'Audiobooks are closer to how stories used to work before we pretended silence was superior': These are a few of Rankin's favourite things

Rankin is a British photographer, publisher and film director best known for his striking portraits and fashion photography.

He has photographed The King, Mick Jagger, Monica Bellucci and Mikhail Gorbachev, among many others, and he has published more than 40 photobooks.

His work has appeared in magazines, including Dazed, which he co-founded, Vogue and Esquire, and has been exhibited in galleries from MoMa in New York to the V&A Museum in London. He lives in London with his wife and dogs.

Last year (November 2025), Country Life's Lotte Brundle was photographed by Rankin. Click here to find out what it was like.

Air fryer

I find it funny that people think air fryers are similar to microwaves. They are not. What they really are is control: heat, time and a clear end point.

There’s a health benefit to the simplicity. You use far less oil without thinking about it, making food lighter by default, not because you decided to be virtuous. Portions stay sensible because you are cooking what you need, not filling an oven out of habit. It is quick and low effort, so you are more likely to cook proper food rather than something processed out of convenience.

A favourite is air-fried edamame.

My dogs

I live with four of them, and every day I am aware that it’s a privilege to share my life with them. They keep me sane and make sure I exercise. They force me out of my head and into the real world, regardless of what I think is urgent or important. They don’t negotiate, which I appreciate. They give shape to my days and, without trying, make everything feel more human. They’re not a lifestyle accessory, they’re family. You don’t own them, you look after them for a while, and in return they give you presence, affection and an uncomplicated love that’s increasingly rare.

Audiobooks

They are a godsend. I have always been a voracious reader, so this isn’t some compromise, it is an upgrade.

Listening to audiobooks has sorted my sleep, because they stop my brain from racing the second I lie down. I can walk the dogs and read at the same time or travel without feeling as if my life is being wasted in transit — long journeys are far less boring when you are inside a good book.

Anybody who claims it ‘doesn’t count’ is confusing the fetish of paper with the act of thinking. Hearing Robert Elms read Blitz: The Club That Created The 80s adds something that the printed page can’t: cadence, memory, lived authority. It’s closer to how stories used to work before we pretended silence was superior.

Time

The real luxury. Not endless time, and not time that has been aggressively optimised, but time with enough space in it to get bored.

Boredom matters. It is where ideas turn up. Walking, travelling, sitting around (listening to a book), all of that creates mental breathing room, and I protect it quite fiercely now.

This feature originally appeared in the February 25, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.

Amie Elizabeth White is Country Life's Acting Luxury Editor. She studied history at the University of Edinburgh and previously worked in fashion styling. She regularly writes for Country Life's London Life supplement and has written for Luxury London, covering everything from Chanel suits and skincare, to the best pies in the city. She has a big heart, but would sell her soul for a good pair of shoes.