Just now the books are empty. I haven’t had any work this week thus far, and to be honest… this far into the week… I suspect we are looking at a complete blank.
Why is this?
I suspect that the early Easter and the perpetual winter are a good chunk of the problem. The weather started to pick up earlier in the month but has turned decidedly more wintery again, combine that with the schools finishing up for the holidays a week today and I think people are just hanging on for a bit. I don’t suspect to see much for the next 3 weeks if this is the case, perhaps it will pick up a wee bit should the weather suddenly remember that we have now changed seasons, but the main bulk of work is more liable to appear after schools go back.
So what am I doing with this free time? Today I have a poorly child so I am mostly making sure he is okay, but I am also planning some stuff. I currently have my panel to finish for the BIPP so that should probably take priority once Angus returns to school (they only do a half day Friday’s anyway so I get precious little time to really go and hunt out likely subject and good light then). Then I have my “quiet” project - this is just a little challenge I set myself to submit at least one photo each month to the Outdoor Photography “If You Only Do One Thing This Month” series. Which has been going great… except this month they want a mountain photograph and as I have mentioned before - mountains, much as I love them, are not currently on the agenda! So I need a way to achieve this goal!
Fortunately I have been putting some hours in on the indoor bike since January and my fitness is improving, even if my weight is making no progress anywhere despite dieting along side the extra burn. This would no doubt surprise the useless doctor who failed to listen to a word I said when the insurance company sent me to see him in Aberdeen last year… but it is what I have experienced in the past. I gain muscle mass very quickly, once I start training I rapidly gain strength in the areas needed, which happens faster than the fat burns off, so my weight either stays the same or increases… up to a certain point. Once I hit this point (which I have no idea of where it is) the weight just falls off - I have done it a couple of times and know this to be the case, I just hope that 15 years after the last conscious push to get in shape it works again! How this feeds in to the current mountain challenge then… well I can’t walk up hills so well due to various ongoing injuries and disabilities - but I can cycle… and one of my big loves in life is mountain biking, something I haven’t done in ages as I struggle to bring the big muscles and core into play due to the spinal injury… but those big muscle groups don’t really get challenged on an eBike as that takes a lot of the shock loading away!
Now… the roof bars are ordered to carry the bike on the car, the shed needs clearing out (which was going to be today’s job but now other things are prioritised over such things) so that bikes can be stored and charged safely so all that remains is finding some likely targets! I don’t need to get to the summits either, so I can just get into mountain country and that opens up many possibilities! I only have 4 weeks or so to accomplish this, so the game is afoot!
Which then brings me on to “Project 3” which is something that I have been mulling for quite some time and I think I want to combine it with both these other projects and perhaps other subject matter too. I am seeing a LOT of YouTube content at the moment from photographers making some pretty bold claims. They usually fall into the categories of “pro’s don’t want you to know this”, “this is how you shoot this location”, “this is the gear you need” or some other spurious claim. I get it, making people feel like you are a gatekeeper to secret knowledge sells, making people watch as you wax lyrically about the latest and greatest kit sells… but it is all absolute horse crap. So my plan is to basically run a series of videos to debunk all this, to show how using relatively affordable kit (which I shoot with commercially) you can achieve as good or better than the YouTubers. My “secrets” are very much open and I will quite happily share how I go about creating and crafting my work. There is process, there is knowledge and there is experience. This is going to involve a bit of a learning curve on my behalf as I really get to grips with video work, but it’s another marketable skill so why not!
For the rest of today then I will be pouring over maps, spotting likely subject matter - using old maps, photographs and Google Earth to narrow down my selection and then devising a strategy for the shoot!
Onwards… ever onwards we go!
Broke... but Commended! /
As we slowly crawl towards the end of another financial year I can look back and see some success!
Yes - my first entry into the British Institute of Professional Photography’s annual showcase came up “Commended”. I may have missed out on the medals in this round, but for a first entry against the cream of the professional crop to even get a mention is pretty good going! Particularly as I am entering shots taken within that month rather than hunting through the archives!
Why? I think it’s because I like to challenge myself to constantly “do better” perhaps? I honestly don’t know why I tend to make everything harder on myself!
Anyway, last year was a complete wash out as the tax man showed me recently and this year is… well… I may have made some money this time around after Year 1 and Year 2 recording losses. This is par for the course with a new business venture though and I am now gunning for 24-25 being my “emerging” year! On which note the groundworks which comprise Phase 1 of the hut development are now complete and I can start scratching my head and thinking about what comes next! I have some serious form filling and application submitting to do for this stage as it is going to draw the attention of building control, then it is the water and power to arrange before hopefully getting the hut order in! Once they are in then we need to tidy up the site ready to start marketing!
There may just be light at the end of this very long tunnel!
Phase Two /
Today we broke ground on Phase Two of the business.
The digger came in, the fence came down and a new access into the field was created along with a good portion of the new track which will eventually allow the formation of the huts site! Whilst it isn’t the first works on this project (that being the passing place that went in last autumn) it is the first part on the site itself! This is all quite exciting as it means that we are slowly inching towards being open and allowing the development of the workshops
We have quite some way to go and the site is probably going to be chipped away at over several weeks or more so that once the huts are ordered and built they are able to be dropped straight into their final positions and hooked up. This marks the start of the first part of that puzzle though as once the road is in and the field drainage sorted out we can determine final positions of everything, work on the foul drainage and fresh water supply, get electricity ordered from SSEN and actually order the first pair of huts!
We popped in to see the hut builders yesterday since we were passing and they are developing a double hut which sounds very interesting and may be something that we look to for Hut 4! There are two reasons for going XXL - firstly it would allow us to provide a family size hut rather than just couple size units, and secondly it would allow enough space to put in accessible features which would make this unit dual purpose as a family and disabled friendly accommodation unit. Once all the huts are in then we get to focus on the structures up top and the nice add-ons that we are considering (hot tubs, saunas, plunge pools etc) to make the site ever more special!
It really is a 5 year plan with potential additional development beyond that time frame just now as we strive to make something really special here in the Highlands!
Gallery Sales Suspended /
I am not happy with the gallery sales section of the website for a whole host of reasons! Partially because it was disorganised (I was testing a service provider and the integration just wasn’t working for me how I had hoped), partially the prices - the supplier is high end so the prices were HUGE… and partially as it wasn’t targeted well and I was struggling to put my best work up on it.
So I have shelved it briefly whilst I have something of a rethink.
I am currently starting to supply some work to the US market through a US based sales platform, it hasn’t got much on it as yet but I want to build that. There is a strong fine art photography market in the States which we don’t seem to replicate to the same extent here so this is something which I am actively exploring. They do ship globally but I am not sure it is my long term partner as yet as I am not sure on their print quality.
So - the gallery is gone for now but with an intention of bringing it back! If and when I have the funds available I plan on doing some very limited runs of prints myself and selling them either direct from the site, via Etsy or… if I can sort it out… via an actual “bricks and mortar” art gallery!
Anyway, hectic day today where everything went wrong followed by a long meeting for the RNLI so now I am going to chill for a wee while before heading to bed. I have all sorts of ideas, plans and projects waiting for me to actually formulate the idea into something more cohesive and then find time to execute it and, as a result, it feels like pressure building in my skull!!!!
We shall prevail though. I hope!
Prices are in.... /
So we have prices in for the groundworks on the new hut site! This is hugely exciting as once we have the huts it really opens up the possibility of some fantastic workshop events which we will be able to offer at some very interesting prices!
I am, and always have been, a bit too much of a hippy and I love the idea of offering photography holidays to people that just can’t afford those offered by many of my friends. They really are not cheap! This is largely because they have to hire in accommodation providers where ever they go, because very few of them live and work in the Highlands! From our base in Drumnadrochit we can cover pretty much the whole of the Highland region, along with much of Skye, as trips out from our central base. Because we will own the accommodation we can discount the price quite substantially, we also have a nice minibus on hand so that is another thing that doesn’t need hired! We will go the self-catering route (there is a good shop in the village, there are a couple of eateries too and large supermarkets in Inverness and Dingwall) as that, again, reduces our overheads. My aim is to try and offer a week for £1000 or less per person. We will be keeping group size small and may be able to offer discounts for couples too or accommodate “non photography” guests.
Things are still very up in the air so that is about as much detail as I can currently provide, but watch this space!
It's Been a Few Weeks! /
Things have been pretty busy over February.
We have been discussing the groundworks for the huts with a couple of contractors and so that looks like it is about ready to be put in motion once the weather improves and I have started providing the photography for a local estate agent on a direct basis rather than through an agency - the estate agent in question is (from accounts from their competitor who uses a photography agency for their photographs) only being held back by the quality of the images they were putting out. They were somewhat concerned that I was going to be working direct - because this will seriously increase their presence and marketability! What’s more my direct work is in an entirely different ballpark to my agency work because the rates via agencies are so low that it just isn’t viable to spend that much time on a job - my hourly rate covers between 45 minutes and an hour for the full job for them, but 3 hours for direct! Whilst the shoot doesn’t take any longer (well, quicker as I am not having to produce floorplans and VR Tours) I can shoot full HDR or Flambient depending on the character of the property and then hand edit everything back at base.
I also got my first commercial roof survey under my belt a week or so ago and am looking into ways to grow that side of the business as drones offer a huge potential cost saving in that kind of work. There seems to be a need for surveys on wind turbines too so that is something else to investigate in the next couple of weeks.
It will take a few more weeks to really get the process in place, but things are starting to look much better for the 24-25 financial year, particularly if I can build on this current momentum!
RNLI stuff is also ramping up, I have a wee bit more training to do and then probably run a couple of shouts under supervision before going for Pass Out to be a fully fledged Launch Authority! It is a lot of responsibility I have to say - and is a full on management position too, which is new to me - I have managed systems before but never facilities or people in my work life. It is an exciting challenge and I am just hoping that I can make enough space for it in my busy life to make a meaningful contribution to the team (which will get easier to achieve as the boys all get older and more independent obviously!)
How is it February! /
Last month was a pretty good one - not much work coming in admittedly, but some serious progress was made elsewhere that should point to a rosier future!
The main driver for this was the starting of a new relationship with a local estate agent, we are running some trials next week to see how it goes, but I am pretty confident that we can make it work well. My property work is already award winning and, I think, improving all the time and I am offering top level work at incredibly reasonable prices as I try and build my profile. The problem with agency work is that they take the glory and you are a pretty much nameless entity no matter how good the output! This starts to put my name out more and that can only be a good thing!
I also made some progress towards the fine art side of things, which is something I need to do a whole lot more on. Amazingly I managed to find a couple of domain names that hadn’t been snapped up which may tie in very well - even more so if a potential regional change occurs in the coming weeks - so I don’t want to go into it too much at present.
So what have I got on my to-do list still?
Chasing up ground works and a main contractor for the huts is foremost on the list, I had planned to get onto that this week but other events took over!
Setting up a new business account for the huts
Ordering electrical connections and looking into water and waste
Ordering the huts!
Getting this lot rolling will help us move towards that project starting to be productive and feeds back into my photography work by opening up the guiding/workshop business following my concept of keeping a simple offering at a price more open to more people than is the norm.
On the more specifically photographic side of things…..
Build the new website - the idea is to have a landscape and nature gallery with a potential twist or two - and open up the sales channels for photographs.
Potentially look at an exhibition, this may be a way off as yet though as I have a few more hurdles to clear first.
Get on with my BIPP project!!! I have about a third of it in place, but I need to do more… and really I need to get on with it soon!
Look into local stockists for prints - potentially consider makers markets/art markets etc too.
So this is my “work” 2024 plan, loads to get on with this year that will - hopefully - set the scene for 2025 onwards! I want this year to be transformative rather than more of the same. I have some “me” stuff to work on too, mainly in the realms of physical and mental health… and perhaps finding a way to overcome the imposter syndrome that creeps in and is responsible for my limited video releases (which is another area that I will build this year - both in terms of Instagram Reels and You Tube videos.
It all sounds rather busy!
On a more positive note... /
The last couple of days have been crazy, and not in a good way. But just as I was feeling a wee bit despondent and those old imposter syndrome feelings started to creep in as they often do with us creative types, my lovely neighbour popped down (with my errant cat who was off on her adventures again) from the head of the glen. Along with my cat she had a screen grab from no lesser place than “The Times”, and to be more precise, it was from the Property Section.
Which is pretty high end stuff inhabited by the super successful who can breathe such rarified air!
This is what caught her eye.
Yes, that is my photograph… my name… and my business name… all displayed for anyone in the UK to see!
On this occasion I only shot the externals for the lovely Flora Badger, but they came out stunningly well and act as a reminder that I really should get that esoteric lens out the bag more often on property shoots! I stopped using it so much as it is a little tricky to operate and it really does succomb to sun flare like you wouldn’t believe - but when everything falls right it does produce such lovely photographs!
Anyway, this can add in to my marketing materials moving forward!
I am also starting to put together some ideas for a new “fine art” website which will feature print gallery sales and which may help launch me into more of the art market!
Disaster Strikes! /
Another day, another disaster!
Yes - a second rear puncture has befallen the car, not that I could go anywhere anyway in this much snow - but it is an expense that I could have done without at present! My plan had been to manage through this winter then drop a full set of Michelin Cross Climates on the car next autumn, I am not a fan of the stock Bridgestone tyres - I have never got on with the brand anyway - but changing a brand new set seemed extravagant.
But with a second puncture in 5 months they are all going. The fronts are 1/2 worn anyway and doing a terrible job in the snow, the rear Goodyear is actually in really good shape so I may keep those in mind for future, but I can’t put 3 all season tyres on and leave that one as is (the cheaper route would have been 3 Goodyears, but I want better snow performance!)
So tomorrows wee job out in Fort Augustus will either be done in the van or under tyre sealant then in on Monday for a full set of new boots on the offchance that the snow comes back again after this weekends thaw!
2024 /
Here we are, a new year and hopefully a more successful one in terms of generating work, pushing the hut development forward and generally starting to get life moving in the right direction after the years of post-injury and post-covid slump!
So… what is the plan then?
My main focus in the first half of the year is to get the basic foundations really shored up - so I will be pushing the hut development as that is really the key to everything else. This will provide a base income over the main “season” which should help lift the family into a better position to face the future. It also gives me the chance to really start on the workshop business as we will have onsite accommodation, and that is really going to be key to working this part of the business as I want to - my model is intended to be somewhat different to others operating through the Highlands on a couple of fronts… firstly I live here so can constantly develop the course content and take my clients to fresh new locations, secondly I can do all this at a lower price point as I really want it to become more accessible to those on more modest incomes!
For the moment I am going to really work on the photography weekend workshop market - Friday evenings to Sunday afternoons - and we will see how it goes from there.
I also plan on a social media campaign, more video content, building the YouTube side of things (which I keep dabbling at but without any conviction!) so expect a lot more content to come.
Then there are the big projects that have been sitting on the back burner for some time. Those are going to see a lot more attention this year - which will feed in to a couple of personal aims in terms of restoring some of my health and mental health that have both suffered over the last 5 years or so. How will they do this? Well - they involve walking/cycling to get to locations that are off the beaten path! This will also help feed into locations for my workshop clients as I start to uncover some of the more hidden places.
Then we have the commercial photography side of things. I am going to have another big push on that front this year - starting in the next couple of weeks. I have created a new pricing menu for property work that is simplified and my pricing has gone much more aggressive without cutting corners and quality. I want to pick up more direct work this year rather than reliance on agencies who pay low and simply aren’t coming up with viable volumes at present. It’s a useful back up income source, but it won’t provide the main bulk. I will keep working with existing clients too, and they will also get to benefit from the new pricing schedule!
I am also going to try and do more of the things that are way outside my comfort zone in terms of promoting myself, there may be something of a change in my appearance away from looking a bit like a hippy on the cards (don’t expect suited and traditional hair style mind!). Also I will be hunting out any route to promote my work and get it published in as many places as possible. I have been told that I am good by enough people with very, very prominent careers and portfolios the problem is that if only the worlds best photographers get to see my work it isn’t really putting it in front of clients! I am starting to understand what they (yes David… you) have said to me, that I have always been a “photographers photographer”. So 2024 is a profile building year!
Slow Finish /
Things have, quite predictably, quietened down a little as we stumble to the end of the year. The housing market is in deep freeze waiting to see what 2024 will bring, hopefully it will return to life in the early part of the year as this last 12 months has been very poor.
That said, I have plans for the new year that will see me redouble my efforts to get some higher value work coming in, and a couple of my direct clients hopefully will have a good few orders too! The tours and workshops plans are being hurriedly re-jigged to take into account some changes that the new year is bringing with it, and I think it is going to push me more towards weekend working on that front. I was going to put the property work on the back burner but in all honesty it fits in better with the new arrangements than what I had been planning so I think we need to push both property and commercial work to the fore again for the coming months, and with that in mind a new strategy is being developed to roll out from the outset.
This is a tough time of year for me as I continue to be haunted by the events of a decade and a half ago, and in particular some words that were uttered following a deep tragedy (for me) by another person to their mother… words that didn’t just imply guilt, but confirmed it. Yet words that have gone on to mean nothing in the legal process despite being recorded in a statement that very day. The winter solstice should be a time for looking ahead to the future yet that one event always pulls me back into a dark place despite all my attempts to move forward.
But tomorrow is another day. And come the 23rd it is like a veil is lifted from my eyes and I can start to look forward again. The whole of December up until that day is tinged with sorrow, regret, guilt and anger - the last week is about hope, joy and excitement about what is to come.
What else it to come then? Well… I have thoughts! The first chunk of next year is going to be about some self-healing and this is going to take a number of forms. I want to work on my physical health - I can’t do much about the damage to my back or the lingering effects of plasmodia floating around my system for the last 25 years or so, but I can work on other things to help mitigate those problems. Jen bought a very, very nice indoor bike a while ago and I started to use it, then fell off the wagon - so to speak. There will be a wee bit more space from January for me to use it again so I have downloaded a cycling program (beginners level) and I am going to try and stick to that over the remainder of the winter to get a base level of fitness up whilst protecting my injured back region - yet working the other back muscles to start supporting that region of the spine. Being fit and healthy also keeps the old parasitic beasties in check, or at least reduces their impact on my daily life. But more importantly getting fit means I can do more outdoors - walking, cycling… photographing! So this is key to moving forward into a more content-creation area with more output of stills and video! And of course, being outside helps fighting off head weasels and black dogs - it makes me more mentally resilient and it helps me get back to a happier, more chilled, state of mind - better equipped come next December to face the demons and put them back in their box.
But more on all the plans as we start to count down to the year end, or early in the new year!
Finally! /
I have finally… FINALLY… got the paperwork all sorted out for the Civil Aviation Authority and submitted all that for another year’s Operational Authorisation! There were quite a few updates required to my Operations Manual for this year, along with sitting a new exam to upgrade from the old PfCO standard to the new GVC which all prevented me from taking my usual route of sending everything off to a specialist consultant and letting them sort it all for me! I have to say, having done it all myself… that is certainly money well spent!
Now I just have to await a response from the CAA - which will hopefully come in the form of a new certificate to operate at the highest level!
Looking ahead I am wondering if I carry on flying in this manner or whether I cut back to a lesser authorisation and add a smaller drone to my fleet. The current Mavic Mini 3 Pro/Mini 4 options are both “okay” but with the small sensor they are still, basically speaking, flying mobile phone cameras. The Air 3 uprates that to something akin to a high end digicam whilst the Mavic 3, which is my current drone of choice, uprates that to a m4/3 sensor similar to that found in the excellent Olympus OM series cameras and Hassleblad optics! It really is several steps up from the little drones! So at the moment I don’t think I am comfortable with downgrading my more urban work to Mini standards, there will no doubt be a Mini 5 before too long though so I will wait and see what they do in terms of image quality with that one.
The other drone that I REALLY REALLY want is a Splash Drone. I need to find more examples of image quality from one, but I am beyond intrigued by them as they can fly in considerably less favourable conditions being fully waterproof - they can even land on water and film with a submerged camera! The potential of this in terms of creativity and my location is pretty staggering! I am also having thoughts about getting into submersible drones for sub-sea work… but I have a few other things to do before then!
So with the drone side of things (hopefully) wrapped up it is time to start concentrating on the next thing on the “to do” list and put together the first half of next years workshop program! I think I am going to push Orkney back to Autumn purely because I want to be here over the first half of the year to work on the huts programme, so I am going to dominate the early part of the year with day and weekend workshops, as well as a push on 1:1 sessions. This will also fit in better with commitments I have made to the RNLI as I train up to become a Launch Authority for the Loch Ness Lifeboat which is all kicking off in the early part of 2024.
Hopefully I will have some dates in the next week or so for the courses!
Flying Colours! /
Well I passed my GVC Exam with flying colours (no pun intended!) so that is me flying on the highest level of authorisation for another year at least! I am yet to decide my long term strategy, but this gives me a little more breathing space to decide if operating at this level is actually commercially necessary or whether I back down to a simpler A2CofC qualification and run both the Mavic 3 for quality work and a Mini 3/4 for urban operations.
So the rest of this week is going to be spent getting all the paperwork in order and submitted to the CAA so that I am fully authorised to continue after the 12th when my current permission expires (there may be a couple of days when I am “grounded” to some extent - at least as far as complex operations are concerned - but there is nothing scheduled that will cause problems for at present).
The weather over the last few days has been properly seasonal with negative double figure temperatures and thick frost! It has been marvellous! Things warmed up a little today and the frost is now gone for the moment, but I am sure it will be back soon!
My next jobs are chasing hut developments for Jen and getting the dates sorted for at least the first half of 2024 with regards to workshops!
2024 Workshops... Well... Coming Soon (still) /
Yes, I know - I said I would have them up imminently and they are still not here!
To be honest I just had a few things coming in all at once that needed to be prioritised - some commercial work, some wrapping up of jobs and preparing for an exam to upgrade my PfCO drone “licence” to a GVC - which is very much a “like for like” upgrade but gets me onto the current format. And it needs to be done by the year end… and my Operational Authorisation is up for renewal in 2 or 3 weeks anyway… so it has been all hands on deck to get that sorted out!
We have also been working on the huts, which are a key element of the workshop program, particularly later in 2024 and beyond so to some extent I am holding off until I have a little more idea about when what is happening! So I think I will concentrate on the early season for the moment and work on a programme next week to take us up until the start of Summer.
The other big job on at the moment is a total passion project - I am restoring a photograph that hung in my grandparents house on Hoy which my brother had scanned in Melbourne this week and sent to me. The current version I have is my “light touch” restoration which has just taken a lot of the aging out of the print and I hand removed the blemishes, folds and tears before running it through a de-scratch program and then a bit of a sharpen to bring some of the edges back. Then added a little contrast boost so that it is in an “authentic” state.
My next version will have some enhancement - perhaps a little AI monkey work along with some more old school manual adjustments to see if I can squeeze a little more detail out of it… then I may look at colourising it, although I am not sure it has quite enough detail in it to make it work as yet!
Once complete I will get this one printed large, framed and a new copy of this very old photograph can then live on in my home! It is a really special photo to me for two reasons, firstly it was something I spent a lot of time looking at with my Grandad way back when… and secondly this is why I am so obsessed by panoramic photogrpahy! I am now looking at recreating this very scene next time I am in Stromness to compare 100 years or so of development!
An Cruinneachadh /
For quite some time now I have been working with “An Cruinneachadh/The Gathering” - a widely encompassing project blending arts and heritage in the “three glens” area of Glen Garry, Glen Moriston and Fort Augustus.
My role mutated from what was originally intended into running a couple of workshops to engage young people in photography, and specifically of photographing and recording their built heritage. In retrospect this may not have been the best use of me as a resource, but those who came along did enjoy themselves and sometimes these small seeds that are planted grow into something important so, personally, I feel it is way too early to judge what impact my own contribution had. One of the students from the school in particular I have high hopes for, he was something of a disruptive element within the school but really engaged well with what I was trying to show them in terms of photography… but even more so in terms of understanding their local heritage. Beyond this student we had a few others who showed some really great understanding of composition and art who could go on to great things in the visual arts.
It has been a great experience all in all, and I have enjoyed passing on my knowledge and some of the techniques that I use on a daily basis - so much so that I am starting to look more closely at my future plans as I really want to build on the workshop business as well as looking at the education side of things in a slightly different light too.
So now I am in the clear air having wrapped up two big events I had back to back this month I am going to start really thinking about where I am heading in 2024. I know I want to push the workshops so I will start putting together a “proper” program for the year, mainly focussed on Spring and Autumn I think. The huts are progressing very slowly forward too, and these will prove a lynch pin for my future plans as I want to offer residential courses based here at Clunemore at a considerably more accessible price point than many operating in the field. I want to open up the opportunity to those who perhaps don’t have quite the same disposable income of most who come to the Highlands to improve their art to immerse themselves in photography for a few days!
The Trossachs in Autumn - Workshop Day 2 /
So we woke up early on Sunday with a plan of heading to the Loup of Fintry before heading out to Doune Castle and finishing on the shores of the Lake of Menteith.
That was the plan.
But when I was packing the car I noticed that it was clear, there was a touch of mist hanging in the bottom of the Forth Valley and all in all it was shaping up to be an absolute belter of a morning. A new plan was quickly hatched and I decided to relocate the workshop to Loch Ard, I wasn’t sure on anything beyond that - but figured that given the weather simply starting with an idea and seeing how it developed seemed the best plan.
And did it turn out to be the absolute best idea?
Yes… yes it did!
Once everyone arrived and had sustenance from Kev’s apple and cinnamon rolls along with a good slug of life affirming coffee we started to get ready to head out… but first we popped over into the field to take a look up the Forth Valley towards Ben Lomond to capture something of the delicate beauty of the dawn mists.
A perfect morning was unfolding before us, and I reminded the photographers that it was often worth turning around and checking out the scene behind as well as in front.
And since we were on the farm… well… perhaps we should also take some photographs of the residents.
With dawn fast developing we were off to Loch Ard - Kev acting as navigator because it has been a while since I spent a lot of time in the area and I hadn’t really prepared this location ahead of time!
We parked up and set off for a walk around the southern end of the loch, my statement that we weren’t planning on doing much walking that day was looking a touch untrue by this stage! After a few minutes of walking and chatting we came to the outflow of the loch and a small collection of houses and boat houses all enshrouded by a dawn mist. It was utterly beautiful in that painterly and timeless way that you sometimes stumble upon.
We walked past the green boathouse after spending a good bit of time here and the scene just continued to evolve in the most wonderful ways!
This was all fantastic, quite technical, shooting. Yet whilst technical it also allowed a huge degree of artistic impression, choice and expression. This really did push the group quite hard, but in a really exciting way that everyone just thrived with. Equipment often became the deciding influence in how each approached the subject, but whether shooting wide or telephoto there was a captivating scene to be found and shot.
Once we had exhausted the possibilities we retraced our steps back to the main track and set off around the loch, stopping regularly when something caught out eye! We had this usually busy forest and loch almost to ourselves as the world was still sleeping which made it even more special!
We spent the entire morning in this small corner of Loch Ard taking us right up until time to return to Gartur for some lunch, a last chat and then everyone off home. It had been a great weekend and all the photographers felt that they had learned a lot and went off more confident in their abilities - and with a collection of great images too!
I must admit, a weekend immersed in Landscape Photography did me some good too, stepping away from the commercial world for a weekend and just concentrating on the art was a cathartic experience that I really needed and was an affirmation that this is the direction that I need to go more in for the future. It is a rewarding experience to feed the enjoyment and excitement of others as they learn new skills and techniques, or simply to introduce them to a place that they wouldn’t find themselves under normal circumstances, and certainly without the chance to immerse themselves in such a creative process!
The Trossachs in Autumn - Workshop Day 1 /
I am just back from running a weekend workshop in The Trossachs, a collaboration with the wonderful Fodder + Farm based at Gartur.
We started off on Friday evening with a meal and introductions (venison curry for those interested, and exceptionally tasty it was too) and then turned in for an early start on Saturday.
Saturday morning started with a 7am meet at the kitchen, a quick sausage sandwich and coffee to keep everyone going and then off to Loch Rusky for that classic dawn vista… unfortunately dawn was not aware of our plans and didn’t really show up! However we were treated to an slightly eerie, misty and monotone lochside landscape with a perfectly still surface to provide some interesting reflections. The rowing boats floating out on the loch added to the scene and gave us enough to work with as we discussed compositional theory, and how to completely ignore it!
Next stop was back to very familiar territory for me, the Falls of Leny in Kilmahog. This is a place I know well from many, many years of visiting as we had family just over the road and used to visit regularly - long before I found myself living in Stirling!
The old railway track runs through some lovely woodland before reaching the dramatic falls which were running in full spate due to the recent weather giving us plenty of opportunity to explore leading lines, ICM and using a variety of shutter speeds to try and convey different characteristics of flowing (or raging) water!
The final stop of the morning was at Loch Lubnaig to shoot some more lochside photographs, but of a larger body of water and with some mountainous backdrops courtesy of Ben Ledi. This was all about learning how to expose for a dramatic skyline and using short telephoto lenses to compress the perspective to make the mountains look more “mountainy”.
Lunch was provided by Mhor 84 who did a stellar job of pushing their burger right into my Top 5 of all time - I just wish I had the time and stomach capacity for a direct comparison of theirs and the Laide Inn just down the road, because it came very, very close to my memory of that finest ever burger!
After lunch we set off for the nearby Balqhuidder Church to shoot grave stones, ruins and textures for a short time, along with the iconic site of Rob Roy’s grave.
Having seen where the man was buried it seemed fitting to head in to the place that he lived. This was designed (in my plan) to introduce my photographers to mountain photography as Inverlochlarig sits deep into the glen from Balquhidder and is surrounded by some suitably majestic mountains, principally Ben More.
Here we were able to work on foregrounds that draw the viewer into the photograph and inform of the environment.
We finished the day on Loch Voil between Balquhidder and Inverlochlairg catching the last of the light, but alas no sunset. The firey hues of the autumnal trees combinged with a dramatic sky did make up for it though to some extent!
Then it was back to Gartur for another fine feast from Fodder + Farm!
Inner Turmoil /
So I have been fighting my demons for quite some time now, and boy… do I have a few. But the one that has been causing most consternation of late has been this… how do I mark this, the first year I have that my brother didn’t. How do I honour his memory… how do I make him proud (or his celestial being anyway)?
The answer, I thought, was to do the things that he did and try to become what he was so good at. But I don’t think that is right any more, and I don’t think that would actually overly impress him anyway. So no… this year I am going to do something for me that would make him say “now that was awesome”.
First up… I need to rebuild “me” because I am broken. Mentally and physically I am just done for. So, that is the main task, and that he would appreciate as Neil was a guru in Chinese medicine and alternative therapies. Fortunately for me fixing my body will also go a long way to fixing my mind, as again, his theory was that being in the natural places of this world was what the brain required to find it’s own balance… and I hate gyms… so outdoors it is.
So, the challenge then… well… fixing this body post-car-crash is not going to be a simple task to be fair. My spine is not in the best shape. So I am going to take it slow, starting now(ish) with a few short walks (and I do mean short as I think 1.5 miles is about as far as I have managed before the pain gets too much of late). Half an hour to begin then, and as that becomes a little more comfortable I can stretch it out. Of course… walks put me in great places, so expect some new photography content to emerge from this process.
My end goal then. I have 2 options, 2 targets for this year. The first is Stac Pollidh, I was there this week and remembered it has been on my “to do” list from the early days of my mountaineering. It isn’t a hard walk - well… avoiding the main peak that is. So I want to complete the more “basic” version over this year. Should I achieve this before the end of September then I can go for the “stretch” goal, to climb Ben Wyvis. Our closest Munro and it would be the first one I have done in a very long time, it is also something that a few days ago I had written off as no longer within my capabilities.
But now it is.
Well… now it isn’t… but I am determined that this would be a worthy goal and proof to myself that I can turn this around and I can rediscover myself.
Hopefully I will document all this challenge on YouTube, through photography and blogging and if I make it to the peak of Ben Wyvis no doubt I will have a grand plan for my 50th lap of the sun that will follow.
I know I have more to give this world, I just need to rediscover “me”, my drive and unleash my creativity. I just need to start.
And I am starting now.
New Gallery and New Fulfillment! /
Today I am soft-launching my new gallery on the website, offering direct print sales of limited edition photographs. I had a little bit of a disaster after my previous printshop partner ceased trading, but we are back with a new product and ready to go! Hopefully this new system should make managing the print runs much more straight forward and we are now able to supply a certificate of authenticity with every edition sold to provide you with the confidence that you really are buying a very limited release!
For the moment each print run is limited to only 25 copies and I hope to introduce new pieces on a fairly regular basis, showcasing not only the best of Scotland but some unique takes on popular areas.
As an addition, I am looking to provide a bespoke photography service where I create a one-of-a-kind print, and only one, of a subject that you request. This could be a childhood home, a place your ancestors hailed from… or simply a view which you adore. More details on this soon!
Slow News Day? /
Wow… it has been a while since I updated!
Everything seemed to grind to a bit of a halt in life for a few weeks there, which isn’t to say that nothing was going on, just that my mental state hit a bit of a low as I drew closer to a birthday that I really didn’t want to face. The birthday in which I became older than Neil, the original "Wayward Spirit” and original owner of this domain name - and very much the big brother that understood me probably more than anyone else on the planet. I think we were always more alike than anyone realised, or still does realise, I just hold it together a bit better and burry things deeper so seem a less reactive soul than he was.
That date has been and gone, and now I am starting to emerge and look to the future - and doubly so as this is a future that he never had so I feel I owe it to him to make something of it now.
The passing place has gone in on the road and I am chasing to have that clause of our planning signed off so that we can start work on hut orders, ground works, SEPA approvals and what-have-you. The plans for the tours are slowly coming together at the same time and… hopefully… there is a chunk of photography work coming along for the holiday company. I also did a job for an estate agent directly last week which I am hoping may lead to more regular work for them. This year is my third “lost cause” in a row though as, in all honesty, at this stage in the financial year I am so far from target that it just isn’t going to happen without an absolute miracle. I have been too focussed on property work this last 3 years to really move forward though, although it has provided a useful foundation. Working for agencies is a fools errand though as the pay-rates combined with the geographical challenges of the Highlands makes it impossible to rely on them as a sole source of income, minimum wage is a pipedream on this model! So now I am putting all my focus on to next years efforts to shift on to more lucrative work and a more diverse portfolio, building the workshop and tour business whilst continuing with the holiday lets work, developing the hut business and attracting more direct work from independent estate agents.
Next year I will hit that heady target of minimum wage!
Perhaps!
My problem always has been in self publicity, I don’t like shouting and telling people I am awesome but would rather let me work do the talking for me. Getting that work into the eyes of the right people is not so easy though without profile, and building profile needs either a stack load of luck (which I seem deficient in) or a stack load of self publicity and ego… which I have even less of than luck! Once the huts are up and running I may have to consider hiring someone to be by trumpet blower instead…
