preloder

Borders

 

Album background

That’s to say the Scottish Borders in the Eyemouth / Dunbar area, the land of my father’s and an area that, whilst visited on a yearly basis when I was younger, I’ve not been back to for many years until recently. Twice in 9 months now, once for my 60th with full Dougal-clan in tow and then just Mrs D, dogs and I for a holiday in May 2019.

It was really only during that most recent trip that I got a proper chance to take photos (albeit there are a handful from Summer 2018) but, in true perverse style, the weather decided to throw a complete curve-ball; unrelenting clear blue skies for almost the whole week, the likes of which I cannot recall ever experiencing before up there – it is the East coast of Scotland after all!

Despite this, it is my humble opinion that I achieved a ‘set’ of photos that are very much ‘up there’ for me, happily mixing ICM, conventional, colour and black and white shots. To me it all hangs together and really represents what is actually a stunning part of the world, all condensed into a pretty small area.

It follows that this area is special to me, half my roots run there, and maybe that helped inspire me when I was taking the photos.

In terms of a few of the specific places that feature in this album it seems right to say a little something:

  • The Monynut River – these conventional B&W shots (from 2018) are especially for my daughter Kirsty; this is one of her favourite places, harking back to when she first went there some near-20 odd years ago. She was as excited to go there in 2018 as she was when she was about ten and that makes it very special to me as well.
  • Pease Bay – covered both in 2018 (conventional B&W shots which could probably be subtitled ‘one rock and some surfers’) and more recently in my ICM style, both from the beach itself and from the cliffs above (via the stunning John Muir Way that follows the coastline). My album homage to my dogs also features a few of them taken (ICM-style) on this beach and, personally, I absolutely love those.
  • Eyemouth – where my Dad is from and, despite its now slightly run-down feel, a place I feel truly at one with; everywhere I go there has echoes and memories from my childhood. There are a few photos (ICM-style) of Armitage Street which has a particular pull being where my wonderful ‘Aunt’ Bell lived, a woman of such character, humour and fortitude that I still remember her and her little one-room home vividly. The photos are my homage to her.
  • Cove Harbour – an absolute treasure of a place and somewhere that now means so much to Debra and I. The fact that we often had it to ourselves makes it all the more remarkable. It features in a lot of the photos (all styles), both from above (looking towards Thorntonloch and the power station from John Muir Way) and from down in the harbour itself.

 

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