Book design by Need.

Known for his research-driven photo stories and portraiture, Kieran Dodds is a Scottish non-fiction photographer whose work considers the interplay of environment and culture.

The imagery Kieran shot for this book was taken in Ethiopia – one of the fastest expanding economies in the world, and a country that’s facing extreme environmental pressures.

In Amhara province, the last native forests are only found surrounding church buildings. They’ve been protected for centuries as miniature Gardens of Eden. Prior to this book, Kieran’s photographic essay about these church forests was published in part in the likes of the National Geographic, and was awarded a Sony World Photo Award in the Landscape category. The work was exhibited in Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh.

You can buy a copy of the book at www.kierandodds.com

The book Church Forests of Ethiopia brings together the full story – featuring unpublished photographs and a specially commissioned essay about the spiritual roots of modern environmentalism by Professor Mark Stoll, as well as a foreword by church forest expert Dr Alemayehu Wassie Eshete.

Need worked carefully with Kieran and visual editor Marc Prust on image placement to make sure the book has the right sense of pace and focal points, taking the reader on a journey through a range of stories.

Much of the book features Amharic versions of the Liturgy or Anaphoras. These are prayers written in the earliest centuries of the Christian church and incorporated into the liturgy, or services, of Orthodox Christian traditions – including that of Ethiopia. 

Part of the task of designing the book involved creating maps, which have since been supplied for use beyond the project. 

The map data was supplied by faculty and student researchers at Debretabor University, Bahirdar University, Colby College and the University of Vermont. We created a graphical map of church forests in the region – making these truly visible for the first time. 

To accompany the book, the strategic design studio also created a set of prints – including a gold foil version of the graphics from the map to act as a cover.

The publication of this book supported the restoration of the Ethiopian landscape. A thousand trees were planted in the upper Blue Nile river catchment area, near Lake Tana – a collaboration of the local community, local scientists and Plant With Purpose.