Beyond Iconic Landscapes
West to Ardnamurchan
Hello, I’m Gill and I write a photography blog inspired by the landscapes of Suffolk and beyond. Please subscribe to read more of my writing and visit my website to view my images.
The landscape seems to stand still as I gaze out across the tranquil waters of Loch Sunart. Fine drizzle wets my face and splashes my glasses but it is easy to ignore on a day like today. Ahead the mountains rise from the mirrored water in a patchwork of russet, brown, green and gold. Cotton wool clouds curl around their slopes enveloping the land in a vale of mist. I watch it as it drifts along hugging the rocky slopes, a quickly shifting trail of softness in an otherwise still landscape.
Suddenly my gaze is distracted by movement to my right. I turn quickly to see a large bird silhouetted against the light, flying upwards towards the branches of a pine tree standing on a rocky headland at the side of the bay. Raising my binoculars I quickly seek out an avian shape and begin to notice the speckled brown plumage, dark undersides, yellow hooked beak and white tail which all tell me I am looking at my first white tailed sea eagle. In my excitement, photography is forgotten and I watch as the bird preens itself and adjusts its perch. I am so engrossed that I don’t notice a second eagle, until I hear its call and see it dive in to take a perch next to its mate. I can’t believe my luck - not one eagle but two and so close that I can make out all the feather details through the binoculars.
This is a moment that I know will live with me forever, it is one of those brief connections with nature that makes life magical and it is one that I feel blessed to have witnessed.
Loch Sunart is a long narrow sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is bounded by Sunart and Ardnamurchan in the north and Morven in the south and I am here for three weeks to run some photography workshops.
Unlike many parts of Scotland the west highland peninsulas (of which Ardnamurchan is part) aren’t well photographed or publicised within the landscape photography community and you won’t find any iconic ready made compositions here. But that is exactly why I love this place. It is wild, remote, diverse, unbelievably beautiful and has a wealth of different landscapes and seascapes to explore. Compositions are everywhere but you have to work at them, they are not pre defined as is so often the case in other parts of Scotland. Ardnamurchan makes you think. It has plenty of grand views but it also excels in the smaller detail and this is a combination that I find really attractive for my own photography.
Within this landscape there are tranquil loch shores, wild seascapes, beautiful white sandy beaches and rocky bays, large areas of Atlantic rainforest that looks amazing in the autumn and a lighthouse that stands tall over the most westerly point in mainland Britain. Photographically there is so much diversity here and whilst the photography books may not give this location the prominence that more iconic areas on Skye or Glen Coe get, you will never be short of something to photograph. In fact I prefer landscapes like Ardnamurchan for photography because it feels new and unfamiliar even though I have been here numerous times.
Generally I am put off visiting locations that are well photographed, because whilst I can still put my own stamp on any images I make, I don’t enjoy crowds and don’t see the point in repeating regularly photographed compositions. For me this holds no enjoyment. I realise that I may be in a minority here but if a landscape is popular I find it less appealing. I enjoy visiting places that I can’t find in the pages of books or magazines. I like the challenge of exploring and discovering compositions for myself and I love building a connection with a landscape that is new to me.
Whilst iconic landscapes are not for me I think, where learning is concerned, there is huge value in visiting these locations and repeating compositions that have been photographed before. I have done it many times in the past but I don’t feel the desire to do so anymore. When I come to Ardnamurchan I come to connect with a landscape that is fundamentally different to the coast of Suffolk where I usually work. I come to be challenged. I love the different geology, the varied colours in the landscape, and the different tones that I find in my images. These are the things that excite me now, not vast mountains and familiar compositions but the interplay of light, colour and form.
The wider landscapes here will always hold my attention but I also love exploring smaller scenes and the tiny details that I find within them. These are the things that bring a landscape to life for me and this is where I feel my photography is heading - towards a more project based focus. Increasingly I am drawn to tell landscape stories rather than just capture landscape images. Three weeks in Ardnamurchan has definitely given me lots of fresh ideas and a new impetus to create larger bodies of work.
My workshops this year in Ardnamurchan were a delight to run and were attended by two lovely groups of people. I will be running another week next year from 19th - 25th October and will also be bringing out some new project based sessions in the new year.
Thank you for coming back to my blog after my recent break from writing. My time in Ardnamurchan has given me pause for reflection and has reinforced in my mind the direction I wish to take my photography. I hope this will provide some interesting articles going forward.
What are your thoughts on iconic landscapes. Do you enjoy them or avoid them? And what drives your image making? Are you a single shot photographer or does your work veer towards projects and larger bodies of work? I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment below.
Thank you so much for reading and until next time enjoy your photography
Gill
What a lovely part of the world Gill, please keep us informed of next year's workshop details, I'm always on the lookout for an excuse to travel and learn.
An excellent blog Gill, with much that I agree with and can relate to, that pretty much sums up why I love living on and photographing the Peninsula. I think your words “Compositions are everywhere but you have to work at them” sums things up perfectly, especially why I never photograph anywhere else.