The breathtaking, sweeping vistas of Glaciers around the world. Iconic architecture made from sleek glass and steel. Historical archives of Black experience in Texas. Indigenous relationships to hair. These are just some of the scenes in our top photobooks released this year. They address our desire for closeness in a society that prioritises individuality, the vulnerability and majesty of the natural world and the history of activism and community action. These books remind us of photography’s power to allow us to see the world from a different perspective and experience life through the eyes of others.
Archipelago (2004 – 2014) focuses on the contradictions of human relationships across countries, generations and genders. Tolanda del Amo explores how longing for closeness coexists with our desire for individuality. The relationship between the people in her images are expressed through their setting, as their surroundings become a psychological extension of the characters. The book raises questions about class, gender, intimacy and the social connectivity of our times through a fun and theatrical lens. Del Amo draws inspiration from real life by working with sitters who are her friends and family.
This arresting visual study features 65 duotone photographs from the world-renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado. The pieces are taken from one epic project: Genesis. The artist travelled to some of the planet’s most remove and ice-bound regions; from the dramatic ice fields of Patagonia and the towering peaks of the Himalayas to the vast shelves of Antarctica and the volcanic flanks of Kamchatka. These images record the forms, textures and scale of glacial landscapes around the world. Ultimately, Glaciers is an essential and focused statement on the vulnerability of our planet’s cryosphere.
The Nordic region is one of the most influential when it comes to the modern home. Architects and designers such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen and Jørn Utzon played a key part in the development of Nordic modernism, with its unique sense of character and warmth. This collection of 40 of the region’s most iconic buildings shows why the Nordic home holds a powerful allure for architects, designers and homeowners around the world. This major survey showcases the very best of the region’s architects, located in landscapes and locations that are are among the most beautiful, and extreme, on Earth.
The Texas African American Photography (TAAP) Archive is a visual record of Black life in Texas since the 1870s. The collection is 60,000 images strong, ranging from the earliest tin types and crayon drawings, through the 20th century, to those working behind the lens today. This new publication is a fascinating insight into the archive’s images and its dedicated custodians. The subsequent pages tell a story of why access to collective cultural and familial histories are so important, they can shape how we view our contemporary moment, both on a political and social level, and from a personal perspective.
Photographer Irina Werning travelled across Latin America for 18 years, seeking out those with long hair to uncover and understand its cultural significance. She explains: “For many Indigenous communities, hair is a physical expression of thought – an extension of the self, much like the way rivers flow or plants grow from the earth. It reflects a deep spiritual connection to nature, rooted in reverence, humility and reciprocity.” The book contains both black & white and colour photographs. In some, subjects are pictured in the natural landscape amongst cacti or rocky outcrops, elsewhere, they’re found in surreal settings.
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Star Lodge, 2023, Snøhetta, The Bolder, Forsand, Norway © 2026 Richard Powers.
2. Isabelle, Emilie, 2006 © Yolanda del Amo.
3. The front of the Perito Moreno Glacier, Campo de Hielo, Patagonia, Argentina, 2007.
4. Manshausen Sea Cabins, 2015, Snorre Stinessen, Manhausen Island, Norway.
5. Marion Butts, NAACP pickets Skillern’s Drugs, Dallas, Texas, 1961; from Kinship & Community: Selections from the Texas African American Photography Archive (Aperture, 2026). © 2026 Marion Butts.
6. Image courtesy of Irina Werning.
