Travel Photography

One of the advantages of working on projects is it takes you to different places. My current placement is on Orkney, an Island I had only visited once previously. That was a long time ago, and I didn’t have much any to explore.

The above images are from Thurso. I’ve always said photography is all about light. When the light is as special as this, just about anything can look good in it! The current book I’m reading – Photography a critical introduction – states in Chapter 2 “Most recent critical works rejected the notion that acts of looking and recording can never be neutral, disinterested or innocent.” Why I keep getting drawn to beaches in nice light, I can’t entirely explain. I know I like being out in the open, and I have some idea why, but beyond that would struggle to explain in detail why so many of my shots have water in them. Genes, perhaps? One great grandfather was a sailor, on the whaling ships operating out of Dundee. Who knows? The Freudian theories I totally reject as the demonic tripe they are. Well, got that one off my chest.

Usually I will fly, but there are occasions I will travel by Ferry. On the way up you pass the famous old man of Hoy, as spectacular piece of rock in the right conditions. There are many outcrops on Orkney and the picture on the right was taken in Windy conditions from the bay of Skaill. Hard to estimate the height of the cliff, but I’d estimate 80-100 feet, so that’s some wave. I stood for ages watching the waves, which is something else I like to do.

The locals were taking full advantage of the sea conditions and the speed at which they zipped along the waves was impressive.

The beaches on the Mainland are up there with the best; and I’m told by the locals Westray and Sanday are even better. They must be good then. The first two are the beach at Skaill and the other one is the beach at Aikerness Bay.

At St. Peter’s Bay there is a diving vessel which ran aground. According to locals there will be attempts to refloat it. The gulls were mostly unimpressed by my presence and were noisy throughout, dive bombing me on a couple of occasions

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There is plenty of wildlife. I’ve seen Hen Harriers, Otters and Seals so far, but not got any worthwhile images as yet. I’m not sure what this little bird is, and I think that’s a hare rather than a rabbit?

An Island of spectacular sunrises and sunsets, this shot over the Bay of Skaill has the Kitchener memorial in the background.