Boat Bow, Islay – Rustic Wooden Boat Photograph from Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, Kodachrome Film

A Weathered Welcome to Islay

This image was made just moments after I rolled off the ferry at Port Askaig on the Scottish island of Islay (pronounced eye-luh), the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides. I was there on a self-assigned fine art project—part of my effort to expand beyond my commercial oil and gas photography work in Houston.

An Unscripted Discovery in Port Askaig

Before I even made it across the island to my hotel, I stopped in my tracks. A weathered wooden boat rested quietly in dry dock, its bow angled just so, ropes trailing off to one side, the surface textured by sea air and time. The composition formed itself: lines, textures, and faded tones all converging naturally.

Shot on Classic Kodachrome Film

I reached for my camera and exposed a few frames of Kodachrome. The film rendered the scene with the perfect color palette—deep, weathered wood tones contrasted by soft maritime blues and sun-bleached grays. The result is an image steeped in atmosphere and authenticity.

The First Sign I Was in the Right Place

Though I eventually made it to the legendary Lagavulin Distillery the next day, this quiet, unplanned moment was my true welcome to Islay. The creak of the dock, the smell of salt air, the low hum of the harbor—all of it lives on in this frame.

Available in a Limited Edition of 15, with 2 Artist Proofs.