Heading North, Heading West

After a turbulent few months in life and work, I’ve found myself back on the road. No more base, no more tiny coffee shop, just a van and my imagination. Oh, and a few power tools. I’m back to living on the road, creating and selling online, and having more time to wander.

I didn’t actually pick my camera up for the first couple of weeks… I needed to adjust to my situation and let my brain settle back into ‘van life’, and I’ve always found that I go through phases of not touching my camera, and then carrying it with me everywhere I go for days on end. I had one of those bursts recently, after we headed towards Wester Ross and spent some time working in the area (Steven is still making coffee, just for other people). I’m definitely inspired by new areas, and the excitement of stumbling upon a little knacky building I’ve never seen before. That’s where the joy of photography is for me.

I’ll be working on my print shop more, filling homes with little doses of highlands tin buildings, as well as my usual assortment of projects, so hopefully my next burst of photography energy won’t be too far away in the future.

 

I’m throughly enjoying my time up in this area… with little trips back towards Moray here and there to get our retail/decent food shopping therapy. Quiet beaches, old war bunkers, sleepy villages with mountains in the background. It’s exactly what I needed after a chaotic year. Fox has settled right in to life on the road and I have never seen a happier, more content little dog. He’s particularly in love with Firemore beach and knows exactly what to look for out the window to see if we’re headed that way for the night.

Point & Shoot

Last year I sold my 35mm camera, a lovely black Nikon FM2n that I’d had for years. I always said I’d never sell it, but living in a tiny space means I tend to get rid of things after not using them for a certain amount of time. I’d only shot medium format for the last year or so, so away the Nikon went, and what do you know…. a few months later I get the urge to shoot 35mm again. I tried to squash it by using my big mamiya more, not wanting to buy another camera, but It feels a little silly to me to be lugging the heavy beast around when I just want to quickly shoot some day to day moments that I’d like to remember. So, I’m now the proud owner of a little plastic point and shoot canon sureshot, and I love it. There’s no thinking involved, it just sits in my pocket and I can pull it out, point….. and shoot.

Lesson learnt…. do not sell cameras if you’ve ever loved them.

Here’s the last few weeks on 35mm film… rainy days by loch morlich, brief spurts of sunshine in the cairngorms, my tiny home, and lots and lots of photos of Fox and our walks.

The Furthest North

I’m slowly exploring more and more of the north, aiming for the back roads less travelled. The quieter, the bleaker, the better, and this one just happened to be heading the furthest north I’ve ever been. Miles and miles of peace, just one or two other drivers for hours, looking for landscapes to document on film. I love the hunt to find buildings that I haven’t already seen thousands of pictures of, ones that have sat unnoticed by the side of a tiny road. My ideal road trip.

The boat house below was one of these… it appeared on my right, the living roof just peeking out from behind a gorse bush. We pulled over and I grabbed my camera, wandering down a track to get a better view. An icy blue loch behind, snowy hills in the distance, and one of the most photogenic buildings I’ve ever seen in front of me.

There’s certain cottages and bothies in the highlands that have been photographed over and over, and I can understand it… they’re popular for a reason, but I can’t resist seeking out the hidden gems.

This boathouse, and a few other shots from this road trip are available over on my print shop, if you’d like to browse. Find it here.