Ben's Books
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Ben's Books
A photographic tour of the Great Colorado Basin.
by Benjamin Kopilow
Experience the breathtaking landscapes of California's deserts and the Colorado Plateau through "Time Carved in Stone." This photographic collection reveals the intricate textures and vibrant colors of these natural wonders, showcasing the artistry shaped by time and the elements. Each image invites contemplation of the geological marvels that define this unique terrain.
Landscapes are not static—they are sculptures shaped by time, and geological forces, then revealed in different ways by ever changing light.
This book explores some of the world's great desert and wilderness places, those of California and the Great Colorado Basin, as an award-winning photographer experiences them: through form, shadow, texture, colour, and scale.
This book is a journey through deep time. From the polished granite walls of Yosemite to the salt-cracked floor of Death Valley; from the folded spine of Capitol Reef to the vast red silence of Monument Valley, these landscapes are not merely described—they are seen in quiet contemplation.
Each chapter is a meditation on place, shaped by geology and written with reverence for time itself. Ancient seas, vanished deserts, grinding ice, restless rivers, and the slow choreography of uplift and erosion come together to form a portrait of the American West as it truly is: patient, immense, and still becoming.
Written in a poetic yet accessible voice, the book weaves geological history with sensory experience, transforming stone into story and landscapes into living archives. Each essay stands alone, yet together they form a quiet narrative about endurance, transformation, and the beauty carved by time.
Ben is an award-winning Canberra-based master photographer, educator, speaker, mentor and writer.
Ben has been an accredited professional photographer for over 20 years, and has spent most of that time happily obsessed with images, light, and why some photographs touch us so deeply. A Master of Photography (with Gold Bar) and former State President and National Director of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers, he has judged professional awards at both state and national levels and photographed just about everything — from landscapes and theatre to portraits, fashion, and more than 750 weddings across Australia and internationally. His work has been published worldwide, appearing everywhere from book covers to billboards. These days, Ben has retired from wedding photography and focuses on fine-art projects, travel books, and running workshops that explore the deeper language of photographic composition — informed by art history, Gestalt theory, colour, and a healthy dose of visual neuroscience. Outside photography, Ben is enthusiastically devoted to travel, jazz, literature, chocolate, Italy, and his wife, Melinda (not necessarily in that order).