Wild Land project - Keith Brame

2012

2012-01-04T15:40:00.001Z

Happy New Year. I have spent some time during the gales putting together a compilation of colour photography produced during my trips for the John Muir Trust. You can see a preview of it at Blurb.com or there's also a preview on this blog.

In the first part of 2012 I will be doing some qualifications on producing online teaching, and also some Photoshop certification. (I am a lecturer in photography by the way.) So I expect to develop this blog into more of a photography and education spot. I expect there will still be an emphasis on environmental and landscape photography.

Also in the early part of the year, Stills have scheduled another Environmental photography short course to run on Friday afternoons. I'll be the tutor for that, and the last one we did provided a nice end to the week, exploring a variety of locations around Edinburgh.

I hope the hurricanes have abated by then. Details of the Stills course are here: http://www.stills.org/courses/evening-courses/environmental-landscape-photography

wildland-colour 2 by Keith Brame | Make Your Own Book

monochrome book

2011-06-17T13:52:00.000+01:00

I have put together a small book of some of the black-and-white landscapes and portraits taken while travelling round the country for the John Muir Trust. It is a personal selection of some of the places visited and some of the people I met.
I will also put together a colour selection shortly.

WildLand by Keith Brame | Make Your Own Book

Whitewell, Cairngorms

2011-04-04T21:59:00.000+01:00

A tracery of delicate birch branches, leafless as spring approaches, with the high summits of the Cairngorms - Braeriach, Carn Elrig and the trench of the Lairig Ghru glowing intensely in the afternoon sunlight. This is Whitewell, at the head of long Glen Einich, the start of many a long plod.
There is time to think while waiting for such light, or when you're engaged on a long plod. I have been asked by Stills gallery in Edinburgh (http://www.stills.org/) to take part in their evening lecture programme on some of the ideas underpinning photography, and so I will be putting together some of the thoughts about photography and the environment that I've been reflecting upon while I plod or wait for the light.
I'm sure my talk will be very interesting, and in no way a long plod.

WOW!

2011-02-04T16:19:00.000Z

I've been chatting to Gordon at WOW-Scotland. He runs a walking holiday company in Inverness and we've been talking about the possibility of running photographic trips. Visiting him in Inverness, we took a trip to an icy Glen Affric, which I haven't visited for years. And he also gave me a few good hints about some fine locations and hills around Glen Feshie, including some of the Cairngorm 'foothills' that I tend to go galumphing past without noticing on the way to the higher tops. In particular Creag Mhigeachaidh gave a fantastic view of a cloud sea over Glen Feshie and Creag Ghiuthsachan.

Sun set on Wild Land

2011-02-04T16:00:00.000Z

The Wild Land photography project has been on the go for two years, and there are around 500 new photographs sitting on the Photoshelter site, being put to good use by the John Muir Trust to promote their work.

There's no decision as yet whether the project will continue beyond this point. It would be good to maintain some form of photographic relationship with the Trust. Having a look through some of the work produced, I came upon a few more images from North Harris, hidden down the back of my virtual sofa.

I will continue to post some pictures in my usual punctual manner at regular intervals...

Vogrie, John Muir Award

2010-11-05T10:11:00.000Z

I visited Vogrie Park by Dalkeith in golden autumnal light to spend a bit of time with a young group from the Green Team and the John Muir Award.
The Award is the educational initiative of the John Muir Trust, and It 'encourages awareness and responsibility for the natural environment, in a spirit of fun, adventure and exploration.'
While I was there, the group were working with the Vogrie rangers to clear ponds, repair paths, paint woodwork and play various environmental exploration games.
Over 100 000 people have taken part in the JMA scheme. That's 100,000 people who have risen to the four challenges of discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing a wild place, from mountain summit to garden.

Autumn post

2010-10-22T11:07:00.000+01:00

I have neglected this blog a bit recently. These pictures and tales from my photographic trips were given a good reception from a large turnout of members from the Dundee Photographic Society who have a strong guest list of visiting speakers including Peter Cairns, Richard Childs and Thomas Joshua Cooper. I haven't addressed a photographic society before, and I was pleased that Dundee was the first because that was where I started out, working for DC Thomsons newspapers.
A selection of prints has also been on display at a group photography exhibition in Edinburgh, at Amber Arts. It continues until November 6 and was the subject of an interesting review in the Spectator.
And of course, I have been out shooting too, making further visits to Quinag and Assynt, exploring the possibilities of the panoramic format; and one or two visits to Nevis for some low autumnal light.

Quinag, finally...

2010-08-02T21:35:00.000+01:00

...I say "finally" because I have visited the area to photograph the Quinag mountain range in Sutherland on a few occasions and frequently not even been able to see it. This is a problem for a photographer. Often the nearby summits of Suilven and even Ben Mor Assynt are clear, but Quinag is smothered by a bruising cloud. Not this time though, and because of its complex terrain, it has a dramatically different appearance from the different approaches.
I think it is worth further exploration, but here are a couple of samples from my recent visit; from the north of Loch Unapool at dawn, and from the south by Loch Assynt during a fiery sunset.
Here's what the John Muir Trust have to say about it:

"Quinag is in fact a series of peaks rather than a single mountain, the highest of which is 808m. The estate stretches south to include the northern half of beautiful Loch Assynt, the ownership of which is shared with the Assynt Foundation reaching almost as north as Loch a Chairn Bhain (over which the Kylesku Bridge crosses). From the Bridge travelling south, Quinag presents a most formidable sight with its two huge buttresses of Sàil Gharbh and Sàil Ghorm (Rough Heel and Blue Heel) dominating the skyline in what is one of the most awe inspiring mountain landscapes in Scotland.The mountain has supreme wild land character and is the northernmost of a series of individualistic and stunning mountains lying amid a myriad of lochs and lochans in one of the wildest and most beautiful parts of Scotland."

Hobby pictures

2010-07-07T22:23:00.000+01:00

These are what I would call 'hobby' pictures, taken for the pleasure of it, without any particular concern for publication requirements. Usually when I'm out shooting, I'll load some black-and-white film into the bigger camera and shoot for pleasure.
Working with colour can be a passive experience, because you can have little influence or control over the colour and light qualities of the day. So the 'passive' experience involves you going to out-of-the-way places at anti-social hours in the hope that something good occurs.
Black-and-white work on the other hand, allows you to control and create a bit more, because you're dealing with tone and composition. As a result you can often produce something good, even when the light isn't great.
The waterfall is called 'Eas Mor' and is on Skye. It's one of those classic views that I've been meaning to get a decent picture of for ages; Clachtoll, the split rock is on the Assynt coast. Loch Assynt, with Quinag emerging from the mists is where I'm heading in a day or two to explore one or two viewpoints that I have in mind.
Boats may be involved...

Blaven

2010-06-08T22:16:00.000+01:00

Passing through Skye on the way south I made I quick visit to Blaven to see if it was putting on a show.
It was.

My departure was delayed. Interesting to notice that the two pictures have a different colour quality. One is digital, the other is a fairly saturated negative film. Neither is more accurate than the other, just different. It's one of the things that makes photography interesting.

Hebrides6 - North Harris

2010-06-02T21:54:00.000+01:00

After a few nights camping, and a bivvy in Gleann Ulladail I was not feeling especially spruce. As I left the Gleann I got a call from Kenny Mackay, inviting me round to his croft in Reinigeadal. I apologised for my scruffy, vagabond state, and he replied, "well, come and have a cup of tea with a scruffy crofter then." So that seemed alright.
I had wanted to visit Reinigeadal after reading a poem by Ian Stephen about the power supply, written just a few years ago when the village still had no road to it:

"Isolation is the thing,
not so splendid as it seems
to visitors who choose their day."

The book of poetry, 'Malin, Hebrides, Minches' (Dangaroo Press) was illustrated with photographs by Sam Maynard and was quite an influence on me. And why not write poems about power cables?

"If I'd been raised in buttercup fields
maybe you'd get a scented song.
If classical myths had opened to me
perhaps I could raise a voice
from out a pillared form.

But I come from Western Isle
and do not sing but speak
on words that are the breeze
of harbour and moor
and corner of street."

Kenny took me for a short stroll along part of the 'postman's walk', a six mile path over the hill to Urgha. It has been repaired by the North Harris Trust as a robust recreational trail, but until 1990 it was the only way in to the village, other than by boat.

As you might expect when walking with someone who knows the land so well, there is a story round each bend. In fact, even the bend has a story.

"The path-builders were paid by the yard, so sometimes they didn't take the most direct route." The path looped round, and we took a shorter route to Gearraidh Lotaigear, an abandoned settlement, complete with shop. The village had been inhabited, until the 1950s, by the MacLennans who had previously been cleared from more fertile land across Loch Seaforth. Kenny pointed out the 'lazy beds', the strips of seaweed-ferilised raised beds that people strenuously created to eek out productivity for crops.

"Those are the most heart-breaking things. To think, they had to start all over again from scratch because they had to leave the land they had already cultivated."

Sitting in the remains of the MacLennans old shop, the history of forced depopulation is palpable - more like a memory rather than history.

In James Hunter's book, 'On The Other Side of Sorrow' (Mainstream) the author looks to Gaelic poetry to indicate a Highland environmental awareness and appreciation. He quotes the Raasay poet, Sorley MacLean as saying that such scenes of depopulation nearly drove him mad.

Given this history, or memory, the taking of the land into community ownership and "by taking responsibility for the land we have become masters of our own destiny" looks to me to be a quiet and softly spoken revolution.

Sorley MacLean's poem, Hallaig, in its hallucinatory language, sees the re-population of such places:

"...and the girls in silent bands

go to Clachan as in the beginning,

and return from Clachan

from Suisinish and the land of the living;

each one young and high-stepping,

without the heartbreak of the tale."

Kenny sat on the wall of the old shop. Looked thoughtful for a few moments and then said,

"Want to buy some socks? Gloves? Harris tweed? Lots in stock!"

Hebrides5 - North Harris

2010-05-26T20:56:00.000+01:00

Huisinis on the western edge of the North Harris estate, my temporary home during the visit to the island. The 62,000 acres was taken into community ownership by the 800 or so residents in 2003, with some assistance from the John Muir Trust. According to the North Harris Trust's website,
"It is the most mountainous region in the Western Isles and includes the famous Sron Ulladail overhang and the highest hill Clisham (2622ft) - both a great attraction to visitors whom we wish to welcome. Internationally recognised for its wildlife, the rugged upland and oceanic habitats provide a haven for several rare species including the spectacular golden eagle.
Much of the natural heritage is dependent on active management of land and its present quality is testament to the relationship that has existed between the land and the crofters who work it.
By taking responsibility for the land we have become masters of our own destiny, creating a vibrant, modern community that prizes its Gaelic language, way of life and rich cultural and natural heritage."

A film making team from Triple Echo, who make BBC Scotland's Adventure Show, were visiting Sron Ulladail in preparation for a live broadcast in August when climbers Dave McLeod and Tim Emmet will be attempting a new route on the crag.

One of the main concerns was how to avoid disturbing the nesting eagles which are already in residence on the crag, in an area which has the highest eagle density in Europe. Robin Reid, the Trust's ranger and eagle expert, was on hand to advise. The 15-strong film crew did exactly as they were told. I think the collective noun for a group of film people must be a 'hubbub', and at its centre, quite still and unassuming was Dave McLeod, the climber. He was happy enough to sneak away for a few minutes to shoot some pictures.

Hebrides4 - North Harris

2010-05-25T22:48:00.000+01:00

Gleann Uladail is a powerful place. You might expect it to be, with a name that means wolf head. I think it is necessary, from time to time, to go alone and spend the night in places like this to photograph last and first light. You might call it a total immersion approach and the atmosphere and ambience is completely absorbing.
You have to walk a bit to get there, wherever you decide "there" is, because you can keep walking northwards through an unpopulated wild landscape for a very very long way.
In my case, "there" was beside Loch Uladail, where the map suggested I would find a good vantage point for Sron Uladail, an awe-inspiring 300m rock face which would take the side lighting of dawn.
So I approach this with some respect, partly for the eagles that I know are nesting and that I don't want to disturb, and partly because a night out alone is not always easy either physically or psychologically. So respect seems right, especially towards that huge rock face, that has a real sense of presence.
For several days a cold northerly wind has been blowing constantly. As I pass by the Sron and explore the loch shore, there is a rock fall off the face. There is no danger, but the sound is absolutely like an animal's roar, with deep reverberating bass notes.
And with that assertive gesture complete, and my respect guaranteed,the wind drops completely, the water on the loch turns to glass, the sun goes down, and a stillness and absolute silence dominates the night. There is no sound at all, except the hint of something musical just beyond earshot.
I sleep deeply, and wake up just before dawn.
Photographs complete, the sky clouds over and the wind picks up to blow me back south, the way I had come.

It was an extraordinary experience.

Hebrides3

2010-05-03T22:31:00.000+01:00

To Galson in north Lewis next by ferry from Uig on Skye to Tarbert. For a visiting photographer the most obviously compelling places to visit are on the western coastline, with huge beaches, cataclysmic Atlantic surf, infinite skies, intense light and space.

I spent some time alone, exploring the coastline, camping discreetly on the machair, photographing the sun going down and then coming back up, watching Orcas, and generally contemplating infinite things.

The Lewis poet Derick Thomson (Ruaraidh MacThomais) expressed the feeling:

Probably there’s no other sky in the world
that makes it so easy for people
to look in on eternity;
you don’t need philosophy
where you can make do with binoculars.

Deciding that I had spent more time than was strictly necessary beholding the infinite, I took to the road...

...which didn't really help. And this wasn't even the longest or straightest section. East of the road was miles of peatland.

Intriguing to me were the large numbers of shielings, or peat-cutters' huts, which are still used here, unlike other parts of Scotland. Galson, which was described to me as the 'most densely populated rural area in Europe', is community owned and managed by the Galson Estate Trust.

I like this description of the place - "The Galson area's way of life is about the intricate interaction between a crofting lifestyle, a panoramic landscape and a diverse natural environment. The area boasts fantastic coastal scenery and white sands; large Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas; a variety of flora and fauna including golden eagles, fulmars and gannets; excellent sea and fresh water fishing; and, most importantly, a kindly, 'down-to-earth' community that works together to bring about a better future for themselves and future generations."

Something of the community's values can be discerned in the appointment of a wildlife ranger, Julie Sievewright and a 'power-down' officer, Kirsty McLennan as employees.

Kirsty did Business Studies at Stornoway and then Paisley on the mainland, living in Glasgow, before returning to Callanish, a decision that surprised some of her friends. One of the major problems of such communities is the loss of young people because of the lack of work. So encouraging people to return, and encouraging people who are able to fit into the crofting lifestyle and bring fresh ideas must be a priority.

I assume that's where the llamas come in.

One of the visually striking things (apart from alpacas), is the way the population is sandwiched between the Atlantic seaboard and the peat moor, crofting settlements straggling along the road. Attention seems not to be fixed on the sea views, as it might be elsewhere, but on the crofting strips that run in long regular rows. I increasingly think of a landscape as something to be read, or to be interpreted; and some landscapes have an almost ready-made language that we have become accustomed to. Being new to this particular place, I am not familiar with the language of its land and really the way to access it is through the people who have a link with it.

Julie, the ranger, had mentioned that historically people had no especial affinity with the sea, but had been moved to the coasts and away from the more productive land as part of the process of the Clearances. Much of the land however, including the peat moors and the shielings, is populated with stories, a heritage that is taken seriously here. So perhaps it could be described as a landscape of imagination or memory.

Carolla Bell, who came to Lewis 30 odd years ago, is able now to observe changes in land use.

"The changes are slow and go largely unnoticed - fewer people cutting peats, fewer people growing their own food - until new people come in and notice it."

One of the projects of the Galson Trust is to encourage people to 'get growing' and to create a market for the produce.

"Community ownership may not change that much - the previous owner wasn't obstructive. The change may be imaginary - but no less powerful for all that. It can change the mental landscape, as people start to think - it is ours, what will we do...?"

land and people - Hebrides2

2010-04-26T15:57:00.000+01:00

Being a tourist for a bit, I visited the 'Fairy Pools' at Allt Coir a' Mhadaidh, under the Cuillin Ridge. Kate Rew, who has popularised 'wild swimming' (which I used to know as just swimming) has a video about the place here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waG_VdGRLv4

Ally MacPherson is the land manager on Skye, and appeared on TV with Cameron McNeish when he was making a film about walking the length of the island. He also helped introduce me to the majority of the people in these photographs. He lives not too far away, in a quieter part of the island than the road to Elgol, which is itself so spectacularly scenic that it is a bit of a honeypot. It is such a scenic location, Elgol and Torrin, that I was a little surprised to find much of a Gaelic speaking crofting community left. Ally described himself as 'a crofter to the back teeth', and his father and grandfather used to keep sheep around the Blaven slopes. "You don't really keep sheep to make much money, you do it because it is in the blood, because your father and grandfather did it, and it helps to keep the language alive."

One of the skills that Hector Nicolson, from Sconser, keeps alive is dry stane dyking. I found him, eventually, at Morvich near Kintail on the mainland. He has run dyking courses for John Muir Trust groups in the past, as well as providing camping space for volunteers. The group that he was working with today contained a mix of accents, professions and ages, including three generations of one family - but all men. One said to me, "It is a very gentle process, everyone working together to the same end, quietly, like a murmer." I should make it clear that the section of dyke that Hector is leaning against in the photograph has not been repaired yet - he was quite clear about that.

Land and people - Hebrides

2010-04-26T15:06:00.000+01:00

Here's an idyllic scene, Loch Coruisk at the heart of the Cuillins on a perfectly clear spring day; blue skies and snow on the summits. It isn't a sight I see all that often; usually the weather and the light can be a bit more challenging, which is why my pictures can be described often as moody or atmospheric. On a fortnight's photographic tour, you usually get a bit of everything, sunshine and showers.

On this trip I was keen to balance the landscape pictures which tend to have an emphasis on unpopulated and pristine natural beauty. This is one view, and a beguiling one, but not the only story to be told about such environments. The John Muir Trust owns land on which several crofting communities live, and the organisation also has partnership arrangements with the communities of North Harris and Galson, amongst others. On this short journey my aim was to give a sense of these environments, and the wide range of people who you might meet there.

Coruisk and Loch Scavaig is one of the most dramatic scenes in the United Kingdom, even on a calm spring day. I visit often, sometimes taking the lazy way in with the holiday makers on the Bella Jane or the Misty Isle; on this visit I was also able to see it from the point of view of Ruaridh from Torrin and Gordon from Elgol as they harvested prawns, which make their way to restaurants in London and Spain. "There's a good living to be made from prawns if you know what you're doing," according to Gordon. However it was suggested to me later that good prawn numbers may indicate otherwise poor fish stocks. Ruaridh was a butcher, and still keeps cattle on his Torrin croft, but started prawn fishing four years ago - "The best decision I could have taken." As Gordon circles the boat, Ruaridh fires out the baited creels, and both fire out insults at each other. I was a guest, so I was immune, and Ruaridh took great care that I didn't get tangled in the lines and pulled over board. That would have ruined my day.

Gordon's father, Ian Mackinnon, manages the Strathaird Farm which is also owned by the Trust. I met him briefly on a very wet day, feeding the cattle. He was reminiscing a little about Ian Anderson, the Jethro Tull band leader who put a lot of his money into the estate before eventually selling it to the Trust. "On stage he was like a demented chicken, but he was a very shrewd business man." He also pointed out that one of the farm buildings was a church. "The minister gathered everybody into the church to meet the sheriff, who evicted everybody from the land."

One of the books I had with me on this trip was Ian Mitchell's Isles of the West (published by Birlinn), a journey through areas of the Hebrides owned by conservation organisations. Ian Mackinnon is quoted in that book; I'll paraphrase, "The indigenous population thinks differently from the population on the outskirts of London or anywhere in the world. The thinking is different...People have their roots on the land here. If you look back in the records, it is all the same names. That has been the role of crofting, keeping people on the land."

Ian was a little less reflective than that the next time I saw him - beasting about on a quad bike like a big kid. He was one of a squad of people roped in by Ally MacPherson the Trust's land manager on Skye, to help with the Camasunary beach clean-up. Earlier in the week a team of volunteers, coordinated by Sandy Maxwell, had collected piles of rubbish from the Camasunary beach, which had to be removed by boat - a more delicate operation than expected.

Hebridean journey

2010-04-23T22:47:00.000+01:00

I have just got back from a Hebridean trip to Skye, North Harris and Lewis. As well as photographing some of the Trust's estates on Skye, I visited community-owned and ruggedly beautiful areas covered by the North Harris Trust and Galson Trust in north Lewis - places that I have not had the privilege of visiting until now.
In addition to shooting wild landscape pictures, I took some time to pay visits to some of the people who live, work and play in these areas: climbers, crofters, fishermen, farmers, film crews...
Here are one or two tasters.

Laig Bay, Eigg

2010-03-28T22:20:00.000+01:00

During my short visit to Eigg it became very clear that visiting photographers were really not much of a novelty; many photojournalists have covered the buy-out and broadcasters and newspapers have been following the island's activities ever since. I understand a BBC crew were visiting the week before me. I can imagine this must get a little trying for a relatively small community to be under such scrutiny, and explains why (I'm sure) some people scarpered pretty sharpish whenever I hoved into view on my bike.
Eigg also acts as a magnet for landscape photographers, and some of the most celebrated have made their way, primarily, to Laig Bay. It has magnificent views to the Cuillin mountains on Rum, ever changing light, and ever changing patterns in the beach as the tide washes it. The sand is a mix of white shell fragments and quartz and black basalt, creating striking textural effects.
This is one of the classic scenes of Scotland, where photographers must make pictures or risk being blackballed by the photographic community for breaking ranks. In other locations I have actually had to queue to create my own particular picture of an untouched landscape.
For me, this is like having a go at playing a well-loved favourite tune: someone else wrote it, you maybe aren't producing anything unique or original, but the results can be lovely and it is a very enjoyable way of spending some time.
Especially when you have the beach to yourself.

Eigg-Island going green

2010-03-20T15:33:00.000Z

I paid a short visit to Eigg to meet one or two of the people who are working to make their island a source of inspiration. It was bought out by the 90 or so inhabitants in 1997, after long years of mismanagement and neglect by owners who treated it as some sort of plaything. From that fresh start, they have decided to develop the island in as green and energy efficient a manner as possible, using combinations of solar, wind and hydro power.
They are using their experience as an example to encourage other 'islands', or small communities to follow suit.
There are a couple of good websites about Eigg's green adventure: http://islandsgoinggreen.org/about/
and
http://www.isleofeigg.net
as well as the John Muir Trust's 'Energy without costing the earth' blog:
http://jmtcommunities.blogspot.com/

Sailing from Mallaig on the CalMac ferry, I was met at the newly-built jetty by Maggie Fyffe who is the secretary of the Eigg Heritage Trust. She pointed out that the roll-on-roll-off jetty, which I had taken for granted, was only built in 2004. I photographed Maggie on the jetty with the Sgurr of Eigg in the background.
After I had invited myself for coffee in An Laimhrig, the building which houses the new tearoom, shop and Trust office, I was introduced to a few of the islanders. It seems that if you are looking for someone, then hanging about An Laimhrig when the ferry comes in is the best way of finding them. I had planned to see Bob and Nora, who are re-fashioning the stately Lodge building into an environmental sustainability centre called Earth Connections. They were hard to miss, trundling down the hill in an old electric milk float. The float, although ageing elegantly, can be charged up from the renewable electricity supply, and electric vehicles are one of the ways that islanders would like to reduce their fuel consumption.
I photographed Nora with the float and bike, two very energy efficient forms of transport.
Visitors can't bring cars onto the island, so I cycled up to Cuagach and Cleadale towards the north of the island. It's only about four miles of pleasant cycling.
After a diversion to Laig beach with its classic views to the mountains of Rum, and after knocking on a variety of wrong doors, I eventually invited myself in for tea with Dean and Berni McCoy and their young daughter Maisie. Dean had been kayaking along the coast, came to a party on Eigg and didn't leave. I'm not sure if it was the island or Berni that he fell in love with - probably both. Dean's working with the forestry team to develop the forestry plantations, which have little commercial value, as a source of woodfuel.
One of his colleagues in this venture is Neil, who runs a croft at Cleadale with Sue who has swapped secondary teaching in Edinburgh for primary teaching on Eigg. They also run the campsite and rent out caravans and bothies for visitors like myself, keep a few cattle and a very tidy croft.
I stayed in their caravan, was woken by their cockerel, and after inviting myself in for coffee (is there a pattern?) took a few photographs of Sue in the back garden, and Neil up the hill with the cattle.
I had to leave unfortunately, to catch the ferry back to the mainland. The ferry is very much a lifeline, allowing transport for the islanders, bringing in supplies and the visitors who are so important to the island economy. On my way back I bumped into Martin, whose path I had been crossing during the trip. He was in a reflective mood after his visit to the island, inspired by his friend Carl's roundhouse design, and wondering if perhaps he should have stayed a little longer, maybe gone over to Rum, contemplating what other paths life might offer...
Eigg seems to have that effect on people.

Steall stalking

2010-02-28T21:41:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the the day with one of the Trust's Wild Land Rangers on the estate in Glen Nevis. I have been out stalking with Ally last year on Schiehallion, but despite his perfectly reasonable dislike of being photographed, he seemed content to have me along again. This was the end of the hind stalking season, and Ally's last outing in Glen Nevis before moving to another job.

Controlling the deer population to allow regeneration of woodland and plant life is one of the central aims of the Trust's stewardship of its lands. This is something that distinguishes the organisation from many of the traditional landowners, who maintain estates as sporting grounds for deer or grouse.

The traditional sporting estate has been the model for the past couple of hundred years or so, giving us the 'deer forest' - that strange and confusing forest-with-no-trees that appears on OS maps. It isn't so confusing when you remember that the word forest originally referred to tracts of land set aside for game, for regal pleasure.

To my mind, the Trust's aim of reducing deer numbers to sustainable numbers, and to encourage woodland re-growth with minimal human intervention, such as fencing, is quite a radical idea. It certainly encourages lively and spirited debate, as can be seen in the pages of the Oban Times. ("Lively and spirited" is a euphemism by the way.)

The development of land for sport coincided with the development of painting pictures of wild landscapes. Horatio McCulloch's paintings are a good example, and these quite romantic views have an enduring appeal that influences the way many people come to understand wild landscapes.

When people like me photograph landscapes like Glen Nevis, we can't really help the fact that we are being influenced by painters like McCulloch - it's part of the culture.

So it was interesting for me to walk with Ally in Glen Giubhsachan and on Meall Cumhann; places that I have photographed as wild and empty, and to see them from a different perspective.

Landscape pictures have been described as politically conservative because they present the scene as natural. But it takes only a brief acquaintance with organisations like the John Muir Trust to realise that the idea of 'natural' is debatable, that the existence of wild places is not guaranteed and that their value is contested.
So landscapes, and 'pretty views' can be as political as you want to make them.

Glenlyon wood fuel

2010-02-21T22:01:00.000Z

I met forester Tom Beels at Innerwick in Glenlyon. He broke his ankle a little while ago, and while recuperating, he started to wonder why most of the people of the Glen were heating themselves with oil when there was so much timber lying about. He now has the job of pushing forward the Glenlyon Woodfuel Initiative which is being funded by the Climate Challenge Fund.
The Glen, like much of Scotland, has its share of commercial forestry plantations which are now uneconomic to fell and harvest; many trees having already been felled but are not being extracted. The funding is to look into the viability of using this as a local source of fuel.
"Lowering household use of heating oil is very probably the single most effective way of reducing carbon emissions in Glenlyon."
"Our project is in a chicken and egg situation. To succeed, we need people in the glen to buy the wood fuel; and for them to install the equipment needed, they must know that we can guarantee a supply. We're surrounded by timber, so you would think that it might be possible. We have to start somewhere."
The Times Online ran a colourful piece on the project. Tom also writes a blog on the woodfuel project here: http://www.glenlyonwoodfuel.blogspot.com/
As well as the economics of fuel and forestry, Tom knows the history of the glen and the human history of the woods. I photographed him in a beautiful avenue of beech trees, planted to protect horses and carriages passing along the way. They were planted by one of the glen's Jacobites on return from exile after the failed uprising in 1715.

Hind stalking, Glen Nevis

2010-02-19T00:26:00.000Z

The end of the hind stalking season on Nevis estate. I will add a bit more detail and a couple more pictures shortly. Thanks to Ally for having me tagging along once again.

Portraits

2010-02-16T20:46:00.000Z

I photographed the last day of the hind stalking season at Glen Nevis recently, on film. Now I am waiting for the films to come back from the lab. While I'm twiddling my thumbs impatiently I thought I would post some portraits from an earlier project, as a change from pine trees.
These were taken for the John Muir Award, which is the educational initiative of the John Muir Trust. All of these people have played a significant role with the Award, or have in their work and life embodied the ideas of the Award - Discovering, Exploring, Conserving and Sharing wild places and natural environments. Their stories can be found in the portraits section of my website, or you can visit the John Muir Award website.
I am in the process of setting up visits to some of the Trust's partner communities to photograph the people who are working towards creating sustainable ways of living. These pictures are taken in the same style that I hope to be working in - a little posed (or arranged), lit with some care, and photographed outdoors in a suitable environment. Some of the time I may have to travel light and so will use much simpler techniques and equipment; perhaps a small camera and a light reflector.
I'm posting these here to give a bit of guidance as to what to expect if you invite me along to photograph your projects.
I hope it helps.

Meeting the staff

2010-02-03T21:57:00.000Z

On Friday I visited the Trust's Pitlochry office to meet some of the staff and to discuss some ideas for developing the photography project. During the visit we took some time to do a few pictures by Loch Faskally. Stuart Brooks, the chief exec, looks quite relaxed; I have to say it was an extremely cold day, with a biting wind and blizzards not far away. So I think everyone was very tolerant of me for suggesting to do the shoot outside.
A couple of bits of news worth mentioning - the educational 'wing' of the Trust, The John Muir Award have just presented their 100,000th certificate ; Ben Nevis needs your vote as a worthy eco-project, and a campaign has been launched to protect the UK's remaining areas of wild land.

And I have a special photographic request from Stuart - peat bogs. Can't wait.

Priorities for 2010

2010-01-25T20:09:00.000Z

There may be slightly fewer trees and a few more people featured in the coming year. In a magazine article about the project, the writer initially thought that nobody had ever set foot in the places shown in the photographs.
Wild they may be, and photographers are always emphasising the unspoiled view, but wilderness they are not.
Over the coming months I expect to be meeting some of the people who live in these areas, and in particular I will be showing the efforts of communities in some remote areas, both on Trust areas and beyond, to create environmentally sustainable ways of living.
Places like Eigg, for example, whose efforts are rippling out across the country to encourage and inspire others.

I think I'll probably shoot a few trees, rivers and mountains too.

Winter birch, Schiehallion

2010-01-18T16:19:00.000Z

The most famous views of Schiehallion are from the west, like this one from the shore of Loch Rannoch. The elegant tracery of birch branches are one of the pleasures of winter and the birch trees in this area are especially striking. Once again, I have Chinese landscape paintings in my mind when I take these pictures.

The Trust maintains the eastern side of the mountain, and Gleann Mor was my destination earlier in the week. I disturbed over a hundred deer low down, but I had already passed the ranger on his way out, so didn't ruin his shoot.

The snow was still very deep, and I floundered about for a few hours; got nowhere near my planned destination. I shot a couple of rolls of black-and-white film (old-fashioned stuff) and then flopped and flailed back again just before dark.

Funny sort of a day.

Meall Cumhann

2010-01-10T19:41:00.000Z

Looking up Glen Nevis, pine trees and rock outcrops stand out against the dramatic backdrop of Meall Cumhann. This view always brings to my mind Chinese painting, especially in the stark chalk-and-charcoal effect of the snow plastered mountain. Meall Cumhann dominates the view up the glen, although it is a relatively small hill, and if you are climbing the Mamores or the Aonachs, you soon look down on it from above.

New Year

2010-01-05T20:02:00.000Z

For the first shoot of 2010 we visited Glen Nevis, returning to a favourite location that I have photographed several times now. A stand of pines overlooks the Glen, giving a viewpoint to the slopes of Ben Nevis and Meall Cumhann. The sun was just going down, giving a long, slow alpenglow.

Christmas Day-Schiehallion

2009-12-26T00:01:00.000Z

Happy Christmas. Here's Schiehallion looking perfect today, from the shore of Loch Rannoch.

I'm pleased to say that the John Muir Trust have agreed to continue this 'Wild Land' photography project into 2010. My New Year resolution will be be to update this blog on a more regular basis...

Knoydart-at last...

2009-11-02T15:48:00.000Z

Some things are worth waiting for, and I've been waiting to get to Knoydart for some time. The Trust has property, its first acquisition in fact, on the north facing slopes and corries of Ladher Bheinn mountain in the inaccessible 'rough bounds' of Knoydart.
In the spring I visited the area by boat - the only way there is by foot or boat - and I was rained on all day. Didn't see a thing. My next attempt by boat was even less successful, as I missed the boat. This is a recurring habit of mine, and not limited to boats. I'm not picky, and am equally adept at missing planes and buses.
This time we took the scenic walk-in along the fjord-like Loch Hourn, camping en route, and spending three nights in the area. The walk in takes around three hours, or much more if you're a photographer, because it's glorious all the way.
It was a relief and very satisfying to finally manage to photograph Ladher Bheinn, especially as the light began to mould itself around the mountain. Eventually I put the camera away and thought to myself, "Now, let's climb it."

And so we did.

TGO feature

2009-08-29T11:21:00.000+01:00

TGO magazine is due to publish a spread of pictures from the 'Wild Land' photography project in the October edition, which is due on the shelves next week.

And I'm in the process of framing up a few pictures for the Colony of Artists show next weekend - 5 and 6 September. Viewing pictures online is fine, but magazines, books and prints is better.

The View From 2050

2009-08-27T09:31:00.000+01:00

Last year, in its role of promoting informed debate on public policy issues, The David Hume Institute produced a report: ‘Reducing carbon emissions – the view from 2050’. It asked a variety of authors to ‘imagineer’ themselves into the year 2050.

The John Muir Trust, as a membership organisation that conserves, campaigns, and inspires people to care for wild places, is inviting contributions to the discussion, with particular interest in the role that our natural environment – and our relationship with it - will have in this journey towards 2050. How do landscapes contribute to emission reductions? What’s the significance of biodiversity in this dynamic? And what of our own relationships with

Scotland

’s nature and wild places – how much will our behaviour, attitudes and values change over the next 40 years?

A series of web pages has been created at http://www.jmt.org/2050.asp. These are populated by contributions received to this discussion, along with a range of related articles, quotes and snippets.

James Lovelock visited the Edinburgh Book Festival to discuss his recent book, 'The Vanishing Face of Gaia.'

Gaia is the theory of the Earth as a self-regulating organism; a radical theory when he first articulated it 30 years ago, but which is now generally accepted. His view from 2050 is gloomy, likening our present moment to the run up to war. An audience with James Lovelock is a disconcerting mixture of optimism, humanity and apocalypse, as can be seen in this interview with The Observer's Euan Ferguson.

Sheep innoculation

2009-08-14T22:27:00.000+01:00

I bumped into Cathel, the Trust's Conservation Manager at Sandwood, who was working with his friend John, ear-tagging lambs and innoculating them against Bluetongue, a virus carried by midges. (It doesn't effect people.)The talk at the fank was of Brussels bureaucracy, which I suspect is not a novel subject for discussion, and the Shucksmith report on Crofting reform, which has been met with considerable hostility. "The founding director of the Scottish Crofters Union has warned that a traditional way of life in the Western Highlands and Islands will be lost within two generations" according to the Times.Tilley, Cathel's collie, kept close watch on the lambs during the discussion. I think she doesn't really care for politics.

I took a few 'snaps' of Don, the Trust's Ranger at Sandwood during a brisk, wet walk. I'm not fast enough to match his pace, shoot and follow his many trains of thought at the same time. If I'm to do some 'proper' pictures, I will have to find a way to get him to stay still for a moment or two.

Of course I also shot some landscape pictures, but they are mostly on big film. They look OK, but need to be scanned before I can put anything up here. Give it a day or two.

The talk at the fank was of Brussels bureaucracy, which I suspect is not a novel subject for discussion, and the Shucksmith report on Crofting reform, which has been met with considerable hostility.

"Th

Sheigra and Oldshoremore flora

2009-08-14T19:25:00.000+01:00

I have had another trip to the north west, spending most of the time on the coast and exploring the very perfect bays and rocky headlands around Sheigra and Oldshoremore. I had elaborate plans for wide ranging travel over to Lewis and Harris, but very quickly realised that I was going to stay put. This is a good thing - when photography is going well you generally find yourself focussing closer and closer, and narrowing your field of vision. Not rushing off somewhere else.

So I photographed a lot of flowers - pearlwort, vetch, roseroot, melancholy thistle, eyebright, sea pinks, marram grass...

Just a drop in the ocean really; this area is especially abundant in flora because of the fertility of the sand-dune pasture - the machair. It is unique to the north west and the Hebrides, and the area at the back of the dunes between Sheigra and Oldshoremore is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the calcium rich machair, and the flora and bird life it supports.

Speaking of oceans - I felt it necessary to swim in the bays every day. You can call it research.

Exhibition - September 5th and 6th

2009-08-04T14:21:00.000+01:00

There are a lot of people in my neighbourhood, the Abbeyhill Colonies in Edinburgh who are visual artists, either professionally or in their spare time. Each year we open our doors over a weekend and show some of our work. This is going to take place on September 5th and 6th, between 1pm and 5pm.

I will be showing a selection of the pictures taken for the John Muir Trust over the past year, and have just collected the prints from the lab - http://www.amimage.co.uk/

Details of the event can be found here

If that clever piece of technology didn't work, let me know and I'll email you a programme.

If people are coming to the show I might even put the hoover round.

Sandwood Bay and flora

2009-07-20T13:12:00.000+01:00

There was a strong onshore wind blowing at Sandwood, causing an impressive display of breaking waves. I don't generally think of many Scottish landscapes as tranquil, although they are frequently described so. Sandwood was particularly invigorating in the gale, and the high waves often blocked the sun as it went down, while the incoming tide was keen to give me a bit of a soaking. This is the first time I have managed to get to Sandwood in a good light, and I experienced a few moments of euphoria when I remembered how much I actually enjoy being a photographer.

Sandwood Bay and Quinag

2009-07-20T12:52:00.000+01:00

I have recently returned from a long overdue visit to the Trust's lands in Sutherland - Sandwood Bay and the mountain Quinag. These areas are a little harder for me to get to, and the weather in the north west can be very challenging for photography. On previous attempts to photograph Quinag it was completely covered in cloud, and Sandwood Bay was a reduced to whirling sandstorm.

This time, the light was on my side most of the time and I enjoyed some glorious sunrises over the mountain and a windswept bivvy at Sandwood.

Because the sky barely darkens at this time of year, it is possible (imperative even) to still be shooting until midnight, and then again before 4am. After a few days of this, my brain was getting a bit scrambled and I began to pray for grey skies and rain, so I could get some sleep.

I am in the process of setting up galleries at PhotoShelter.

http://pa.photoshelter.com/user/brame

You will be able to view some of the more pictorial work from the project and it will also be possible to order prints. Clients, like the Trust, will be able to download high resolution files for publication.

Mountain flora

2009-06-08T18:15:00.000+01:00

Still wandering off the path a little, we spent the weekend exploring Bidean nam Bian, a complex collection of mountains, ridges and corries in Glencoe. On Sunday we made particularly slow, but stately progress up into the corries below Stob Coire nam Beith which was putting on a good show of mountain flora: saxifrages of many kinds, alpine ladies mantle, bluebells, tormentil, and a particular favourite of mine, dwarf cornel.

Straying from the brief

2009-06-03T21:38:00.000+01:00

I'm always nagging at my students to stick to the brief. My brief here is to photograph John Muir Trust estates. What, then, is a photograph of the Cairngorms doing here? The Trust don't have any land in the Cairngorms. It's here because I like the Cairngorms, and this is my blog. So there.

This is taken near Ryvoan bothy near Glenmore Lodge at dawn (of course), in light that only lasted a few minutes. Very intense, and the sort of vibrant colour that could get very addictive.

Ryvoan is on the edge of Abernethy forest, which we cycled through. I hadn't really appreciated the size and extent of these woods (always being a little bit focussed on the higher summits), and I think that they can justifiably be described as wild land.

Abrupt change of scale

2009-05-05T23:17:00.000+01:00

While shooting some close-ups in Glen Nevis I also started to have a look at the pine woods on the south side of the river. These examples are by the gorge, but the wood climbs quite high among crags and is worth longer exploration. The day was a series of squalls, but as is often the case in such weather, the light between hail showers could be very clear and intense, although very briefly so. At times the foreground seemed to glow against the stormy sky.

Close-up work

2009-05-04T13:45:00.000+01:00

I haven't done very much close-up or macro photography in the past, but this project is a good justification for giving it a go. Last weekend's visit to Glen Nevis to see the volunteers learning about monitoring techniques helped refresh my memory of some of the spring flowers such as wood sorrel and wood anemone which don't flower for long.

I was planning to photograph anemones, but its name in almost any language refers to wind, so a blustery, windy, squally day was not going to be the best day to do it.

Instead I photographed some wood sorrel in more sheltered places, and some rowan saplings by the river. I was also experimenting with flash a little as waiting for ideal light does get a bit frustrating.

I decided to stop using flash though because a rescue helicopter was searching and I didn't want my flashes to distract them in any way. Rescue helicopters are a common enough sight around Ben Nevis, and I always hope that they are just exercising, but this seems to have been real unfortunately.

Volunteers

2009-04-27T15:55:00.000+01:00

The Trust has an army of volunteers who give up their spare time to come out in all weathers to give something back. Coordinated by Sandy Maxwell, they plant trees, maintain footpaths, remove rubbish, and on my visits they were burning brash - which I have made look much more dramatic than in reality. They don't really stand on the fires. And in Glen Nevis, scientific officer Mike Daniels along with Sandy, was introducing volunteers to techniques for sapling and blanket bog monitoring.

Bothering people

2009-04-27T14:55:00.000+01:00

Photographers of landscapes go to incredible lengths to create pictures with rich colours, vivid light and very frequently, no hint of human habitation. You might say that this is a conscious decision as it certainly requires an active choice to turn away from signs of human life and towards the mountains, lochs and trees. It has become almost instinctive - the automatic mode for viewing landscape.

Some photographers do the opposite, and use the camera to celebrate people as well as the scenery. I'm thinking of photographers like Paul Strand, Gus Wylie and John Charity.

So during my short visit to Skye and Knoydart I took a little time out from my hectic timetable of, well, wandering about, to go bothering people: Mary from Drinan was out in the rain with her extended family cutting peats; John was picking whelks on the shore of Loch Slapin beneath a cloudy Blaven; and Billy McKenzie was ferrying the John Muir Trust staff over to Knoydart with a boat load of saplings. Special mention should be made of Willie who was also present in a small boat crammed with people, saplings and tools yet still managed to avoid my camera. Quite an achievement.

The Trust lands on Skye in particular include several crofting communities. Given the opportunity I would like to take more photographs in this style, working with the people whose home is on the John Muir Trust's wild land.

Wild land

2009-04-22T23:03:00.000+01:00

I think of the area around the watershed between Glen Sligachan and Strath na Creitheach as being in the heart of the Trust's 'Wild Land'. It takes a bit of effort to get to, it is fantastically dramatic and it rewards exploration. We spent a lot of time contouring and crossing bealachs, rather than summiting much, and had a fine day contouring round under Sgurr nan Gillean to Harta Corrie and the Bloody Stone, over to Coruisk by Loch a Choire Riabhach and out by Camasunary.

I spent some time alone in the rain by the twin Lochan Dubha (by choice - I hadn't upset anyone) watching Ruadh Stac live up to its name; and I experienced a very subtle dawn at Loch an Athain watching fat trout jump and disturbing a fox and a heron while light began to play on the Pinnacle Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean.

I think this approach shows the influence of speaking to the Trust's rangers who were staying in the Trust's cottage. When I said that we were planning to go Sgurr nan Gillean, Ally looked a little surprised: "All the way to the top?" He made it sound all a little bit unnecessary.

Easter shoot - Skye

2009-04-22T22:04:00.000+01:00

I have recently returned from a trip to Skye to carry on exploring the Trust estates there. My main conclusion is that landscape photography really is a time-consuming business, especially if you're looking for colour. While it is true that the freshest and most intense light is to be found just after sunrise, it is also true that the light following rain squalls can also be very dramatic and unexpected. The downside to this is that you may have to spend a long time having water poured on your head, in the hope that the light might appear for you. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't.

Here are a few samples from the trip. More will follow...

Wind blasted

2009-03-31T22:04:00.000+01:00

Most of the trees on top of Craig Varr seemed to have fallen down, or are just about to. They make wonderful wind sculpted shapes though which seem to suit a stark black and white treatment.

Schiehallion from Craig Varr

2009-03-31T21:15:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I had planned to catch up with the Trust's work party maintaining the Schiehallion mountain path. I missed them. Instead I had a look up Glen More with its many waterfalls and shielings and at the end of the day went up Craig Varr for a fine viewpoint. This is a crag overlooking Kinloch Rannoch village and catches the evening sun from the west on the birch and pines, framing a still-wintry mountain. I expect that it would make an equally good location for sunrise, and I should think I'll be sleeping out on the top quite soon...

winter stalking

2009-02-18T21:20:00.000Z

I did a black and white treatment of one of the stalking series of pictures. On the way off the hill I hung back a little to take a wider of view of Ally as he walked through the landscape, dragging the beast behind him. Wider views are important in documentary style shoots as they set the scene, giving some context and visual variety.

The monochrome treatment makes it even more stark and wintry. Not much comfort and cosiness here is there? Don, one of the rangers I met while I was on Skye, asked if my main interest photographically was 'scenery.' Interesting choice of words, I thought. But no, scenery isn't my only concern, although I do think that images like this have a beauty about them. (If that's not being immodest!) It makes me think of paintings by Breughel -

So this type of shot, especially when it is printed on Hahnemuehle matt paper, with its inky blacks and cold whites, makes a refreshing balance to the colourful landscapes.

Hind stalking

2009-02-13T22:34:00.000Z

I've spent the morning with Ally Macaskill, the ranger on East Schiehallion, photographing the end of the hind stalking season. The hard winter is keeping the animals low down, and wary, but it didn't take Ally very long to locate them and bring down one of the hinds. After gralloching it on the hill and dragging it a mile or so back to the vehicle, he commented that Schiehallion is fairly easy compared to Nevis, where everything has to be carried out along the gorge.

As the pictures show - it doesn't look that easy.

For any photographers reading this: the portraits were taken using a wireless flash with a fetching white umbrella. I didn't use flash during the stalking, for obvious reasons.

Many thanks to Ally for making it possible, and for posing.

Waterslide

2009-02-06T18:22:00.000Z

Another frame from Coire Giubhsachan waterslides in arctic winter light. Using Velvia slide film enhances the colours quite a bit. The sky was more neutral to grey in reality, but the film tends to warm this up quite a lot. Nobody really uses Velvia to create realistic colour. I'm impressed by the Mamiya rangefinder's wide angle lens, which is very crisp indeed. I was concerned when the sun shone from the side, as this can often cause flare and internal reflections in many lenses, but there was none at all.

Glen Giubhsachan again

2009-02-06T01:34:00.000Z

Allt Coire Giubhsachan, shot on Sunday. This is mainly for Mike and Sam to have a look at - I shot a few uprights for possible use in the Journal. You can pull this off the website for drafts.

This is a medium format film, much better for use on a cover than cropping a 35mm scan. Some more to follow...

Brushing with colour

2009-01-16T23:30:00.000Z

There is a sculptural pine tree on the way from upper Glen Nevis to Steall meadow. I've passed it often enough, but it's awkward to photograph because you are so close that it is difficult to show its shape.

I used a 5x4 field camera with a very wide lens here. This type of camera produces film at 5 inches by 4 inches and so records fantastic amounts of texture and detail. It also slows you down because it is so big, takes about half an hour to arrange it before you're ready to shoot, and you need to hide under a black cloth to see the viewing screen which is upside down and not all that clear anyway. This is where the term 'pre-visualising' applies - you can't really see much, so you have to imagine it.

I've been teaching Photoshop evening classes and we've been looking at adding colour to pictures. Painting colour onto pictures is frequently the first thing people want to do, but as a 'purist' photographer, it's one of the last things that I want to do. So I've been dabbling with creating a hand-coloured look to a monochrome image, using colours sampled from photographs of the same type of scene.

It's quite nice I think. Perhaps.

I still prefer the original though.

Allt Coire Giubhais

2009-01-14T21:50:00.000Z

Fir Corrie Burn, which falls into Glen Giubhsachan and then into Steall and Glen Nevis. Coire Giubhas is a very scenic, quiet, back door onto Ben Nevis, or onto the high mountains of Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag. The upper reaches of Glen Giubhsachan forms a high saddle between the two mountain masses, and the burn creates a sculptural path over rocky water slides, elegant meanders and waterfalls. The name Giubhas - fir, gives an indication as to how wooded this area has been in the past, but is not now. Landscape photographers, like myself, and painters often celebrate the timelessness of wild environments. The place names give clues that current appearances are not permanent.

Scanned pictures

2009-01-09T22:56:00.000Z

I have been scanning some pictures taken on film on some of the Trust's lands. This was taken in Glen Nevis, in the Steall meadow by the famous waterfall. It was taken in spring, when we had some good weekends of very fresh light. I used a slow shutter speed to record the refreshing movement in the leaves and branches in the breeze - not that slow though - about 1/30 sec. The camera was a medium format, loaded with black-and-white film, and a green filter meant that the green foliage was recorded as a light tone.

This was scanned at Stills Gallery in Edinburgh, using their Hasselblad scanner.

Given time I'd like to make some traditional, crafted darkroom prints from negatives like this, which was why I took them in the first place.

Camasunary, Skye

2009-01-09T22:44:00.000Z

Shot on New Year's Day, on the way to Sgurr Na Stri, the hill just across the bay. This was taken on film, and a very colour saturated film it is. It's Fuji Velvia, which is well known for its very warm tone, and the camera had a polarising filter that further enriched the colour.

We had a slightly late start, it being New Year, and some distance to go on such a short day, so we didn't really stop until we got to the top of the hill; pausing only to negotiate a river crossing.

I probably wouldn't have stopped to shoot this with my bigger cameras, buried in my rucsack. But having a small 35mm camera with a good lens and richly saturated film film clipped to me, I was able to shoot very quickly without delaying too much.

Final morning - Glen Sligachan

2009-01-04T17:09:00.000Z

I was keen to get a few more shots before reluctantly leaving, and was hoping for some pictures of the sun rising behind Marsco. Cloud cover suggested that this wouldn't happen, but perhaps the cloud would take on some of the red of the sunrise?

No, as it happened, but the River Sligachan was partially frozen and there was plenty of detail in the sky. Glen Sligachan this morning looked wild and dramatic to me...

Thanks to the JMT rangers Don and Lester for hospitality, venison and whisky, and Alasdair for sorting somewhere for me to stay. I hope to be back up later in January or early February to photograph some stalking.

In the meantime I'll be scanning some negatives and transparencies to add to the collection.

Climbing Blaven

2009-01-04T16:38:00.000Z

We climbed Blaven by its long South Ridge. I had hoped to shoot along Loch Creitheach at early light, but the dawn didn't really arrive with much of a fanfare. So after a bit of a diversion and carrying a little too much photographic equipment we plodded up the ridge, which is about 1000m straight up from sea level.

The sun hid most of the time, but came out occasionally, so most of the pictures from today were on the Ricoh compact 35mm and need to be processed and scanned. The couple I'm showing here show the view along Glen Sligachan, and also a high lochan on the east shoulder of Blaven.

Loch Sguabaidh

2009-01-04T15:47:00.000Z

I had planned to go up Belig and Garbh-Bheinn to see what could be seen, but we were experiencing one of the possible weather conditions associated with high pressure - gloom and low cloud. Anyway I got distracted by the many shielings near the head of Loch Slapin. I'm assuming they are shielings, but I'm happy to be corrected. I spent some time by the shores of Loch Sguabaidh, home of the mythical beast, a waterhorse that preyed on young women passing by the loch.

As Don, the JMT ranger pointed out, the shore of the loch is also the location of Clach Oscar - Oscar's Stone, thrown by the son of Ossian in the mythology that is shared between Scotland and Ireland.

I would be interested to know the meaning of the names Belig and Sguabaidh.

Photographically, it was gloomy as could be, but unusually for Skye there was no breeze at all and this allowed for careful, clean compositions with the lines of the mountain and the water of the loch.

Climbing Marsco

2009-01-04T15:07:00.000Z

The mountain, Marsco, creates a strong shape when seen from Sligachan. Instead of going into the Glen, which I will explore in more detail later, we went by Allt Coire Bruadaran - the burn of the Corrie of Dreams. Explorations provoked by such intriguing place names and their history, is as interesting and rewarding as standing on, or shooting, summits. Although these pictures are landscapes, I hope they will be photographs of more than scenery.

From Marsco we could see Blaven, the Cuillin, and I was taken by the line of Bealach Na Beiste - the site of the slaying of a mythical beast.

I make a vain attempt to keep equipment to a minimum - one digital SLR, 2 lenses, a walking pole that I can use as a monopod. I also now carry small film camera, a Ricoh GR1. This has a very good wide-angle lens, some useful exposure controls, and I load it with Fuji Velvia film. I can use it quite quickly without too much faff - although that is relative.

Blaven at dawn

2009-01-04T14:35:00.000Z

The mountains of Blaven and Clach Glas, seen from across Loch Slapin at sunrise. This is one of the most well-known, iconic views on Skye and I think it is essential for the Trust to have pictures like this in their library. The light at dawn is perfect, and this shows the mountain just before dawn, with the shot on the main title page taken as the sun strikes the mountain. This is what I might term, a 'road-side classic'. It is surprising how many of the most famous views in Scotland are taken just a few metres from the road. Once I had to queue behind several members of a camera club before I could produce my own 'wilderness' photograph. We are perhaps influenced by the remark by Brett Weston, that anything more than 100 metres from the car just isn't photogenic. Being so close to the road meant that I could also shoot on medium and 35 mm format film, as well as the digital versions here. Normally I don't have such luxury.

The high pressure weather system gave very settled conditions, with some very fine days like this.

Later in the day we travelled round to Glen Sligachen to shoot towards Marsco as the sun went down.

1st shoot

2009-01-04T12:19:00.000Z

New Year's Day 2009 on the summit of Sgurr na Stri on Skye, looking into Loch Coruisk is as good a way to bring in a new year as I can think of. This is part of the Strathaird Estate, managed by the John Muir Trust who have asked me to photograph their estates over the course of the year. This puts me in the very privileged position of creating 'inspiring landscape' pictures of some of the most beautiful and wild locations in the country - Strathaird, Sconser and Torrin on Skye, Ben Nevis, Sandwood Bay and Quinag in Sutherland, Schiehallion, and Coire Dhorrcail in Knoydart.In addition I will also be photographing the work by staff and volunteers who care for the Trust's estates, and perhaps I will also have the opportunity to work with some of the people who live on the land.To keep interested people informed of how the project is progressing, I'll post a few pictures and updates as I go, with a little discussion of some of the photographic decisions and techniques involved.For more detailed information about the John Muir Trust, follow the link at the foot of the page.