​Stepping Out into the Sunshine: Three Weeks Off Social Media and Feeling Fantastic!!!

​Well, it’s been three weeks now since I decided to step away from social media, and honestly, the change has been nothing short of transformative. I wanted to share a little update because, quite frankly, I feel like a different person – and a much better one at that!!!

A couple of toggy bits......

You know that feeling when you've been eyeing up some new kit, you've done your research, and then, bam! You find it for an absolute song? That’s exactly what happened to me this week on Amazon. I’ve just taken delivery of two cracking new additions to my creative arsenal, and I thought I’d give you a quick first look.

These two gadgets couldn’t be more different, but they both scratch a major creative itch I’ve had lately: sharpening the quality and focus of my output.

A Day Among Giants: The Mystical Callanish Stones

You know, sometimes you plan a trip to a place you've seen in a book or on an album cover, and you just hope it lives up to the image in your head. For me, that place has always been the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis. Even though I did manage to get to see them some 40 years ago, being a fan of Ultravox's "Lament" album for years – and that iconic imagery – finally getting back to see them was a bit of a pilgrimage.

The Great Unwind: one week out and how I'm really "trolling the scroll"......

It's been exactly one week since I made the deliberate, philosophical choice to step away from social media, and I can say this without a shred of doubt:

it’s working.

Turning off the subscription light to Lightroom?

Okay, let's talk about something that's been bugging me for a while: photo editing software.

Specifically, the dreaded monthly subscription model that seems to have taken over everything. Now, don't get me wrong, Adobe Lightroom has been a stalwart for many, and it's got its merits. But for me, the monthly fee just feels like a constant drain, and let's not even get started on its cataloging system. Seriously, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only the haystack is full of half-edited photos you're not even sure you want to keep.

Pocket Powerhouse: A Technical Look at the Agfa Isolette I

Okay, following on from the last bloggy posty thingummybub, let's talk about a camera that seems to prove that big things really do come in small packages: the Agfa Isolette I.

Shelf Appeal: my unscripted adventure with the Lubitel 166+

There’s a special kind of thrill that comes with diving into a new photographic format. For me, that format has always been medium format. I absolutely adore the quality, the depth, and let's be honest, the glorious size of those negatives. Specifically, I've always been drawn to the square crop - a perfect 1:1 frame that forces you to compose in a completely different way.

Reclaiming My Mind and Body: Why I'm Disconnecting to Truly Connect

Today, I want to share a deeply personal decision that has been brewing in my mind and heart for quite some time. It's a choice born out of a growing sense of unease and disillusionment, and it has finally culminated in a liberating step:

The Intentional Backpack: why my minimalist kit is essential for the Scottish Highlands at sixty

There’s a certain weight to experience, and I don’t just mean the cumulative knowledge gained from years behind the camera. I mean the physical weight. The Scottish Highlands and Islands - from the serrated ridges of the Cuillins to the vast, moody expanses of the Outer Hebrides - demand effort. They require you to climb, traverse, and often scramble. For a long time, I approached these landscapes with a hefty bag, convinced that redundancy was security. I carried two DSLR bodies, five lenses, and enough accessories to open a small shop.

I bought a VERY cheap Lubitel 166B medium format 120 film camera............I don't know why!!!

There is a point in every man’s journey, particularly as one approaches the sexagenarian threshold, where the sheer accumulation of years begins to assert a non-negotiable gravitational pull. For some, this manifests as a slowing of pace; a measured, perhaps, even prudent, withdrawal from the extremes of life. For myself? It's the persistent, almost compulsive, pursuit of the sublime austerity of the Scottish wilderness. I continue to haul myself into the landscape - across all four seasons I might add, under the gamut of the Koppen climate classification, be it driving hundreds of miles in a single diurnal cycle or using my vehicle as a makeshift bivouac - all while my musculature and skeletal frame registering increasingly emphatic dissent.

Dezzy Bee............Dezzy what???!!!

Say hello to Dezzy Bee, my trusty companion and personal Crimson Highland Cruiser!!!

He's a little bright red 2012 Suzuki Swift, and honestly, he's quite the character.

Right now, Dez is the reliable little engine taking me to the most fabulous landscapes my adopted home of Scotland has to offer.

The Return: I'm Back (Don't Say I Didn't Warn You)

Okay, okay, calm yourselves.

I know.

I know!!!

So, I’m giving this whole weblog thing another proper go.

If you know me, you'll already know that I'm a notorious non-finisher, so feel free to place your bets now.

If you’ve been here before, you need to know: my life has completely changed.

We’re talking a massive shift over the last few years—a new life, new home, new country, new job, and a fantastic new wife.

That’s just for starters.