The Outer Hebrides photography workshop with myself and Paul Sanders
The Outer Hebrides photography workshop with myself and
Paul Sanders
The group arrived at Mangersta one day to be confronted by 20 foot waves and gale force winds. We proceeded to be hit by horizontal hail whilst walking down to the beach. There are only a few memorable times in life that we really truly let go and feel completely immersed in the moment. But this day was one of them.
I asked who wanted to stay and shoot on the beach with Paul Sanders. And who wanted to accompany me on a walk to the “edge of the world”. A few couldn’t resist my description and we set off, climbing to the very end of the peninsula. As we hit the end we encountered the full force of the wind. Along with several hailstone showers and sea spray drenching us with each crash of the large waves.
Our only option was to put the cameras down and to let go and embrace the explosive nature of the storm like conditions. Laughter seems to be the natural response when things get to this level of crazy.
Myself and Lesley walked over to a more sheltered spot for a while and spotted Jeremy in the sea. He was standing knee deep in a thick foam that was being created by the huge waves.
One of the things that is important in my own work is that the experience is part of the image. Without feeling the landscape, the image won’t be powerful. Trying to explain this to others is very difficult and it has to be learnt through the experience itself.
When I met Jeremy a few days earlier, I saw a kind, dedicated, precise, person who always seemed quietly and intensely dedicated to capturing images. But today, standing being splattered by sea spray and foam, his face was simply alight with the sheer joy of being completely immersed in the experience. I then heard him say that he didn’t mind about the images and how perfect they were. He was just simply loving the experience of being in the landscape. My job is done.
Have a look at our new
Outer Hebrides photography workshop for 2020 if you are interested in joining us!