I took Sharon on her first trip to Scotland in 2013, and together we had our first taste of the Isle of Skye. We returned on our next trip in 2017, as we had been completely captivated by the place. Both times, we stayed at The White Heather, a B&B in Kyleakin, the former site of the ferry landing before the construction of the Skye Bridge, which opened in 1995. On this day, with the changeable Scottish weather on display, I walked from the B&B about a hundred feet to shoot some images of both Castle Moil, on the other side of the harbor, and the gathering clouds over Loch Alsh.
While there was precipitation far off in the distance, the area directly in front of me was a mix of clouds and sunlight breaking through, illuminating patches of land and water.
Once back home in front of the computer, the drama of the clouds—with their tones ranging from almost white to nearly black—made it clear that this image would work best in black and white. At a recent showing, a collector asked if it wouldn’t be better without the small boat in the lower left center.
I told him I thought it worked great, both for scale and for including a human element in the scene. I assured him that if I had thought otherwise, the boat wouldn’t be there. After all, I’m not a photojournalist.
This image also illustrates a great quote from when a 15-year-old Steven Spielberg met legendary film director John Ford. Ford told him, “When you come to the conclusion that putting the horizon at the bottom or the top of the frame is a lot better than putting it in the middle, then you may someday make a good picture-maker. Now get out of here!”
