The Light Touch
•About Me
Touch the Light.....
John MacPherson
Landscape and Environmental Photography from Scotland
I was born in 1956 and have been photographing for over 20 years. I am self-taught and have no formal training in photography. I was born in Fort William, on the west coast of Scotland. On leaving school I commenced work in the shipyards in Glasgow, as a welder and gas burner, and hated it so became a carpentery and joinery apprentice and worked in the building trade for many years. I then commenced Social Work training and now work for the Social Work Dept. in Highland Council on a job-share, doing two days a week in Disability Services, and spend the rest of the time trying to be a professional stock, nature and landscape photographer.
I have undertaken B&W photography projects with some of my Social Work clients and the work has won numerous national arts awards for the participants. Photographic work I undertook for Outward Bound has been displayed at Buckingham Palace in London for HRH The Prince of Wales, as part of a display of the work of O. B. in Scotland.
I find the discipline imposed by photography both challenging and enjoyable. Spending time in a particular place and becoming tuned into the mood and atmosphere is a particular attraction, and the experience of being able to sleep (in the LandRover) right in the place I am working allows for an even greater sense of intimacy with the location. I enjoy the challenge of composition, and get a real kick out of exploring a landscape for hidden corners and subtle elements that could make an image that wee bit more interesting or arresting for the viewer.
Apart from landscapes and nature I have a real affinity for photographing people and I think it is probably the most demanding aspect of photography. You basically record 'a response to yourself' and if you are awkward, clumsy and unable to operate your camera intuitively, it will show in your pictures. Photographing people is like holding a mirror up to your ability.
I have travelled widely, to Africa and Europe, and in the USA, and cycled (on a bicycle) from San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles, California. From L.A. I rode on a Honda 175cc trail bike 12,000 miles around the USA and into Canada. I have been hit by lightning in New Mexico, hailed on by large lumps of ice, trapped by a tornado in West Texas, been locked inside a mobile home by (and with) a dog's hairdresser (male), much against my wishes (a lucky escape), caught in volcanic eruptions (Mt. St. Helen), fried in a 'Killer Heatwave' , almost been shot in Texas, and narrowly escaped being caught in a terrorist ambush in Southern Africa. The worst experience of my life was being stuck for a week in a house in Sweden one winter where the only reading material was a book of Jeffrey Archer short stories. An absolutely hellish experience, which I would not care to repeat, even if you paid me.
I enjoy running and cycling, motorcycling and skiing. I also sea kayak and enjoy wilderness camping. Scotland's west coast offers terrific opportunities for kayak exploring and wildlife watching. There are numerous seabirds, otters, whales, dolphins, orcas, and many remote beaches to camp on. I love Scotland!
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