I first visited the Isle of Harris in 2008 whilst I was still working as a photography tutor at the University of the West of England in Bristol. During this first visit it became very apparent to me just how special a location it was. From a photographic perspective, there were simply endless creative possibilities. In the years that followed I returned to the island again and again, building up a collection of images and exploring different locations, until it became very difficult to leave. My partner and I decided to seriously investigate the possibility of moving to the island permanently and with help from new friends on the island and our own research we did just that in May 2013. In June the following year we finally opened Hebscape Gallery where at last I could display my work surrounded by beautiful views of north Harris.

Trying to describe what motivates you creatively is never an easy task. It is not something you really consciously consider until you’re forced to think about it. All the photography books I have read over the years advise that you develop your own unique style. I am drawn to so many different types of images (colour, monochrome, macro, abstract, mixed media and digital painting) that I have always found this difficult to achieve. I decided in the end to just accept that I am more of a photographic based ‘image maker’ than a landscape photographer. Regardless of the style, if I can create an image I feel proud of then it gives me a sense of fulfillment that I experience doing nothing else.

If I really had to describe what I think drives me the most then it would be exploring the potential of photography to do more than simply ‘take’ a photo or ‘capture’ a moment in time. My hope is that my best work to date explores not simply the effects of ‘capturing the light’ but that it begins to consider what the light means.