Sometimes in my quest to find beautiful landscapes to photograph I find myself trying to exclude all signs of human life or evidence that we were ever there. It’s as if I was ashamed of the impact we as humans are having on the wild places in the UK. But should we feel like this, well, at times I would definitely say yes, but there are times I would say no and this is one of those times.

On a trip to Brae of Achnahaird I found myself looking out of the window each morning to an amazing view, truly stunning. No two mornings were a like. The lighting constantly changed and was amazing to watch.

It was then I noticed that as well as the beautiful mountains & sweeping vistas, it was also the little details that made me feel like we were part of the landscape rather than detracting from it. The white painted homes, the long haired cattle and even the barbed wire that glistened with dew on the chilly morning. The dry stone walls looked like sculptures aged over time and acted as refuge for the insects that in turn fed the robin that frequented the garden.

Squadrons of sparrows would fly overhead looking for the next man made island to land on and search for food amongst the veg gardens and flowers. It really felt that Brae of Achnahaird and it’s people are at one with the landscape, so why would I want to exclude all this from a landscape photograph…. well, I wouldn’t and I didn’t. I ignored the requests to remove the fences, stone wall and barbed wire, without them the character is lost, the character I love and keeps me coming back.

So here we have it, one of the best morning views you can ever want to see and all from a comfortable armchair in Brae of Achnahaird. It proves landscape photography isn’t just about the landscape, it’s also about showing how we live in and care for it.

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