Scotland's West Coast // Landscape Photography

This trip was a reset button. It was about freedom. The freedom to explore, go where I wanted to go, to see beauty in nature, to explore the West coast of Scotland - a place I hadn't seen in the six years I have lived in Edinburgh. I had no agenda. I left it to intuition to guide me from day to day as I drove up and down the slow coastal roads. I wild camped in glens and alongside beaches, woke up to the sun and went to bed when it got dark.

There was something primal to this trip. The natural rhythms and freedom really attuned me to a way of being. It's a trip that has lingered in my thoughts over the last couple weeks. Photography is a great way of getting you out into nature; but it is also deeply introspective. In the frigid wee hours of the morning or a lazy afternoon reading a book waiting for good light, it gives you time alone with your thoughts to reflect on yourself and reset from the hustle and pace of modern life.

The west coast truly puts Scotland on display, glens, mountains, beaches, forests, rivers, waterfalls, lochs. During my six days, I had as varied conditions as Scotland offers in its landscapes. Sunsets were typically average, but some days blew with wind, rained, even snowed and hailed (in May!); almost every morning however, was a sunrise etched into memory. Soft blue light, clear skies, crisp still air. The conditions were truly calming and instilled in me a sense of respect for the nature I was witnessing.