours of Canada Cosman & Webb maple syrup Left Field Brewery Canoe North Adventures The Yukon in winter Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Halifax Lobster Boil Ontario wines The Canadian Rockies Prince Edward Island Calgary The Canadian
Yosemite to Arches
Words by Emil Martin & Photographs by Angela Terrell 0n the 100th anniversary of National Parks in the USA, it seemed fitting to visit some jewels in their crown.
Yosemite, four hours from the West Coast, is a landscape shaped by glaciers. Towering granite monoliths ring the valley, their splendour captivating millions of visitors and the solitude (if you visit at the right time) encompassing.
Montana’s Yellowstone, the oldest National Park, lies above a magma hotspot and claims the world’s largest collection of geysers. The most famous, Old Faithful, erupts every 45 minutes but is by no means the most powerful and spectacular. Patiently waiting by a number of geysers we saw steaming water rise hundreds of meters in a multitude of directions. Waterfalls and lakes together with bison, elk and the lurking danger of grizzly bears add to the excitement. Beware though, the last volcanic eruption 600,000 years ago dwarfed anything in human history ... and the next eruption is well overdue!
Utah is home to Arches National Park (guess what it is famous for?), Bryce, which is renowned for its beguilingly shaped sandstone Hoodoos and Zion where you can scale vertigo inducing peaks and frolic in ankle deep mountain rivers.
There are dark star-filled skies, geology to astound, wildlife to enchant and beauty to make your heart skip a beat.
Nikoi Island
Flying from Australia back to London we had wanted to break up the trip by having a week to recharge and plan for the year ahead. Within easy reach of Singapore, and only eight kilometres from Bintan, Nikoi Island seemed to be the perfect option for us. A private island, 15 hectares in size, we stayed in one of the 15 beach houses that all sit facing the water.
Often most content just lounging downstairs in our beach house reading, we almost felt guilty for not taking up some of the activities that were on offer - such as snorkelling, sailing or a rainforest walk. For a week we enjoyed barefoot luxury and witnessed local fisherman on their boats under soft pink sunsets. We were a little sad to leave but grateful to feel relaxed and recharged for the year ahead.
Photographs by magazine contributor Renae Smith.
The Sweden Magazine
This week we launched issue 5, the Sweden issue, at the Swedish Ambassador's Residence in London. So, it seems like the right time to share a sneak peak of some of our Scandinavian content and say a mighty big thank you to the fab team at Visit Sweden, the Embassy of Sweden and of course Ambassador Nicola Clase. If we've learnt anything it's that few people are as generous and hospitable as the Swedes (and that they have a rather glorious country too).
The Magazine ...
Rich in coastal hideaways, ancient archipelagos and islands rising from the sea, Sweden has a fondness for the sublime. With remote restaurants challenging palates and expectations, hotels carved from ice and pathways draping her frontiers, this is a country of extremes. But its cosmopolitan icons, and cities famed for their food, flair and design, also set hearts aflutter. Seasonal splendour allows creatives to delight in the daring and while there is a sense of wildness, the landscape shaped by glaciers and blanketed in forest, solitude is easy to find. Visit this northern wonderland and you’ll soon discover that Swedish escapes are good for the soul.
You can order the magazine online here.
Some featured destinations (and people) ...
Louise Nordström Pettersson
We had a chat with our issue 5 cover photographer Louise Nordström Pettersson about Sweden, light and the joys of spying the first buds of spring. You can see more of Louise's work on her Instagram page.
Why do you love taking photographs and when did you start?
I’ve always been creative and I loved to paint and draw when I was younger. But at the age of 14 I got my first camera and fell in love with photography. Photography means ”draw with light” in greek so I guess I let my eyes and camera draw for me instead of my hand and pencils. I just love to capture everything I find beautiful and show everyone what an amazing world we’re living in!
What do you enjoy taking photographs of in particular?
Nature. I grew up with the sea and forest just minutes away from my home and I think the nature is so amazing and beautiful. Especially sunrises, there is nothing as peaceful as being out in the forest an early summer morning, catching the first sunbeams through the trees with the camera in my hand.
Where are you from in Sweden?
I’m from a small village in Båstad county in the southern part of Sweden.
The subject of your photo essay in the new magazine is Swedish light - what makes the light in Sweden so special?
I think it’s special because the light is so different from season to season. It’s most extreme in the northern parts of Sweden where the sun never sets during summer and never rises during winter. And when the sun never rises we have the Northern Lights or aurora borealis which light up the skies instead. I love the variations and differences between the light of all seasons.
Do you have a favourite season?
I think summer is my favourite season, because it has the most beautiful sunrises and everything in nature is blooming. Everything feel so alive. Although, every spring, autumn and winter I think to myself ”this is my favourite season!” haha... Every season has its charm.
Do you have a favourite part of Sweden?
I fell completely in love with Björkliden in northern Sweden when I went there for the first time 7 years ago. The mountains, tundra and views are stunning and took my breath away. It’s just as beautiful in the summer as in the winter. But I will always love the peninsula, Bjärehalvön, in southern Sweden where I live and grew up. There is something special about this place and it’s where I shoot most of my photographs.
You've photographed quite a few flowers, what is it about them that you like so much?
I’ve always liked flowers, they are beautiful and they come in so many different shapes and colours. And when the first flowers bloom in the spring, you know it’s really spring. And when the meadows are full of all sorts of flowers, you know it’s summer. Flowers just bring so much happiness to me.
An interview with New Zealand cover photographer Helen Griffiths.