SCALPAY: LAND OF THE FREE TAKEOVER In honour of the recent community take over of the island, I’ve dug out a few photos I shot in Scalpay last year. In November 2012, the residents of Scalpay voted to take over the running of their island. The then owner, English businessman Fred Taylor, had offered inhabitants the island for free. When put to the vote, 197 voted for the takeover, eight against. The island’s population is around 300. In 1997 a […]
“A BEAUTIFULLY AWFUL PARADISE” Salton Sea: a 21st century Twilight Zone – the place where the American Dream died, along with millions of Tilapia. Salton Sea was a thriving waterside resort in the 1950s and 1960s – a playground for aspirational post war fun seekers. But in 1976 the dream transformed into a desert wasteland, when Tropical Storm Kathleen swept through Imperial Valley, followed by Tropical Storm Doreen in 1977. Above average rainfall for the next seven years, along with […]
YES AND SNOW! Yes Scotland, the campaign group for an independent Scotland contacted me in November 2012, enquiring if I had a night photo suitable for their official Christmas card. Rummaging through my files I found a few images I thought might convey a suitably festive mood i.e. snow! Above is the original version of the one they opted for. After a bit of (spin?) doctoring, which consisted of adding the ‘Yes’ campaign logo subtly written in the stars and […]
TORN TROUSERS AND MOANING ABOUT THEE WEATHER Slim pickings from last month’s full moon period. All told, 2012 hasn’t been a great year in terms of favourable weather conditions for full moon night photography in the Outer Hebrides. I got a few shots in February but January, March and April were complete write-offs due to heavy cloud and rain. May, June and July are always a no-show due to the long summer days we see at our northerly latitude i.e. […]
BLACKSHEEP HOUSE Blacksheep House is a renovated black house on the Isle of Harris. In 2008 it won Channel 4’s Grand Designs Home of the Year award. I’ve photographed Blacksheep House a few times. Back in November 2010, Pete and Christine Hope, the couple responsible for transforming the roofless ruins of a former traditional black house into 5 star luxury accommodation, mentioned they had a rare week in their letting schedule where the house would be empty during the full […]
ON THE ROAD AGAIN? Another piece of Hebridean history disappeared from view recently. Unlike some of the decaying subjects I’ve shot that are no longer with us, this one could be set to reappear. This 1957 aluminium bodied Albion truck was ordered by Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd of Stornoway, the islands’ largest Harris Tweed mill. It was delivered to the Isle of Lewis in 1957. A photo of it being winched off the ferry ‘Loch Seaforth’ made the front page of […]
20 INCREDIBLE PHOTOS OF LIGHTHOUSES My night photo of the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, as featured in EnvironmentalGraffiti.com’s latest travel article: 20 Incredible Photos of Lighthouses Illuminating the Night “This unpainted, redbrick lighthouse with yellow on its window and door accents is unusual for Scotland. The Butt of Lewis Lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides has been helping ships navigate the rough and stormy sea around the Isle of Lewis’s northernmost point since 1862. The structure is much needed, it […]
Light painting and night photography specialist Troy Paiva (AKA Lost America) has finally written a “How To” book. It explains in full detail his easy to learn techniques for creating elaborate studio-style lighting effects with a few simple flashlights and a single, pocket-sized strobe. The book demystifies LP/NP, so even a novice can create amazing images.
THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN Seilebost school, on the west coast of Harris, celebrated its 70th anniversary earlier this month. Prior to their platinum birthday bash I’d been contacted by the school head, asking if they might use my night photo of the school (above) on a batch of commemorative mugs they were having made for their reunion get together, which would be attended by seven decades worth of pupils and staff. A photo on a tea mug probably isn’t […]
The spirit of Elvis Presley is alive and well on the Isle of Lewis, as he sings “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!” to disinterested locals on the bus to Grimshader.