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Category : Long Exposure

15 Nov 2020

Post Offices of Lewis and Harris, past and present

LAST POST The recent demolition of the old Post Office in Ardhasaig has prompted me to look back at some of the other Post Offices I’ve photographed in Harris and Lewis. Anyone heading up or down the main A859 road just north of Tarbert will be familiar with this classic corrugated tin building. It’s been rusting for decades, taking on the colours of the landscape as it slowly deteriorated. There are still plenty of people on the island who remember […]

03 Mar 2018
Jesus Christ Super Star Wars

Jesus Christ Super Star Wars

A tale of two cinematic controversies – with more than four decades between them – are the start and finish points for this short photo tour of Stornoway town centre. Some religious and film references scattered throughout. Saturday evening, February 17th, 2018. Shortly after sunset. Stornoway’s Playhouse opened in 1934. Popular myth has it that the cinema went out of business in the mid 1970s, shortly after a  Free Presbyterian minister put a curse on the theatre manager, following his […]

11 Feb 2018

Fishy Business [WORK: Outer Hebrides]

Ken has worked in the fish farming industry for over 30 years. He manages the salmon farm based at Loch Langavat, which is on the road between Leverburgh and Finsbay, Isle of Harris. He also oversees operations at Loch Huamavat – a couple of miles up the road from their Langavat base – which is where I took the photo above. I’ve driven past Ken and his workmates literally hundreds of times over the past 15 years. I’ve seen all […]

08 Aug 2017
Transocean Winner Oil Rig, dalmore, isle of lewis

Transocean Winner

Transocean Winner In August 2016 a decommissioned oil rig was being towed from Stavanger, Norway to ‘Blowtorch Beach’ in Turkey. Things didn’t go to plan… Timeline 6.15pm Sunday Aug 7th. First call to coastguard. Alert from the tug MV Alp Forward which is having trouble maintaining headway in the wind and experiencing heavy weather west of Lewis while towing Transocean Winner rig. Coastguards go into response mode, monitor progress of tug and tow. 10.30pm Sunday. Situation deteriorates. Incident upgraded to […]

09 Dec 2015

MOONLIGHTING: buy the book

MOONLIGHTING: BUY THE BOOK Following recent TV appearances, I’ve been asked by a number of people if there’s a photo book of my work. Officially, the answer has been ‘no’. However, I did put together a collection of long exposure night photographs in 2011. The book contains 40 of my favourite night photos taken over a two year period (2009 to 2011). I used Blurb, a self-publishing company, to produce a 25cm x 20cm full colour photo book, primarily to […]

22 Nov 2015
As Seen on TV, grand tours of the scottish islands, paul murton, landward, bbc alba

As Seen On TV

AS SEEN ON TV… The knock-on effect of the Leaving Home exhibition continues… in recent months I’ve appeared on three BBC TV programmes, revisiting some of the houses I’ve been photographing over the past five years. 1. Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands The first to be broadcast was Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands. I collect hitch-hiking presenter Paul Murton in a 1967 Volkswagen; rented for the day from Harris Classic Campers. Following a brief tour of the island, […]

21 Dec 2013
Photo Professional, magazine, interview, article

Photo Professional – Magazine Feature

PHOTO PROFESSIONAL – MAGAZINE FEATURE The latest issue of Photo Professional has a six page article showcasing a selection of photographs I’ve taken over the past four years, along with an interview discussing influences, technique and some of the equipment I use. Terry Hope, editor of the magazine also asks about the Leaving Home exhibition and the role crowd funding website Kickstarter played in financing the project. Also available in pdf (0.5MB)   Photo Professional Issue 88, is on sale […]

16 Sep 2013
Pairc Cairn

Pairc Cairn

PAIRC CAIRN The Islands Book Trust publish a new book this month. Recovering from the Clearances features my photo of the Pairc Cairn on the front cover. The memorial was commissioned in 1994 and erected in memory of the Pairc Deer Raiders, a group of local crofters who in 1887 killed some of the local laird’s deer in an effort to draw attention to their own poverty and deprivation. The so-called ‘deer raiders’ were put on trial, but acquitted of rioting, […]

23 Mar 2013
earth mover, digger, borve, isle of harris

Diggaz with Attitude

EARTH MOVER Following my last moonlight outing in February, I realised I’ve been accumulating a collection of digger pics over the past few years. Not sure why… it must be a ‘man’ thing 😉 The first of the bunch dates back to March 2010. It was my first attempt at a star trail shot and by a very convoluted route has a tenuous royal connection:   My comments that accompanied the resulting image (as posted on Flickr at the time): […]

23 Feb 2013
Jimmy Bullar's Tea Hut, 1947 Bedford

Jimmy Bullar’s Tea Hut

JIMMY BULLAR’S TEA HUT This strange contraption is living out the remainder of its days in the middle of a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis. I stumbled across it (almost literally), in February 2011 during a full moon night photography trek to the shielings of Cuishader. When bad weather cut my outing short, depriving me of a decent shot of this weird vehicle, I knew I’d have to return to complete unfinished business. In the meantime I dug […]