More local photography books that capture captivating moments — and make great gifts

ON THE ROAD WITH MIKE DREW Mike Drew, (256 pages, $40, Rocky Mountain Books)

A longtime photographer for Postmedia, Mike Drew compiles some of his most compelling images captured over the past 30 years travelling the back roads of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Montana. Drew, whose photo column appears weekends in the Calgary Sun, captures landscapes and wildlife alike from Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Milk River prairies, Dry Island Buffalo Jump and into the mountainous regions of Kananaskis and Waterton.

SEEKING STILLNESS

Olivier Du Tre, (192 pages, $35, Rocky Mountain Books)

In his first book of photography, Olivier Du Tre offers a collection of black and white photographs taken over seven years of beautiful landscapes near his home in Calgary, but also during his travels to the Yukon, Newfoundland and Belgium, where Du Tre studied photography.

THE CANADIAN ROCKIES: REDISCOVERED Paul Zizka, (240 pages, $50, Rocky Mountain Books)

Over the years, Paul Zizka has earned a reputation for capturing unique images of the Rockies from decidedly remote vantage points. In fact, his bio makes a point of defining him as both a photographer and “adventurer.” In The Canadian Rockies Rediscovered, Zizka mixes landscapes with portraits of mountain athletes for a new collection of colourful and breathtaking shots of the Canadian Rockies.

WILD WEATHER ON THE PRAIRIES by Monica Zurowski (with Norma Marr and Karen Crosby), (160 Pages, Greystone Books, $29.95)

Calgary Herald managing editor Monica Zurowski gathers the images and stories focusing on the unforgiving climes and the hardy folk who endure them, in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Drawn from the photo archives of various Postmedia papers, including the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun, the photos range from a wild wedding shot taken during Edmonton’s 90 km/ h winds in April, to a gorgeous shot of the Calgary skyline during a Chinook sunset, to Calgary police rescuing trapped transit riders after a fierce 1951 rainstorm.

ISLANDS OF GRASS

by Trevor Herriot and Branimir Gjetvaj, (151 Pages, Coteau Books, $39.95)

Naturalist and writer Trevor Herriot and biologist and photographer Branimir Gjetvaj use beautiful photography as part of an eloquent plea to preserve the natural prairie on the northern plains, which the authors argue has spiralled into “ecological crisis.” Herriot and Gjetvaj show how the once sprawling Great Northern Plain and its vast herds of bison and antelope have been reduced to a fraction of its size due to human encroachment and craft an urgent and compelling argument to preserve what is left of this unique environment.