The Scottish Highlands (feat. Suilven) 

Hello, fellow travellers and photo enthusiasts!

I'm thrilled to welcome you to a community where landscapes and cityscapes are more than just images—they're stories, emotions, and memories. My name is Colin Scott, and my journey here has been anything but ordinary. In years gone by, I wore an Army uniform and a stethoscope together, before navigating and enjoying the complex world of civilian UK General Practice. I then wanted (needed) to do something different, so to the surprise of most people, I chose an entirely different path — distilling gin. However, the twists and turns of that venture under influences beyond my control (i.e. COVID-19 - which shredded the business plan only 72 hours after the still was commissioned), set the stage for my rebirth into another passion: travel and landscape photography.

Florence

[An image taken whilst doctoring but rescued  for display here by new-found skills]

The Call to Adventure

My work as a doctor was truly rewarding. The clinical challenges posed by General Practice and my love of training junior doctors gave me a job that was second to none. At the same time, it was personally draining with the ever mounting administrative pressures imposed  in tandem with relentless budget cuts. So, although this was my hard-won profession, deep within, a different call beckoned to do something creative. This call led me to launch a gin business, a dream driven by a desire to craft a classic London Dry Gin that would stand against all comers as well as wanting to enjoy the challenge of developing modern flavours that would give joy to people in a completely new way. By virtue of winning two European medals, we seemed to be making good progress.

The Brandenburg Gate

[We would visit Germany at Christmas time for the Markets - Berlin or Köln - after our time in (West) Germany as it was then]

Trials and Tribulations

As exhilarating as it was to dive into the world of gin, the journey was fraught with challenges. The difficulties imposed by COVID-19 created previously unmet complexities in the spirits market and our new businesses endured financial and marketing pressures greater than established ones. It gradually became clear that I was fighting an uphill battle in a turbulent industry. The struggle left me contemplating my path, searching for a way to reclaim my passion for life and purpose.

The Aga Khan Mausoleum at the First Cataract of the Nile

[Taken just days after having to leave the Gin business - the solitude of The Nile was enormously comforting at a difficult time]

The Rescue: A Lens for a New Life

It was during this turbulent time that my old love for photography rekindled. I had been captivated from childhood by the magic of photography, seeing my Dad enjoy capturing images and although he always seemed to be 100 yards behind us, (tour guides and family both going bananas!) he always seemed laser focused and even as a youngster I could somehow understand his equanimity and the need to create his own pace.

By now it wasn’t just a hobby—it became something special. Choosing to invest in some serious training, I pushed myself to increase two things - firstly to improve my "keeper ratio" (the number of “keeper” photos compared to the number of photos taken on any one shoot) and secondly developing a photography style that gave my images the “WOW…!" factor. (I now have three photography heroes from the past 10 years and I will give them a shout out very soon.)

So photography turned things around and gave me a new sense of purpose, a way to express myself and connect with the world.

New York skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge

[This was the make or break trip - could I get  some WOW...! photographs and significantly "up my keeper ratio"]

Time Travel

Through my lens, I discovered another way to be creative having enjoyed the thrill of creating gin flavours. Landscapes and cityscapes have always been my thing. Even looking at the photos I took as a child, my subjects were always vistas and rarely people! My Dad had taught me a lot about taking photographs, but the most important thing I learnt from him was that a photograph should never require an explanation, it should talk on its own.

No explanation needed here....!

[Another rescue image from holidays of old]

So with my newfound skills, I started to look through my viewfinder in a different way as well as using my newly discovered post-processing skills to look at previously taken images with new eyes. The old images I took of the mountains in the Scottish Highlands a few years ago started to come to life, whilst the recent hustle and bustle of New York in 2023 came to life through my lens like never before. Recently too, standing in the glorious golden hour of sunset on the idyllic Santorini cliffs, I felt an excitement never felt previously. 

To me this is the essence of "The Highlands" 

[Taken in October 2017 - Story to follow in a blog post of its own!]

Crossing the Threshold

This transformative journey from military medicine to civilian life to gin and finally to photography, continues to be an incredible adventure. I created this website not just to share my ongoing evolution, but in the hope of inviting you to embark on a photographic adventure with me. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a curious beginner, I hope to humbly share a small number of photographic tips, techniques, and inspiration that come from taking images in some fun places and finding beauty in the world anew. However I also hope to share more useful and practical non-photographic tips and ideas about the places to which I have travelled, from food to public transport and everything in between!

[One of hundreds taken in the golden hour and blue hour - all different.....]

Share Your Stories

This space isn’t just about my journey; it’s about ours. I encourage you to join me to share your own photos, stories, and experiences. Let’s build a community that inspires and supports each other in our quest to capture the world’s beauty, one photo at a time.

Thank you for being here at the start of something special. Let’s embark on this visual journey together and see the world through many different lenses.

Happy traveling and happy shooting!

Warm regards,

Colin

Jet-lagged and desperate not to miss the sunset after landing just 3 hours previously, I pretty much ran from W24th Street to  the water, choosing to aim for the Manhattan Bridge for no other reason than it was closer - I made it just in time...!