northern horizons: B-Roll - part 2 (Chapters 14 - 26.)
The Cuillin, chapter 14: Skye Running
While researching, writing and photographing the routes included in Northern Horizons, I remember reflecting on the stats noted by Gordon Stainforth in his book, The Cuillin. He recorded a total of 150 days on the hill, 115 rolls of film shot, the use of five cameras including medium format Hasselblad and Fuji rangefinders, and no less than eight lenses. I could neither carry such equipment while running, nor justify its expense, never mind dedicate such an amount of time to any single mountain range.
Stefan Bramwell on Beinn Eighe, chapter 18: Running with Giants
Many of Stainforth’s images of The Cuillin remain without equal to my mind - it is a book which has inspired countless climbers - and far from being merely a collection of technically superior images, it is one which clearly illustrates a man’s connection with the wild mountains of Skye. The statistics meanwhile, illustrate just as clearly, the challenges that accompany those intent on photographing not just the hills, but the activities of those drawn to them.
Slioch, chapter 26: Unfinished Business
Once again, I wondered whether I had not in fact grossly underestimated the enormity of trying to illustrate Northern Horizons alone. And, having started out believing I had a good selection of shots from previous trips, I was soon appalled at the scarcity of useable images in my collection. More disheartening still was the number of shots among those later shortlisted, that I knew simply weren’t right for one reason or another.
Normal summer conditions in the Outer Hebrides, chapter 21: The Short List
As the project progressed, the writing took precedent - images were processed, saved and filed meanwhile, but only once the manuscript was finalised did the real work on the layout and image selection begin. Deziree - an editor of exceptional skill - had proved invaluable while writing. And now Gino, a designer with an eye for those images that complemented the narrative, offered similar counsel, with many more images discarded along the way. Some of those are included here…
