*Getting re-acquainted - The Old Man of Storr, January 2026*

The Isle of Skye was where my infatuation with the Highlands and Islands of Northwest Scotland all began. My first visit was back in February 2013 - it was my first ever holiday to Scotland and it felt incredibly remote and beautiful. The weather was perfect - clear blue skies, freezing temperatures and a snow covered Cuillin Ridge. I was blown away - after years of travelling all over the world, across 6 continents, I couldn’t believe such beauty and wildness was just a 10 hour drive away!

Over the next few years we made the journey up to Skye every new year, staying in a freezing cold wigwam in the era before ‘glamping’. It leaked like a sieve but was just £15 a night! We had some amazing day’s up in the hills and along the coast, and some incredible nights to not remember on the Whisky's at the Old Inn in Carbost. I considered Skye to be a photographers paradise, and spent half the year planning an itinerary of locations to visit and conditions I’d like to experience. Most of these plans didn’t come off, not least because December always seemed to be wet, wild and windy. But it’s fair to say that Skye was a significant bedrock in my landscape photography foundations.

January 03, 2015 Skye and Glencoe1042-Edit.jpg

WhatsApp Image 2026-02-21 at 10.52.15.jpeg

Memories of early trips to Skye - it’s good to look back at those early images, not least to appreciate how much I’ve improved as a photographer since then!

Fast forward a few years, and those annual new year trips to Skye were no longer guaranteed. The Island had gotten busier, our favourite spots were becoming crowded. Accommodation was getting expensive. And whilst Skye had been the gateway drug, our Scotland addiction had led us to discover the rest of the Northwest - The Outer Hebrides, Torridon and Assynt were our new favourites, and our Scotland itch was scratched elsewhere.

*A favourite image from a favourite location - This shot of Elgol has been included in the Gallery collection since day one and has proven very popular with customers.*

Fast forward a few years, and our Scotland addiction had gotten well out of hand. We spent a disproportionate amount of time driving up and down the A9. We completed all 124 hours and 56 minutes of the Harry potter audiobook series in no time at all, listening in the car and campervan on our way up and down the country. However, the list of potential photography locations had changed - it was no longer the honey pot locations and guidebook regulars that were on the hit list, but mountain tops and remote beaches where the chances of bumping into other photographers were slim. And Skye had well and truly lost its attraction for me as a photography location. Indeed, when we moved to the highlands and made Lochccarron our home in 2022, my perception of Skye had changed to something purely functional - we crossed the bridge onto the Island so we could visit the vets in Broadford, or have an easy day out with a guaranteed awe factor for visiting family.

Over the years Skye had lost it’s allure as a ‘serious’ photography location - but it was still an amazing place to visit and show off my ‘backyard’ to visiting friends and family !

Fast forward to late 2025, and a decision was made to double down on making the Gallery side of our business work as hard as possible (this decision making process will be detailed in a future blog post - watch this space!). I could no longer ignore the fact that the majority of my photography from Skye did not meet the high standards I’d set myself since my passing hobby had become an obsession and profession. I only had a few images from the Island that I was satisfied enough with to include in the gallery collection. Thankfully, those few pictures made for excellent prints and proved very popular with customers. Nevertheless, it was clear to me that I needed to increase the breadth and quality of my work from Skye to meet the demands of our customer base. After all, a huge proportion of people visiting the gallery are passing through on their way to or from the Island.

3 popular squares that have performed well in the gallery over the years

A plan was hatched to re-acquaint myself with the photographic possibilities of the Island, and inevitably that meant visiting some of the honey pot locations I’d spent years actively avoiding. At the same time, I was keen to approach the task with some self imposed ‘ethics’ in mind - Yes, I would shoot the cliche locations. But I would also seek to capture some unique images of the Island in harder to reach locations and in optimal lighting and weather conditions. I felt like this would provide a healthy balance that would be reflected in the work produced - after all, I wanted to capture images that were definitively mine, even in such well known locations.

*The famous waterfalls at Sligachan on what was my first dedicated Photography trip to Skye in many years, November 2025*

Thankfully, it’s been an incredibly productive, enjoyable and rewarding experience. I’ve been exceptionally lucky with the weather conditions and had some fantastic company along the way. I’ve produced some work that I’m very proud of, and I have well and truly re-connected with Skye as a world class photography location. Indeed, I’m kicking myself for ignoring the Island for so long!

I now have the beginnings of a body of work from Skye that I can be proud to print and display in the gallery. I also have the motivation and desire to return to the Island and continue to build my Skye portfolio. Perhaps most importantly I’ve learnt to be less precious with myself about visiting locations that happen to be popular with other photographers.

Here is a small selection of work produced on Skye over the last few months.

Back to the beginning…..a return to Skye

Print of the Month - February 2026