As the years have passed, I have felt that I am often in a ‘fine tuning’ or ‘honing’ stage of my craft. One of the things I have noticed over the past while is that I tend to take a lot of photographs of the sun when it is possible to do so due to soft light and very low contrast created by the sun being masked by even cloud density. It allows me to record a perfectly round disc, and I think this has become a motif of sorts for me as my style of imagery has evolved.

Podcast Transcript:

The winter Sun has always been a subject I keep returning to.

The As a Scot, you grow up knowing that the sun is a fleeting thing. It is often hidden behind overcast skies and is seldom seen during the winter months. Indeed, days will pass by without seeing it, and when it does make an appearance, I think we Scots tend to take a moment to appreciate it.

I will often try to incorporate the sun into my photographs when I think it's possible to do so. The best time to do that is when it's a perfectly round soft disk in an overcast sky. There is just enough cloud cover to reduce the sun's contrast, so that I can look at it safely and comfortably.

For if I can stare at the sun without causing damage to my eye, then I know that I can photograph it without blowing out the exposure.

If one is seeking to uncover a style in their work, then recognising when one is drawn to certain subjects can certainly help reveal where your aesthetics and visual sensibilities lie. I do not go seeking themes in my work consciously, but rather I tend to notice them surface gradually as I have reviewed my work over the years.

Taking a step back whilst reviewing one's own work is always beneficial in noticing repeating themes, and often I can only notice them when I look at my work, after some time has passed. Distance as always, provides great objectivity.

The winter sun is to my eye a symbol of hope. It is a reminder that summer is never that far away. And even when the winter is at its shortest day and darkness seems to prevail, I know the light will soon be coming back.

I take solace in knowing that after the 21st of December we will all be on a trajectory towards longer and warmer days.

Photographer or not, all I know is that all of us need and seek the light.