Highland Wildscapes

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Aviemore, Scotland
Highland Wildscapes

Landscape photographer and adventure guide, lover of the Scottish Highlands landscape and culture.

06/11/2026

A beautiful week of peak autumn colours. Misty mornings, a heavy frost and days spent returning to places to look at change. I'm honestly enjoying the chase of photography more than I have in a couple of years. The balance of home, of work, of life in general has changed a lot in the last few years, so in retrospect it's natural the creative impulse would shift a bit. Feels like a good blend is now coming from stirring the ingredients of life.

I'm rather enjoying the Fuji X-Pro 3 too.

29/10/2026

I'd somehow never made it to the Birks of Aberfeldy in autumn until last weekend. What a magical place, although there's not as many Birks (birches) as the name may suggest. The magic feel is really thanks to the gorgeous beech trees, as well as a healthy mix of other native trees that add a varied tapestry of colour to the autumn woods.

We had quite a quick visit as Storm Austen blew through, and it was absolutely chucking it down, so we kept moving. Keeping the water of the lens was an issue, but in some cases the damp spots made for some unexpected and beautiful effects, smudging colours and textures together like mixing paint. The damp light suited the woods perfectly. I'd love to go back again at this time of year with more time to linger.

28/10/2026

Well, after many years of service from my trusty old Nikon DSLRs, I've finally made the switch to a mirrorless camera. For several years I've used a Fuji X100T as a lightweight option for use when guiding, and it so impressed me I ultimately decided to go in on a Fuji X-Pro 3. It's an interesting model, with the same dual Electronic/Optical viewfinder found on the X100, but a lot more resolution and the option of interchangeable lenses. The OVF is a fascinating shooting experience, offering the ability to see outside the frame and notice the things you're missing.

Street photographers adore the X-Pro 3 it seems, and I think the way I shoot landscapes is a bit more street than many others - always moving, constantly dynamic and looking for the decisive moment. This camera feels like a joy to use in that way.

I love the feel of it in my hand, and it's exquisitely built. And of course the famous Fuji film presets, which allow you to get processed JPGs straight out of camera, based on the look of old physical film stocks. I was a sceptic about these for many years, but I might be a convert now. I don't think I'm ready to stop shooting RAW altogether yet, as my few experiments have shown in some high contrast shots it's still worth having the extra data, but for many situations the look of the film presets is simply gorgeous - good enough to post straight out of camera. The colours and sharpness are fantastic.

It's been really fun to play with, and I'm looking forward to many more adventures with it. There's still so much in Scotland I want to see and do with a camera.

A few autumn scenes from my local woods to try it out. High pressure and autumn colours next week - we should all know what that means!

02/08/2026

Summer lushness on Skye - a welcome contrast to fire and drought.

I realised recently that while I usually spend a few weeks of the year on Skye guiding, it's been many years since I went purely for my own fun, so a short break was a welcome chance to explore some new places, and to linger in those I often have to rush through.

There really isn't anywhere else in Scotland quite like it.

25/07/2026

Abernethy will be forever changed by this terrible event. There is much I would want to say, but I do not seem to have the words.

For the people, the words are thank you. I can not say more without it somehow meaning less.

17/07/2026

About ten years ago I wrote a blog titled 'Please don't burn down my forest' about the rising threat of wildfires in the Highlands. This is the nightmare event I wanted to try and do the bare minimum to try and prevent by spreading just a tiny bit more awareness.

The mountains are on fire. The glens are on fire. The woods are on fire. It's our worst nightmare. It has happened before, but it's happening more and more. In the last few years I've seen fires with my own eyes in Ardnamurchan, Moidart, Dava and now Ryvoan. Suilven has burned, Glen Rosa has burned. And they're just famous ones. Dozens of fires every year, on land managed by estates and land managed by conservation groups.

The Scottish Government has a strategic action plan. A byelaw banning open fires in the National Park has already been introduced. It's not enough. I've spoken to dozens of people myself and asked them not to proceed with the fires they were about light. I've cleared up dozens and dozens of fire pits from people who didn't care, because having a campfire is simply 'what you do' when camping.

I feel helpless. I feel heartbroken. I feel enraged by the carelessness and selfishness that I am 99% certain caused this. Thank you to everyone working at great risk to themselves to try and contain this. We owe you all a debt, and our government owes you all the tools to do the job properly. This isn't a 'new normal' - it's a potentially catastrophic threat we need to be prepared against. We've known it was coming for years, and not done enough to get ready.

10/02/2026

A magic week in Torridon. Still so much to learn about this place. The landscapes of the northwest are the most compelling to me these days - filled with questions and ideas and possibilities. I really considered this trip as a chance to do some thorough location scouting to deepen my knowledge of the area, not expecting to do much meaningful image making. But the conditions had more than a few special moments in store, so some of these I'm really happy with.

As always, immediate question is when can I go back?

Oh, and if you were on the summit of Liathach on February 1st around 3pm ish then you're in image number 9.

20/01/2026

Last night was right up there with the aurora of May 2025. We were lucky enough to get the alert just as it was building to a peak, and spent a dazzling hour pointing this way and that, exclaiming at the awesome spectacle. At its brightest the stars themselves were almost totally hidden.

We're very lucky to live in a part of the Highlands with very little light pollution - just a couple of miles from an official dark sky park, so the night skies are phenomenal every clear night. So I decided not to waste any chances driving to another location, and just grabbed the camera and ran out to the field behind the house.

Getting the camera to focus was the greatest difficulty, and it required a bit of trial and error. Eventually I was able to get it dialled in on this tree and then it was just a case of waiting for the most dramatic moment with the shot composed on a tripod. The sky was so bright that I was able to shoot with shutter speeds as quick as 1s. This is actually important when photographing aurora. A longer the shutter captures more light and gives a brighter image, but the aurora does shift and move, so you don't want it too long then as it loses a lot of the texture and shape. As I watched huge curtains sway and pillars spear down, I wanted to make sure I didn't lose any of the nuance.

I do so enjoy shooting the aurora. Not only because it's so beautiful and special, but it really makes you think as a photographer and decide quickly what you have to work with. With the sky a mixture of deep greens and powerful reds, it seemed a simple choice to compose the shot with the tree right down the dividing line to create the most drama. I would have liked a little more ground in the image, but in the dark I couldn't tell. I'm happy with it anyway. Photography is the most important reminder to me that things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

03/12/2025

Real west coast magic. We spent a few days recently out west, and I was planning to spend a good bit of time around Glen Nevis and Glencoe to work on my portfolios from those areas. In the end though we just kept on going back to Loch Arkaig day after day after day - because it was wonderful. Impeccable scenery, absolutely no-one else there, a temperature inversion... oh and the small matter of there being stags all over the place! Often I didn't even need my zoom lens as they were practically nibbling on my sleeves. So in those moments I put the camera away and just sat there with them. There are some moments we simply need to be present and thankful for. And when the light turned gold I was able to make a few additions to my wildlife portfolio.

A wonderful, wonderful place. And still so much more to discover. Watch this space, I will be back there soon I hope.

23/11/2025

When you're a majestic stag in the Highlands but you're also a complete dork.

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Aviemore
PH22

Website

http://www.highlandguiding.com/

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