Spending much of my time, since i returned from South Korea, exploring the North East of scotland, i find my photography stretched to new levels as im limited, without travelling to the West Coast, to find huge stunning mountains. This has been a great lesson for me in itself, as i try to rediscover a new part of myself and to find new ways to show you the beauty of this part of the world. A simple path through a young birch forest, in the correct light, can itself, lead to such a wonderfull simple photograph. I like lines and i like winding paths and roads in landscapes, as they seem to resonate with the path i am on myself in this life i have.
For hundreds of years, the hardy Scottish pony has been used in hunting in the Cairngorms National park, to bring back felled Deer and to assist the landowners in various other tasks during the long winter months. These are a hardy bunch of horses, though their spirit is not dulled by the harsh winter wather we have here, but on the contary, they are so full of life and joy and in this photo, they started running around the field as i clicked away snapping their antics. They appraoched me with simple curiosity and a big smile on their faces. There are no fences keeping these horses in one area and i presume, they can wonder anywhere they like.
Remnants of a past life, lived by people in these mountain areas, is everywhere in the shape of old cottages or ruins of houses long since fallen down and left abondoned as the owners fled to villages and towns.
Wild ponies returning from the snowy hills around braemar.
When i look at an old photo, i can remember the feeling i had in that particular moment and in this photo of Loch Muick outside Ballater, i knew it was the turning point between autumn and winter and as i walked around the whole of the loch, i couldnt see the image i wanted to make to show this change. It was on the second half of the Loch, as i returned to the car, that i turned around and saw this dark stormy image, with the final colour on the little tree, left hanging in the balance, waiting for the wind to sweep along and clear out the old, bringing the hibernation of the tree and the start of the long dark winter months. I returned two days later when the sky was clear, but the wind had done its job and the trees were bare. I am a lone photographer and i am on most days, the only person that sees what i see and i feel gratefull that i have a love for both walking and photography, and that i can show you perhaps a little of what it felt like on a stormy wet windy day, just before the seasons change.
On a clear day, the beauty of Loch Muick, is there for all to see, though they must climb the paths to the mountains above. In among the trees below, you will see the widows cottage, where Queen Victoria built a house with her husband Albert. When he died, she could no longer bare to go there and it lies empty and sad at the end of the Loch.
Further West and over the mountains at Braemar, lies the Spittal of Glenshee and to walk here on a quiet winters morning, is to to be as close to heaven as perhaps you can get on this planet. There was no wind this morning and as i walked into a place i'd never walked before, the sky began to turn purple, pink and then red, i struggled to get to a location from which i wanted to show what i felt. I saw these three trees, with the path leading through the valley and i felt the calmness i always feel when i get the compositon right in my minds eye. Photography is easy when you can feel what you see and the mere operation of the camera, is of no hinderance to me, as i neither think of what im doing, nor have to concentrate as this is as near to perfect meditation as i can get.
When i explore an area, i either do so on feet, or on occasions, when i need to travel further, i take my mountain bike. I never have a plan on where im going, but sometimes i come across an area that just makes me stop and stare. These water falls at Glen Muick, are such a sight and as difficult as they are to photograph, i tried for almost an hour to capture that shot that made me feel content. This one of the salmon ladder, just reminds me of the colour of whiskey and i was surely tempted to drop down and suck on that fabulous coloured water.
If you've ever been to the west coast of Scotland, then chances are you went to Applecross. If you did,then you'd have travelled this road, either up from down there or down to there from up here. It is one of scotlands most spectacular roads to drive over.
The cutest cow you can find, comes out of scotland and is a big hairy beast with huge horns.
One snowy day out at loch Muick, i watched from the distance as two guys dragged what looked like canoes across the snowy ground. It was only when they got nearer, that i relaised that it was two canoes and they were heading towards the Loch to do some paddling about.I thought i was mad being out witha 15kg rucksack containing my camera gear, but seems there are madder people around.
The run off river from Loch Muick during a cold February morning
If your down Loch Muick area early in the morning, there are dozens of Deer down near the Loch, but apon daylight, they head back up the mountains
Just a differant view across to Dunnottar Castle, as its very tiring looking at the same view from almost evry single photographer that goes there
The coastline around the north east of scotland, can be very colourfull on even the dullest of days
The use of drones expands every day, untill soon, we will have to have a licence to use them, but for now, im allowed to fly freely across the moors of Glen Muick near Ballater
A dark dismal morning out in Loch Muick is still a wonderfull place to be
A lone walker heads up to the heights of Lochnagar
Sometimes sitting in a restaurant in Edinburgh in winter, you can just imagine your somewhere else
I walked this path for a few miles into the mountain looking for images, but the best i could find was this small burn
One day i drove 1 hour from my house to Spittal of glenshee and walked into the darkness into an unknown valley. The sunrise was as you see below, but following the rules of photography was hard as nothing to show scale here, except the meandering river
A cold cold morning down the spittal of glenshee
One of the beauties of being a lone landscape photographer, is seeing the sights and see and knowing no one else ever sees them, unless i show them my photos
Far into glen tannar estater near Aboyne in aberdeenshire is teh gamekeepers cottage
One of the boat houses on Loch Muick
Glas-allt-Shiel is a lodge on the Balmoral estate by the shore of Loch Muick In aberdeenshire. In its present form it was built in 1868 by Queen Victoria who called it Glassalt, to be what she called her "widow's house" where she could escape from the world following the death of her husband Albert. "Glas-allt-Shiel has undoubtedly one of the most spectacular situations of any lodge in the Highlands."
