a love for Scotland
I have been returning to Scotland every year to meet up with friends and continue to soak up the atmosphere and whisky of the Highland area of Glencoe since 2017. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to visit in 2021 due to the pandemic but I returned in early 2022 ready to soak up the atmosphere and energy of this powerful landscape. This trip was made special as it was the second time that I had visited Scotland with my Dad. We have shared many adventures together over the years so it was great to create more memories at the same time as my photographs.
A view from the car park of the Clachaig Inn, Ballachulish. I have wanted to make this photograph each time I have visited the area. The clouds needed to be low enough to pass behind and separate the trees on the ridge from the mountain. I was lucky to get the perfect conditions on the morning of the second day of my trip.
Clouds blanketing the hills in the early morning.
Beautiful Scottish Weather.
My most recent trip to Scotland was a brief three-day photographic study of the various watercourses that feed into the Lochs of the Scottish highlands. The study of water falling as rain from the clouds or melting snow and ice on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, through the various tributary streams and rivers. Completing its journey at one of the many Lochs. A large portion of the photographs I made followed the river Etive to its destination at the sea Loch, Loch Etive.
While providing a short documentary study of the various watercourses of the Scottish Highlands it was important for me to do so in a way that defined the intense atmosphere of the landscape. The photographs I made vary in the drama and energy they convey, mirroring the changing intensity of rain and melt water during its journey from the Highland peaks to the Lochs below.
There is something about getting dressed up in my waterproof gear, squeezing as many micro fibre cloths into my camera bag as possible and getting out in the rain, that I find deeply satisfying. When the leaves start falling from the trees, the temperature drops, and the sun is less inclined to make an appearance I start to get inspired to make photographs. I’ve been very lucky each time that I have visited Scotland, the weather has been consistently excellent for the type of photographs that I enjoy making. Over the 3 days that I spent in Scotland I enjoyed wind, rain, beautifully structured clouds and brief moments of incredible light.
Dark clouds roll across the hills bringing the promise of rain.
The veins of the Scottish landscape feeding into its arteries of streams and rivers.
Water cascades down the mountain on its well carved route towards the river below.
Introspection.
I prefer to make photographs in the Autumn or Winter. In the rain, or at least when then there is an absence of a blue or featureless sky. I’m most content and inspired when I feel that the elements are against me. Struggling in the wind with the rain stinging my face, allows me to fully immerse myself in my photography. It can be a challenge at times to keep the rain off the lens and make the photo, but it is all the more rewarding when successful.
Understanding my photography has become more relevant to me as I mature, both as a person and a photographer. We all make unique photographs. Even when making photographs of popular landmarks that have been photographed countless times before. Differences in time, composition, editing process and the presentation of the final print or book mean that no two people will ever produce the same photograph.
Every time I look at a book of photography or view an exhibition, my thoughts are drawn to what the photographer was thinking or feeling at the time they made the photograph. For that fraction of a second, seconds or even minutes that were required to make a photograph, we are seeing through the eyes of another person. We are witness to a moment. A place and event that was experienced by a single person on the planet that can never be duplicated. What makes a good or great photograph is how effectively the photographer conveys that moment.
I choose predominantly to make photographs of the landscape in the winter. I have little interest in making photographs without the drama that the weather of late Autumn or winter brings. Trees without their leaves have structure, the sea comes alive with a ferocious energy and the sky tells a story of its own. This is when I feel connected to the landscape and feel the need to photograph it. Scotland, has an energy and atmosphere that amplifies these feelings.
The photographs that I make are a slight abstraction or illusion of truth. When making a photograph I want to emphasise the beauty that I see. I’m not a picture postcard photographer and many of my photos are dark. This is usually due to an emphasis of the conditions in which I prefer to work in but may also be exaggerated further at the point of making a print. My mental and emotional state at the time of editing and printing can also have an impact. I don’t believe in having a fixed formula for printing. When making silver prints in my darkroom two prints of the same image may vary quite considerably when printed at different times. I consider this lack of consistency as an extension of my creativity and an expansion of personal input into the physical prints that I produce.
On the subject of printing, I value the creation of the final print above all else. It is the culmination of planning, thought, travel and every decision and action that enabled me to make the photograph in the first place. I don’t want my photography to be disposable. Posting on social media or my website is a way of sharing the photographs that I make but every image posted is simply a digital representation of an intended print. Many people enjoy viewing photographs online, but the majority are seen for fractions of a second before being scrolled past. Having a physical print in your hands or on the wall in a gallery gives you time to absorb it. The weight, texture and colour of the chosen paper, subtle imperfections in the print, the added three-dimensional look of a beautifully made fibre based print with its deep blacks and glowing highlights. In galleries, work is discussed. Some like what they see, others do not but the print is considered and discussed in a way that it would be hard to, if not impossible to do when viewed on the screen of a computer or phone.
“Scotland, it’s a place where you don’t just see the landscape around you, you feel it.”
A tributary stream flowing slowly over the moor to join the river Etive.
A stretch of the river Coe close to the Clachaig inn.
A final thought.
The desire and obsession to build my knowledge of photography has helped me tremendously. With the wonders of modern technology and huge numbers of books on the market, information is literally at my fingertips. The ability to use all that information and combine it with my personal vision while being sensitive to the subject that I am photographing and doing so in a way that is truthful is what defines my photography. Some may hold the opinion that when editing or printing my photos, that the decisions made at this point are untruthful because I am intentionally manipulating the photograph to enhance my view of the world around me. I never add or remove objects from my photographs with the exception of marks caused by dust. I may also crop the image to strengthen its composition or align it with the aspect ratio that I had in mind at the point of making the photograph.
There is no intention of misleading the viewer. The photographs that I make are true to my vision, and reflective of my thoughts and emotions at the time of pressing the shutter which can be further influenced at the time of making the print.
My wife commented after reading what I had written on this page, “You write beautifully about your photography, it’s because you love it so much isn’t it”.
This simple comment meant a lot to me. Not only because it’s always nice to receive positive feedback but that she is right in the statement that she made. I do love photography. It’s a passion, an obsession and the most honest form of communication that I have to express myself.
Contact.
info@mattwalkley.photography