Lewis and Harris PhotOgraphy by bruce cairns, june 2015
The island of Lewis and Harris forms part of the Outer Hebrides, off the north west coast of Scotland. I had never been there before this visit in 2015.
This is a photographic story of my visit, in chronological order. It's an attempt to make some sort of sense of my photographs, which are varied - the best connection that I can find between them comes from the chronology and flow of the trip.
I am familiar with some of the other Hebridean islands, and had done some reading before the trip, so I had an idea of what to expect.
I was on a one-to-one workshop in the company of my friend Tom Mackie - a leading professional landscape photographer who knows the islands well.
Flying in to the little airport at Stornoway, I was struck by the beauty of the island from the air. That was only a small taster - the place is quite stunning. It ranges from beautiful unspoilt beaches to craggy coastline and sea stacks, and from typical highland scenery to the ancient boulder fields of Harris that reminded me of a massive builder's yard.
Waterfall
We passed this waterfall every day during our time in Lewis.
Obviously, we had no choice but to photograph it.
Blackhouses
The islands are well-known for their traditional blackhouses. The design apparently dates from several thousand years ago.
We went to the Blackhouse Village at Gerrannan, Lewis, which is well worth a visit.
The next few images were made on and around a beach on the west coast of Lewis.
I wonder who made the little cairn in this next image - and why?
Beaches, rocks and long exposures
Lewis beaches - at times we had blue skies, fluffy clouds and rolling waves. The cliffs, rocks and sea stacks are prominent features.
A photographer can spend hours (as we did) making long exposures.
Timsgarry and Uig Bay
On Lewis, we stayed at Tuimisgearraidh (Timsgarry) on the west coast. The following five images were made around there.
Derelict boat, Lewis
I love old wooden boats that have been left to disintegrate gracefully. There are many of them on the coasts of Scotland.
I think they help to tell a story of the history of the place where their owners lived and worked. This boat is a real beauty, in my eyes.
Sea Stacks
Sea stacks abound on the west coast of Lewis
Uig Bay in the rain
It was raining heavily when we started to drive away from Timsgarry. We then saw this scene.
Being photographers, and therefore masochistic when there is an opportunity to get a shot, we then got out of the car in the pouring rain to take photographs of this scene ...
Harris
Harris and Lewis are, geographically, the same island, joined near the small town of Tarbert. I understand that all the places called Tarbert (or variants) in Scotland are related to a narrow isthmus.
"The tide was out, and the sands of Luskentyre glowed silver ... They never ceased to take his breath away. Ringed by hills to the south, the mountains of North Harris, and the peaks of Taransay to the west, beyond all that simmering turquoise, he wondered if there could be any more beautiful spot on earth". Peter May, from his novel Coffin Road
I had been looking forward to seeing the famous Luskentyre sands - and I wasn't disappointed. It's a huge and spectacular beach, with wonderful views in all directions, including to the island of Taransay which dominates the view to the west. I would love to spend at least a week there, photographing the constantly changing sea, clouds, light and storms.