Birsay cairn built by fairy folk? These mysterious constructions can be found throughout the island of Mainland, and I would love to photograph them all! Location: Orkney, Scotland (more…)
Inside the Broch of Gurness is an elegantly curved staircase dating from somewhere between 500 BC and 100 AD. People lived here and fought off attacks on the remote island of Mainland (Orkney), where the known world mainly comprised Norway to the north and Scotland and England to the south. (more…)
Vital details for the reconstruction of Palmyra are contained in every photo taken before the ancient city’s destruction by ISIS in 2015. For that reason, I’ve contributed a number of photographs to a collection set up by France’s National Museum of Archeology. Very proud to play a small role in the restoration process. This collection is also part of Souvenirs Sites Éternels, an exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. (more…)
The Birsay Whalebone is a vertebra of a vast and long dead mammal from the front. From the back it’s a bird of prey zoning in on its next meal. For me, its twin aspects are both repellent and enthralling. Located on Mainland, Orkney, I know that all paths will lead to Birsay when I return there in January.
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The ruins of Elgin Cathedral, an abandoned and hauntingly beautiful place.
Location: Moray, Scotland
Ring of Brodgar, the modern version. The real thing is about five minutes walk over to the right.
Location: Mainland, Orkney, Scotland (more…)
Is this the sword of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland? Or just a particularly evocative beachcombing find?
The fact is that photography is all about looking and finding, and sometimes you come up with things that are totally unexpected.
Location: Fahy Beach, County Mayo, Ireland
A leprechaun mini megalith built for little people on an Irish beach.
I’ve seen full scale versions that haven’t been a patch on this one for style and presence.
Location: County Mayo, Ireland. Photo taken with Hipstamatic
Cairns are traditionally markers to define distance or warn foolhardy sailors of the rocks beneath the ocean’s waves. This one – near the neolithic Tomb of the Eagles in Orkney – is quite possible modern. Its anonymous maker has sought a balance between order and the chaos of broken shards of stone, much like the work of the artists Andy Goldworthy and Richard Long. For me photographically, chaos is all around; order is how I try to make it sing.
Location: Isbister, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland
Ancient Egyptian emerging from the shadows of Sehel, a Nubian island near Aswan. These boulders are engraved with countless inscriptions. Everywhere you turn there are new wonders to behold! (more…)
