A review from Rosanna Rothery from the North Devon Journal published on December 3 2009.

"OH not another egotist with a camera' was my true thought about being persuaded to go and see adventure photographer, John Beatty.

Could I really endure heroic tales about death-defying feats of photography while dangling from Himalayan peaks or accounts of white-knuckle stunts while getting a close up of a lion in East Africa?

My real fear was having to listen to geeky explanations about the correct shutter speed, aperture and depth of field for that one-off cool shot.

In reality an evening with Beatty was the antithesis of all this. The only star of his show was the utter beauty, mystery and majesty of nature itself.

Beatty has an uncanny ability through words and pictures to help you re-discover your 'wonder'.

His maxim in photography is: respond to what's there; capture the feeling; wait for that special moment; don't impose your artistic view on the world but be ready for that fleeting moment when you see something extraordinary, moving or special.

I'm not a photographer but he made me want to be one. Since hearing him talk I have been open to so many more of those special moments: a lonely road, light falling on hill tops in the early in the morning, the colours in a sunset.

I was inexplicably moved by Beatty's whole meditative approach to photography and nature — and his son Robin Beatty's evocative soundtracks which accompany his pictures.

What I thought would be a mediocre evening of dull camera talk turned out to be a life changing experience which has helped me appreciate textures, colours, light, tranquility and transient moments. In short: Beatty has helped me 'see'."