Interview: On the trail of a photographer lost in the landscape he loves

It is this ability to lose himself in the landscape and his intense connection with it that has made him one of Britain's most celebrated photographers of the hills, dales, coastlines and mountains that make our green and pleasant land.

Collectors and visitors to the photographer's Northallerton gallery are used to seeing the stunning results of his work. What they are less used to seeing is what a new book provides – an intimate picture of the photographer at work.

Joe Cornish: A Photographer at Work is a three-year labour of love and a collaboration between Cornish and co-author Eddie Ephraums.

The pair have been friends for 25 years and share a passion for the land and photography.

"There was no real endgame, no big plan for what we would do, it was simply an idea that we would collaborate and take some photographs together of the landscape," says Ephraums. "It turned out to be quite a significant period for Joe as a photographer and I happened to be there to record it."

The significant period saw Cornish slowly change his method of working, from photographing only on film, to using digital photography. It makes for a fascinating book that not only features the stunning images of Cornish and his co-author, but also the journey they took together.

Cornish has always cited his photographic hero as Ansel Adams, who said he owed his reputation as a landscape photographer to working in Yosemite Valley as a warden for eight years. After moving to North Yorkshire, Cornish said that the Dales and the landscape was his "personal Yosemite". Yorkshire does feature in the new book, but it also sees Cornish travel around the country, from Scotland to North Cornwall via Northumberland.

The resulting images of Cornish's travels are typically beautiful, but it is Ephraums' unexpected photographs that provide a real insight. They show Cornish with his camera, studying his subject, composing a photograph in his mind and walking through the landscape he is about to capture through his lens.

"He is so used to putting the landscape at centre stage, so he felt quite conscious about being at the centre of my photographs," says Ephraums. "He quickly forgot about that and concentrated on his own work which meant I was able to capture these very intimate moments between him and the landscape, which will hopefully give people a real insight into how he works."

Joe Cornish: A Photographer At Work, published by Argentum. Available at Joe Cornish Gallery, Northallerton, and www.envisagebooks.co.uk.

Joe Cornish is one of the great photographers of the British landscape. Nick Ahad on a new book that celebrates his work.

A life in photography

1958: Born in Exeter.

1977-1980: Studied art at Reading University.

1986: Met Charlie Waite who inspired him to photograph the landscape.

1986-1995: Photographs featured in 30 travel books.

1991: Raleigh International assignment began a love affair with photographing the wilderness.

1993: Moved from London to North Yorkshire.

1995: Following a frustrating assignment in Greece, decided to devote his work enitrely to landscapes, particularly the North York Moors.

1996: Began a relationship with the National Trust and continues to contribute heavily towards its publications.