While the successful collaboration between Bermudian photographer Roland Skinner and Laura P. Herrmann, the US-based graphic designer and co-ordinator of his books Picturesque Bermuda and Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II is no accident, how the two professionals came to team up was.

It all began in 1995 when Mrs. Onalee Cooke, wife of former Sesame Street illustrator and artist Mr. Tom Cooke, stopped to admire Mr. Skinner's photographs displayed in the window of his Front Street store.

Having suffered an illness which concluded his career as an illustrator, Mr.

Cooke had taken up painting, and his devoted wife approached Mr. Skinner with a view to purchasing a book of his photographs from which her husband could paint.

"I don't have one yet,'' Mr. Skinner told her, "but I am ready to go ahead with a book, and am in the process of looking for a designer.'' "Then I have just the person for you,'' the visitor replied.

True to her word, when Mrs. Cooke returned home to the US, she promptly got in touch with Miss Herrmann, a former girlfriend of the couple's son, who just as promptly flew to down to Bermuda the following week to meet with Mr. Skinner, and a partnership was born.

"It was a total fluke,'' is how Miss Herrmann describes the chance conversation between Mr. Skinner and Mrs. Cooke which led to her successful collaboration with the photographer.

In fact, so symbiotic are the duo in their shared vision of what the finished product should achieve that, despite the hard work it takes to produce such a book -- try thinking about whittling down 25,000 slides to 205, for a start -- there has never been a major disagreement between them.

"We have a very special professional relationship,'' Mr. Skinner admits. "We each understand what the other is saying. We are on the same wavelength.'' It has taken just a year to bring Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II from a concept to reality, and while Mr. Skinner and Miss Herrmann are careful not to give away trade secrets, they are more than happy to detail just what it takes to put a top quality publication on the bookshelves.

"We begin with about 25,000 slides which we gradually whittle down over several sessions,'' Miss Herrmann explains. "Then we try to match things together. We try to tell a story with the book so that it is not just a catalogue of images. Instead, there are groupings of images which complement each other, and look attractive together on a page.'' Indeed, it is the complementary professionalism of both the photographer and the designer which ultimately decides what will, and will not work, on a page.

"Oftentimes, you can see a book which has beautiful photographs, but if no thought has been given to how they are displayed, they just look like images on a page, '' Miss Herrmann explains.

"One of the reasons we do work so well together is because we agree on most things,'' Mr. Skinner adds.

In creating a desired effect, topics such as size, cropping, and placement, and whether or not they "bleed'' over the edges of the page, or have space left around them, are all important considerations -- as are the amount of text, and the typeface in which it and section indicators are printed.

"Once again, you want something that is going to complement. Since this book is not text-heavy, you want what little there is to be inviting and readable, yet not interrupt the flow of the book,'' Miss Herrmann says.

"We have always believed that from the beginning,'' Mr. Skinner adds. "When people buy a picture book they are looking for pictures. When it is text-heavy, people don't always read it.'' Certainly, Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II is a quality publication, of which Mr. Skinner and Miss Herrmann are justifiably proud.

"The challenge was to do something which was completely fresh and different to the first book, Picturesque Bermuda, and I am very pleased with the outcome,'' sats designer/producer Miss Herrmann, who owns her own business, Laura Herrmann Design, in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

"It has a totally different feel to it,'' Mr. Skinner concurs.

Photo book is stunning Indeed, Skinner's recording of the sea in all its dispositions and beauty provides a endlessly fascinating reminder of one of the most alluring forces of nature.

In a bustling, noisy, over-crowded world, Skinner's lens finds solitude in countless places: rugged coastlines, fields of flowers, rustic fence-lined paths, and unspoiled landscapes among them.

Whether it is a visual stroll through cool green parks, or the language of gates, pillars, walls, and poles; meandering paths to nowhere, or aerial views of a railway trail, Skinner generates a longing to drop everything and explore.

The architectural elements which make the Bermuda vernacular so unique are arresting in the punchiness of their detail. The eye is never allowed to go "ho hum,'' but rather "oh, yes! '' as the rich roughness of old plaster, and the sturdiness of mouldings, roof lines, quoins, walls and more are seen close-up and personal.

The unpainted, the peeling, and the recently-latexed have equal appeal, all beautifully captured for our delectation, as are the pristine white chimneys, and gable ends, both plain and quirkily embellished.

Shadows, textural contrasts, and the warmth or coolness of light all contribute to the moodiness of these structural statements.

When it comes to local flora, again the photographer has avoided a surfeit of riotous colour, instead balancing the exuberance of the reds in poincianas, crotons and tulips, and the bold hues of single blooms such as morning glory, dahlia and nasturtium, with the cool, pastel prettiness of carpets of oleanders and freesia blossoms, or the pristine whiteness of spider lilies and pampas grass.

In terms of the heavens, Skinner has captured the majesty of nature's canopy in dramatic ways: from vivid blue to rain-threatening grey; sunsets fiery and golden; sunrises which could be mistaken for sunsets; and clouds -- glorious clouds -- in fluffy banks, trailing wisps, mackerel-like, and wind-whipped.

All thrilling to behold.

If position is everything in life, so also is it in this book. Skinner and graphic designer/co-ordinator Laura P. Herrmann have done an amazing job of grouping photographs together in such a way that they enhance one another, drawing together the eye and mind in a skillful thematic weaving that gives the book its flow. In some instances, it is clever grouping which adds excitement and lifts the illustrations to a higher plateau.

While Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II may be classified by some as a coffee table book, thanks to the skillful presentation of Skinner's luscious photography, it also becomes a stunning reminder of just how exquisite the many elements of Bermuda's overall magic are, thus making it perfect not only for local home libraries but also as a gift or memento for those live abroad.

Unlike Volume I, this edition refrains from captions, confining itself instead to a beautifully written introduction and section prefaces by former Government Information Services director Don McGregor, who is also the book's editor. These, combined with the subtlest of ghosted section titles on every page, force the eye and mind to focus solely on the beauty of the images, which surely is the mission of any book devoted to the photographer's art.

Skinner is one of the Island's leading professional photographers, having been at his trade for 31 years. His first book, Picturesque Bermuda, has been a best-seller, racking up over 27,000 thousand sales since it first appeared, and now in its fourth printing. I predict that Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II will do even better, for it is an elegantly beautiful production in every sense of the word.

How many more ways are there to say `Beautiful Bermuda'? Roland Skinner provides an abundance of stunning answers Skinner's World: The longtail (above) and elements of the Bermuda architectural vernacular (right) are but two of many subjects captured through the lens of local professional photographer Roland Skinner in his new book, Picturesque Bermuda, Volume II, which is now available in local stores. Widely respected in his field, Mr. Skinner has devoted 31 years to his art.