I have often thought that what we show others in our photographs, is really an insight into how we feel within. One may assume that when we look at photos of a landscape, they are just that - photos. But if we ask ourselves ‘why did the photographer choose to visit this place in the first instance?’, then the pictures take on a deeper meaning. And if we ask ‘why these particular compositions?, then we may find our curiosity is piqued.
Isle of Rum, Scotland 2022.
Photographed on Fuji Velvia 50 film, pushed quite hard in the edit. Hence the film grain, which I find particularly pleasing.
I have been attracted to the more wilder landscapes of Scotland for many years, and I’ve had to give it some thought as to why these places attract me. I think each landscape we fall in love with is personally relatable in some way. We either see something of our childhood in it, as I do with the Scottish Highlands, or we see a longing for something. I have a hunch that my family holidays as a young boy left an impression upon me. Both my parents are highlanders, and each summer we would leave the confines of our new town home for the highlands. The contrasts between new town dwelling and vast highland plains with shifting light was, and still is, stark. When I am in the highlands, I feel I am a Highlander, and my city-lifestyle is all but a faint memory. I feel a timelessness here and perhaps a deeper connection to my family’s history.
But coming here to visit, is a different endeavour to that of coming to photograph. A beautiful landscape does not guarantee a beautiful photo. Good photographs have to be earned. With the shifting light, constant threat of being rained upon, and of being blown away by fierce winds, the highlands are challenging, but when the elements conspire to produce a good, if not great photo, then favourable results can be extremely rewarding.
A photographer’s work is never done. Each visit just confirms that there is still more to uncover. More mystery to be solved. In a way, I find this inspiring, and also surprisingly comforting as well. Each time I have visited a landscape and produced a few images I really like, they are often far different from anything that I had hoped for, or envisioned. This illustrates that there are many more surprises up ahead for us all as photographers. So much potential is still waiting for us to explore and uncover. And many mysteries waiting to be peeked at, if not entirely solved.
And it is with this final comprehension, that I believe we should all revel in the anticipation of what images lie in store for us.