Project

A new project is formulating in my mind - We Walk Through Empty Glens

its title is coming from the line in a favourite Runrig song

the impetous behind this project is that there still remains evidence of the glens pre-clearances in an area not far from my home. I want to document it before it slips away. The ruins are quite humbling, in that the more remote they are the more preserved they tend to be. The landlords and overseers may have torched the roofs of these dwellings but they were built of sound stone and fine construction and much of them still remains in the more remote glens.

I want to capture them, and the impressions of the lost lives and spirits within them while the evidence remains there. Every year the weather takes it toll and tourists are venturing into the remoter glens often taking little souveneirs of their visits and this is also taking it toll on these ancient dwellings.

Many, particularly those close to villages and town, have been robbed out. The stone removed, and reused in slightly more modern building but the remote ones are left to crumble slowly. There is one I especially want to get to that I have only briefly looked at which still has the picture frames on the wall, the pots in the fireplace and a broken chair and table at one wall. This has stood, complete like this, since the clearances dessimated the glen. Its a fine walk in - about 5 hours from the nearest car parking point (and you have to do the same back). I guess that's why so much of it remains. I have only once glimpsed it. There are four cottages in the glen. The condition gets better the further into it you go, but its boggy and has no paths. Its little used, even by the sheep, that ousted the original occupants of the glens.

Here you walk with one foot in the past and hear the voices echo through time to you of those displaced and lost to their homeland. Here you really feel the full force of the sentiment behind Runrigs most excellent song. And though you walk through empty glens you can feel the people returning, the desire to make Scotland great again.

I feel it, I hear it, and I'm only 1/4 Scot.

Jan

Rain, rain, glorious rain

Well, not so glorious but its all we've had all week!

We now have two forecasts for the local area - one says rain and gales and the other says sunny and bright with slight winds and the occassional shower possibly falling as snow. Since they totally contradict eachother all bets are off.

I have now booked into another Chris Weston workshop to further enhance my knowledge of photographing Tundra mammals in snow conditions etc. This is for February the week before we fly down to the Birmingham NEC for Focus 2008.

I'm hoping for some improved weather this weekend as I am still trying to get another seal shoot in before we loose all the light completely.

I'll let you know if and how I get on.

Hello & Welcome

Hi

Welcome to my blog. In addition to updating the News & Features of my website I am going to be posting a blog whenever I can. The blog will be more personal - with tales from my photographic enterprises, commissions etc as well as offering hints and tips to other photographers.

After all digital is new, relatively, and although I jumped ship very early (like when digital cameras were the same price as a terraced house) I still learn things that make pictures betters and/or life easier every time I pick up a camera/work on the computer/talk to other photographers - in fact pretty much everyday.

The weather has been really terrible up here on the north east coast of scotland (where I live). I live here funnily enough because of the weather. Now, that sounds a bit arse about face but Scotland is now the only part of the British Isles to really experience seasons. As a wildlife and landscape photographer I want seasons. I like snow, and cold frosts from the point of view of the landscape. I love the light we have up here - although in winter we get so few hours of it! Even that has its advantages - you know that the best time to take photos is usually the two hours after dawn and two before dusk? Well, in winter that means 8.30ish-10.30ish and then 2.00ish-4.ooish. Beats a southern sunrise at 3am handsdown! I get more sleep for starters and in winter the light never really gets bad so long as it got good in the first place.

Of course, this week, it didn't get good. It just got grey, and then we got wet. It rained almost non-stop for three days at the start of the week, then it hailed, then it snowed, then it rained some more.

You can't even photograph sealife when the weather is this bad. IF you can get a boat out then you'll be hard pushed to find the dolphins or the even the seals and IF you do then you'll probably find they are concentrating on feeding and not their usual playfull selves.

I like to watch, and photograph, the seals that come assure about 10 minutes from where I live but having watched them over the last two years I know that they don't come assure when its raining. I think this is because they don't like the rain hitting their faces and especially their eyes. They tend to squint for a couple of minutes at most when its raining before making there way back into the water. They often stick close to shore and even rest on their backs floating as a way to rest but they won't sit on the rocks if the rain comes down.

They don't pup near me so they have no reason to stay ashore. At the moment the numbers close to me are reduced as the females have gone to their normal spot to have their young.

I have to agree with them that here is not a good place as people have little respect for them and often get far to close and let their children run about the rocks near them. I wouldn't want to raise my young here either if I was a seal.

I am waiting for the time when some kid falls on the rocks (which are pitted, covered in seaweeds and lichens and full of rock pools), breaks their ankles and then we all get pushed further back and taking photos becomes ever harder due to the idiot behaviour of some family (invariably tourists).

Oh, well, enough of my musings for today. Welcome again to my blog.

Jan