Blog
Musings on photography, mental health and mountain life.
A Weekend with the Old Man: Adventure on the Island of Hoy
Poking my head over a ledge I narrowly avoided the famed vomit greeting. Pat led through and deposited us safely at the base of the final stunning looking corner pitch.
Capturing the Magic of Nature:
There's something magical about the way nature glows during the golden hour - that fleeting time just before sunset or after sunrise when the light is soft, warm, and imbues everything with a golden hue. For landscape photographers, it's a coveted time to capture stunning images that showcase the beauty of the natural world. However, taking advantage of the golden hour requires a careful balance of technique, timing, and creativity.
Climbing and Photography in Peru: In Search of Adventure
I donned my big mitts and we carried on up the ridge, a dark abyss to our left which greeted us as the swirling mist occasionally parted. It was quite an experience to be so alone so high up. Dani began to throw up, his choice of breakfast came back to haunt him as half the curried noodles and a bottle of condensed milk curiously hadn’t sat well
Climbing and Photography in Peru: That’ll do Donkey!
The next twenty mins were probably some of the most peaceful I can remember. Watching the light slowly move over Ranrapalca, illuminating it’s East and North Faces with not another soul in sight, witnessing the dance between light and shadow on the glacier below me and slowly losing my fingers and nose to the cold will be something that will stay with me for a very long time.
Capturing Sunrise in the Écrins:
When I wasn’t breaking through the crust and sinking to my knees, I was attempting to maintain enough traction to make it to the next rock outcrop. This carried on for another 20 minutes or so until we found a steep gully to climb which brought us up to the ridge and on to a beautiful scramble towards the summit as Dawn was breaking.
Summer Tales From Norway
It was as I sunk up to my knees in the snow for the third time that I realised I may have messed up. Sure enough, I got to the lakes with time to spare before sunset, however the frozen, snow covered water was unlikely to thaw in the hour I had to spare.
Filling The Soul Cup
Gently touching down and letting my wing fall behind me, I turn, take a huge breath, look back up the valley, smell the early morning dew, smile the smile of The Cheshire Cat and feel the pride of knowing I did that on my own and its mine alone to indulge in.
Go West: Exploring Ireland’s Stunning West Coast
A couple of days later, I took a drive out to Downpatrick Head in Co. Mayo. I wasn’t sure what to expect as the weather was pretty abysmal. A night in my van had me wondering whether I’d still be where I had parked when I woke, such was the deluge. Morning arrived and the rain had thankfully eased but the sea definitely looked a little fuller. Either that or the tide was in, it was definitely one of the two.
Weathering the Storm: Part 2
The next few hours were a haze of friends leaning over me, MRI scans, doctors and nurses coming and going, more visits from friends, catheter wars and then sleep. When I came too finally and was a little more lucid, I struck up a friendship with denial.
Photographing Iceland’s Midnight Sun
So hot was it that as the rain poured down, my back was drenched whilst my front dried. I stood for a long time watching, listening and being completely mesmerised by what was happening. It was a truly humbling experience to witness first hand the raw power of nature and to literally see a new landscape being formed.
Lose The Ego
If someone chooses to make an ill thought out decision, or reduce their margin for error to none, then I guess within an unregulated ‘sport’ that is their prerogative…