Castles, mountains and whisky: Scotland is easily summed up in a few words. That does not get you very far with photographs, though. The variety between places makes it more interesting. A harbour, a garden and an empty mountain landscape can each ask for a different kind of attention on the same journey.
This series includes Skye, Loch Bà, Glencoe and the Lost Valley. The landscape often needs little to stand out. A ridge, some water and a change in the light can be enough. At the same time, it is easy to try to squeeze as much scenery as possible into one frame. Not every mountain has to join the group photograph.
A garden in the Highlands
Inverewe Garden makes a welcome change from the open landscape. The garden lies beside Loch Ewe, at a northern latitude where you would not expect plants from so many warmer regions. The local microclimate and the influence of the Gulf Stream make that planting possible. The National Trust for Scotland describes rhododendrons, redwoods and plants from the Himalayas among its collections.
The castles also have a place in the series: Eilean Donan Castle, Castle Stalker and Brodie Castle. They are not interchangeable pieces of scenery. Their setting determines much of the picture. A building by the water reads differently from a castle among trees and gardens.
The Commando Memorial, Mallaig harbour and Edinburgh’s Royal Mile appear too. That makes the series a record of different kinds of Scotland: from a place of remembrance and a working harbour to a busy city street.
These photographs belong together as a travel series. If you only look at the best-known views, it is easy to miss the smaller subjects in between. For me, their combination makes the difference between a collection of individual postcards and an impression of a journey.
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