The Isle of Eigg is one of the Small Isles, situated off the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It is somewhere I return to frequently to photograph, especially over the autumn and winter months.
Like many people, I feel a strong affinity with water and the ocean, in particular. Being by the sea has a deeply emotional and sensory impact for me. The sounds, smells, colour and the energy of the waves never fail to provide a sense of wonder, calm and restoration. Similarly, lochs and lakes can also stir the senses, although often in a calmer, more serene way. The images here explore these emotional connections.
Living in the Scottish Highlands, I am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful scenery. However, for me the connection is more than just visual. The interplay of light on the land creates mood and a fleeting beauty that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) and double exposures are techniques which blur the image to give a painterly feel.
There is a certain quietness that occurs during and after a fall of snow, where the volume seems to have been turned down. But it is not just sound that changes, how we visually and emotionally interact with the landscape is also altered.
There is a particular beauty and serenity about a snow-covered scene.
Fencelines, poles, trees, and grasses become like pencil drawings on a white background. Subtle tonal variations are created by different depths of snow or where the snow is lying on an ice-covered loch. Lines of telegraph poles and fences highlight the undulating ground and hillsides merge with featureless skies.
A blanket of snow erases distractions and leaves behind a simpler landscape.
