Highland Wildscapes

15/09/2024

Sgurr nan Gillean - definitely one of the most dramatic and impressive of all Scottish peaks, illuminated by a brief gap in the clouds earlier this summer. This felt like an ideal scene at the time to process as a black and white image, but I've included the original to compare.

13/09/2024

Playing mix and match with some images shot over the course of ten years, but in the same place, same time of year, and same conditions. There's hundreds more in the archive but I don't have time to track them all down right now!

Nature informs imagination; imagination pursues nature; nature exceeds imagination.

11/09/2024

Misty minimalism.

It's hard to put a finger on exactly what makes a Scots Pine such a compelling subject. Maybe it is the fact that they are themselves so naturally artistic?

07/09/2024

The finest experience that can be had as a landscape photographer is the realisation of a beauty that has been long imagined. Nature informs imagination; imagination pursues nature; and then nature exceeds imagination. Such is the process, and it is the only process in landscape photography which matters.

I have been fascinated by this tree for years. Like all the best Scots Pines, it is totally individual. A silhouette that falls somewhere between elegance and awkwardness. I knew from the first visit that it would be a rare sight to photograph it amid the golden glow of an autumn mist. But its location - so far up a steep slope above a high and remote glen - made it difficult for many reasons. It's rarely misty in that spot, and when it is the mist is usually fleeting. The location is just difficult enough to reach that it requires forethought and commitment to do so - making those brief magic convergences of weather and light all the harder to pin down. Many times I tried and failed, arriving drenched in sweat with my heart thumping in both effort and frustration at the mist that had just vanished like a ghost seconds before.

Yesterday, though, was exceptionally foggy. The cloud filled the glen to a depth of at least 600 feet, and lasted until well into the afternoon. So I waited with the tree until the gently receding mist lapped on the edge of our hillside, rising and falling like waves on the shore. Where threads of fog drifted up and down the slope like breath, i felt the light grow and shrink with each crest and trough.

With neither warning nor effort, the mist suddenly withdrew, finally revealing blue sky and the tops of the mountains above a sea of white. And although nature did not quite align with the imagining (it never does), without the imagining I'd have never been there to see the nature.

02/09/2024

A morning of autumnal alchemy in the Caledonian forest. Ten years almost exactly since I first enjoyed such a morning in this place, and it is wonderful to see all the ways in which it has changed, as well as the ways it has not.

Autumn photography is a game of colour and light - of finding the most extraordinary combinations of both. It is a rare delight to see so much gold in the landscape already before the purple of the heather has faded, and to me an acceptable gift to make up for one of the wettest summers I can remember.

12/08/2024

Machair meadows blooming with wildflowers in the summer months - one of the treasures of the Hebrides. A mix of shots from Vatersay and North Uist here.

07/08/2024

Catching a good shot of a white tailed eagle was a long held desire of mine, and I hope this will just be the first! Although I've seen these magnificent birds many times, I've never before had a day like this. We had a pair of eagles following us as we cruised around the waters near North Uist, following us from skerry to cove and always keeping a beady eye on what was going on in their territory. And it was a lot! The eagles were frequently being harassed by kestrels and crows, and at one point we even had to choose between photographing the white tailed eagle, the golden eagle, or the red deer stag on the shore! An absolutely superb afternoon, with thanks to for their knowledge and their fantastic vessel. Happy Highland Guiding clients and a very happy guide!

30/07/2024

Spending a few hours watching puffins on the uninhabited island of Mingulay in the Outer Hebrides is without a doubt one of the best wildlife experiences you can have in Scotland. Who doesn't love puffins? We were incredibly lucky with the weather, basking in the sun as puffins by the dozen whizzed right over our heads and brought their catch home to their burrows. This was the first day of our first official Highland Guiding adventure! More to come.

05/06/2024

West coast scenes from last week while guiding for on the Mull, Staffa and Iona wildlife trip. Thanks to a fantastic group, who made the trip a joy to guide. We enjoyed a full spectrum of Scottish weather and wildlife, along with plenty of spectacular castles, great food and wonderful accommodations. Hope I'll get to guide this trip again next year!

12/05/2024

I'd often pondered exactly where and how I'd like to shoot the perfect aurora. None of it happened that way. After a brief foray into the garden at midnight I found myself in an unfamiliar field with nothing but my trusty old Nikon, phone and a headtorch. No tripod, no ultra wide-angle lens. Just my semi-wrecked sigma lens that has so much dust inside I can't go over F8 without ruining every shot. No modern phone to make it easy. How on earth was I going to do this?

Luckily I chanced across an old pine and a rowan, with nice simple silhouettes. As the sky directly overhead was erupting with light in all directions, I found myself lying on my back beneath their branches, shooting 4 shot panoramas at shutter speeds of up to 1 second. Desperately, I focused on the vague shapes of branch and cloud as the coronal aurora blazed above like the eye of god peering down at me. With nothing else to work with I used my own head to stabilise the camera, jamming my face into the eyepiece and bracing my head in the grass as I shot each frame in the space between breaths.

Illuminating the branches with the focus light reminded me I could do more than just observe the scene - I could also light it. I could at least act like someone who had a plan for this night! Grabbing my torch and phone I placed them carefully around the trees to evenly illuminate front and back, and framed the trees as the sky danced.

As the glittering sky finally clouded over, the hooting of tawny owls and the barking of roe deer broke through the darkness of the surrounding forest. The sky was so bright there was no need for illumination as I eventually walked home, with no idea if any of my shots would have worked at all. Yet I knew that it didn't matter if they were trash. There are few global events that draw people together to share in joy, and even fewer that bring so many together in shared awe and appreciation of nature's beauty. So even though I was alone this night, like many others, I feel privileged to have shared it with so many.

08/05/2024

Every year I'm struck by how remarkably similar spring can look to autumn here in the Highlands. When the birches have young leaves on the tips of their branches, the moor grass is still brown, and the hills still carry a dusting of snow. Some gorgeous moments found lately in Torridon.

02/05/2024

Scotland in black and white.

I very rarely edit my images in black and white, but I'm really feeling happy with this set of images. I shot this set over the last 12 days or so, while guiding for 2 excellent humans on a trip around some of my favourite locations in the Highlands and Islands. We enjoyed absolutely fantastic weather mostly, but the constant sun combined with the relatively dull springtime colours in the landscape made for very high contrast light conditions. Since these conditions can lead to images that look flat and washed out, the answer was to shoot with black and white edits in mind; searching for gorgeous silhouettes and nuanced patterns. I especially love the scene of the Old Man of Storr (pic 2 in the set).

In order:
1. Red deer stag, Applecross beach.
2. Old Man of Storr
3. Loch Eilt
4. Black Cuillin
5. Glen Nevis
6. Glen Sligachan
7. Quiraing
8. Liatach, Torridon
9. Sgurr na Ciche, Knoydart
10. Allt Dearg Beag, Skye

18/03/2024

Stealing fire from the Gods.

I had an incredible evening on the Cairngorms a few nights ago. The wind was utterly exfoliating, blasting the snow across the landscape, making the light dance gold through veils of spindrift and mist.

Absolutely glorious. Can't wait for the next opportunity.

17/03/2024

When the Cairngorms bring out the epic!

When the Cairngorms bring the epic! I headed for the peaks of the Cairngorms again in search of beautiful mountain scenery and stunning sunset light. Turned ...

10/03/2024

A few nights ago I headed out into Glen Eanich hoping for some glorious evening light on snow-covered Braeriach. I was not dissappointed, and unexpectedly ended the evening on top of a Corbett at sunset! The long walk home beneath the stars in the dark was more than worth it. Latest youtube vid:

I set out hoping to get a first class image of Braeriach - one of the finest of all Scottish mountains - by climbing an adjacent peak at sunset. Conditions w...

06/03/2024

A small selection from days out in the northern Cairngorms in the last week. The house is almost finished, so I've finally been able to listen to the call of the hills for the first time in what feels like years. Fantastic to spend a couple of evenings high up on the mountain as the sun was setting, finding my way home beneath the stars. Fingers crossed for a few more adventures before the end of winter.

Be sure to check my latest youtube vid out (link in bio for those on instagram) - next video out on Sunday.

04/03/2024

End of a superb day on the northern Cairngorms. Firm snow, light winds, snow buntings, ravens, mountain hares, and a glorious sunset seen from the tops to finish off. It's fantastic to finally get back on the winter hills, it's been far too long! This shot and more in my latest youtube video.

03/03/2024

Latest youtube video now live! A stunningly beautiful winter day out in the northern Cairngorms that ended with a glorious sunset seen across the northern coires. Photos soon!

An afternoon photography adventure in the Cairngorms, March 2024. I had a late start, walking in to the spectacular Coire an-t Sneachda in the early afternoo...

08/02/2024

Great to see the snow back again. The last several weeks have been a seemingly constant barrage of rain and gale force winds. Winter without snow and ice just feels hollow and devoid of its true power. Hopefully I'll be able to head out in the next few days for some shots, and to make the next youtube video. Meanwhile, here's a few shots from winters past, brief moments of magic from an ever changing forest.

02/02/2024

Exploring the shores of Loch Maree for more original yet still familiar feeling compositions. I had to keep the day fairly short as I was exploring by canoe, and the wind was strengthening. It was always in the back of my mind that I had to get home again. Sailing back to the van through a snowstorm was absolutely fantastic! Before then I also got to enjoy some amazing winter light as the snow showers swept across the landscape, creating an ever changing tapestry of colour and contrast.

I hope we'll get some more of this weather before the end of the winter. Loch Maree is a very special place to me, but these shots feel like the start of a new project rather than the end result.

31/01/2024

One of the most classic of all compositions in the northwest, this famous view of Slioch from across Loch Maree is still irresistible on a stunning snowy morning. I had the place completely to myself - nobody else daring to venture into the carpark which was under about a foot and a half of snow. Probably quite wise as I did get the van stuck for about an hour! Still, a fantastic start to the day before taking to the loch in search of less familiar compositions.

30/01/2024

This was an absolutely EPIC day! Canoeing through snowstorms on Loch Maree in search of great landscape photos - my latest vid now live:

I took to the waters of Scotland's most beautiful loch in my canoe during a snowstorm. For safety reasons I had to make it quite a short day out, but it was ...

26/01/2024

Some of the finest sunset light I've ever seen over the mountains of Torridon last week. The way that snow captures and reflects every nuance of light from the sky is just so beguiling. At times it can make it seem like there is more than one sun in the sky, as the hills catch light reflected from snowy storm clouds, or shroud the hills in mysterious draperies of mist.

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24/01/2024

Last week I had an utterly superb day of landscape photography amid a very snowy Glen Torridon, finally succeeding a shot I've been thinking of for several years.

Loch Clair is an iconic location, one that attracts a lot of attention. However, most photographers latch on to the well known composition of Liatach seen from the shore of the loch, and fail to recognise the potential elsewhere in the area. I felt that to bring something new to the table would be a worthy goal.

So, for the last few years I've been visiting the wooded slopes of the hillside above, hoping to capture a 'new' version of the scene. I first came across this superb Scots Pine several years ago in late spring, and immediately recognised its potential as a subject for a winter scene. It would require significant snowfall, some stormy weather for the best light, and a whole lot of luck.

I tried to capture it on several occasions, waiting for hours in the snow for the right moment, but it never came. Coming home empty handed, I had to resist the urge to post those 'failed' photos anyway, as I wanted to share something, but was honestly nervous about giving the game away. Maybe that's a little arrogant - I'm sure I'm not the first to realise the potential of this vantage point - but I've rarely seen any other work from this side of the glen and I'd have been gutted to see it pop up in someone else's feed before I'd had a chance to capture it properly.

It's not the end of this location for me. I'd still love to catch it in August with the heather in bloom, and in autumn with the birches golden and the first fall of snow on the hills. Will have to wait and see!

Now I have to decide which version to print. What do you think?

1-3: successful shots from my latest visit. Hard to choose which one I love best as they all have such interesting but different lighting.

4&5: Unsuccessful attempts from previous years. Conditions not snowy enough and the light never came through.

6: The scene as it was on my first visit. Clearly a fantastic location, but not one to waste with imperfect conditions.

23/01/2024

My latest video, chasing down one of my all time dream shots in a very VERY snowy Glen Torridon. What an absolutely fantastic day of landscape photography!

What's a dream shot? The perfect confluence of landscape, light, weather, timing and vision. The kind of shot that you might never catch again. After several...