Six Months in the Outer Hebrides
It’s been a while since my last blog update so i thought i would share some thoughts & news with you.
The 20th June saw us mark six months living on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. We spent the day visiting our local beach, Dalbeg and then headed up to Port of Ness for sunset. The cloud was quite heavy and the day had been pretty miserable from a weather point of view but we wanted to head out regardless and reflect on our time on the island so far. As we approached Port of Ness a small gap in the cloud revealed the silhouetted mountains of Assynt on the mainland, it was the first time that a break in the cloud had allowed us to see the view across. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, maybe this was knowing that we are finally settled, enjoying a way of life that previously we had only spoken about, maybe it was memories of our travels to the North of Scotland and the calm time we always felt away from our busy lives. The evening turned out to be nothing special, the waves were relatively flat, drizzle filled the air & the light was all but gone except for a faint hint in the gap of cloud. I took my camera out of the bag and used the long lens looking across to the mainland to make a photograph just to mark the occasion and remember this moment in time.
Six month on since we boarded the ferry and made a permanent one way sailing from Ullapool and we can honestly say that it was & still is the best thing we’ve ever done. I know that for many the dream would be to live in a place that makes them happy, a place that fills the soul, energises creativity and enhances wellbeing. We know that we are extremely lucky and are grateful and thankful everyday. Waking up, opening the curtains and looking out every morning to the mountain and croft land with sheep grazing opposite, hearing the sound of the ocean roar from the garden really does fill the soul. I know that I have mentioned in a previous blog post that is wasn’t an easy decision to make, the risks felt huge, leaving family & friends even further away felt scary and the “what if’s” a constant thorn. The reality is that we experienced the worst in losing both parents in just over two & a half years, Dad in 2018 and mum in 2020 during the pandemic. We both went through redundancy shortly after and at the time fought hard to keep our positions within the corporate world. After being successful in the selection process, an opportunity for Max with work saw us relocate to Aberdeenshire where I suppose we had time to reflect on how the last couple of years had changed us, knowing even more so that you get one opportunity at life to live. Discovering the Outer Hebrides helped to heal, helped us to have an opportunity to experience and enjoy a new way of life. I hope that our family & friends and for anyone visiting the Island will also experience the same feelings.
We’re now into July, nothing much feels different weather wise, summer still hasn’t arrived although the garden is blooming which is nice to see. The bare trees that swayed in the winds over winter now boast abundant green leaves and home to many garden birds, the hedges are full & filled with glorious small flowers which adds colour & life. Just recently we haven’t seen much of the sun, white out skies and rainy days have dominated but warmer weather surely has to be on the way at some point? What does feel very different is us, the last six months have been very kind to us and were already looking forward to the next six.
News…..
We launched Coastal Creations earlier this year, offering 1-2-1 tuition and small group workshops also teaming up with Visit Outer Hebrides and Isle20 now Scottish Island Gifts. Since then we have also launched our own Podcast Coastal Creations where we chat with other photographers & creatives twice a month. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know people, learning about their journey, how they found photography and what benefits it provides them with, how the process of heading out with the camera has helped them to heal or find a focus in life. We’ve already spoken with some truly inspirational guests and look forward to hearing more.
We were also very kindly invited to chat with the incredibly talented Mali Davies Photography on his Podcast - Lets Talk Mali is someone we have admired for many years so it was an absolute honour to have the opportunity to chat with him.
Over the last few days we’ve taken the opportunity to revamp the website and add some recent work to the gallery & shop. We’re offering a variety of sizes and finishes to prints to provide more choice when ordering. The website will always be a work in progress with changes and tweaks here and there as we grow & develop.
Even more exciting is that we are extremely excited & proud to have produced & launched our first photography book, featuring images of the Isle of Harris & Lewis Coastline. Rugged, wild weather, big skies and of course beautiful beaches. We hope you enjoy the book as much as we have enjoyed the experience of being out with the camera creating. With huge thanks to Mali Davies for the inspiration & belief.
Last but by no means least, we are both very proud to have been invited to join the Women Photographers UK team. A place where females in photography are supported, their work is shared and creatives spotlighted. We are looking forward to being involved, seeing & sharing, being inspired and motivated.
We hope everyone is well and taking good care, thank you for your continued support, it means the world to us both. Adele & Max x