The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

St. ANDREWS:

We vowed to spend at least one night a month away from our house, and November was quickly passing.  We decided on a short week-end to the ancient university town of St. Andrews, just an hour-and-a-half away. We stopped at one of the great features of the Scottish highways, the Farm Store, for some stocking up of breads, cheeses, and chutneys.

St. Andrews is another amazing old Scottish town.  In addition, it is the home of St. Andrews University (celebrating its 600th yea, as well as having the title of "the home of golf" with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club just at the edge of town. For a small town it has a lot to see and do . . . including some pretty good shopping.

St. Andrews is a wonderful walking around town.  Great winter light and deep shadows.

The main thoroughfare runs down to the university and has some fine churches.

This is the tower of Holy Trinity at St. Andrews University.

There is a great collection of fanciful architecture befitting a great university town.

This old dwelling is cracked from top to bottom, but there are iron stays holding it together.  Ah, student housing!

I wandered the dark, shady, photogenic medieval lanes in search of the textures Time had left behind.

Beautiful scenes were not hard to find.

The days are very short here in northern Scotland, so the light is always low and weak on the stone houses.

I love capturing "Wall History Portraits."

A new twist on the old concept of watch dog.

St. Andrews was not built yesterday.  It was built by The Freemasons a long time ago. 1561 was the date on this still occupied house.

We currently enjoy living in a stone house from the 1880s In Aberdeen, but my dream is to live in a 500 year old stone house some day.

A persistent theme among my photographic interests is Old Doors.  I find them powerful images of transition - from outside to inside - from inside to outside.  The threshold.

I zig-zagged back and forth across St. Andrews' small streets and suddenly found myself at the sea side.

St. Andrews Castle ruins.  There has been a castle on this site since 1189 and has played prominent roles in Scottish history many times . . . and was destroyed many times

My wanderings eventually lead me to the ancient ruins I had been seeking.

There is no shortage of ancient ruins in St. Andrews.  In fact, there are so many ruins that at some point the city fathers decided that the quickest route from A to B was right through an ancient chapel!  I have not seen this kind of thing since Luxor in Egypt.

Rounding the next corner I was surprised by something out of a Hieronymus Bosch painnting! A surrealistic architectural structure:  The complex of ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral (circa 1158).

Imagine what this must have looked like before it was abandoned in 1561 and left to collapse at the end of the 16th century.

The St. Andrews Cathedral ruins site in the fading light.

Restoration and preservation of the site did not commence until 1826, even though most of the stones and features had long since been carted away.

The original magnificence of St. Andrews Cathedral can only be guessed at.

The wall that surrounds the St. Andrews Cathedral is lined with crypts and inscriptions.

There were many great men interred here. . . . including the logician and literary historian, William Spalding (born in Aberdeen in 1809).  I vowed to remember him and read one of his books.

Centuries of inclement weather have worn these gun slots in peculiar ways.

One way to be remembered.  This likeness was on a crypt . . . but there was no name.

I don't know why wandering around an 900 year old grave yard is so interesting.

A cold and fine afternoon with steep, sharp light on the many surprising views.

The old cathedral church yard with view to the old town.  So quaint . . . so Scotland.

St. Andrews Cathedral must have been a wondrous place before it fell.

On these giant footings sat massive columns that held the vaulted roof aloft.

I enjoyed playing around with all the possibilities of framing my photos.

An endless contrast between the fading sun and the grey winter shadows enveloped the entire grave yard.

After post-processing many images I finally realized that this light was ideal for black and white photography.

I spent over an hour inside the St. Andrews Cathedral 'church yard' . . .  it was time to leave.  I joined the other 10+ tourist photographers for my chance to take this must-have shot.  But which shot to take . . .

. . . perhaps THIS is the ultimate St. Andrews Cathedral ruins photo . . . or maybe . . . .

. . . no, this is the ultimate view . . .

I know I will be back.  Time to walk around town before the light fades altogether.

I wanted to find the University of St. Andrews, celebrating it's 600th birthday!

I love university campuses anyway . . . they are an island outside of the contemporary, meant to make meaning.  St. Andrews University did not disappoint.

Stunning architecture and Autumn light and color.

Autumn light!

I returned to our B&B via the sea view route.  The sea is always present in St. Andrews . . . as is The Castle.

Wonderful old university structures along the coast.

Let us not forget that St. Andrews is equally famous for it's title of "home of golf" with the world's oldest golf course just at the edge of town.

I was surprised to see such a wonderful stretch of beach adjacent to the golf course.

People everywhere love walking on the beach at sunset.

I rendezvoused with my wife at a pub around the corner from St. Andrew's Golf Course.  It was filled with memorabilia from the many "Open Championships" held here.  But the crowd was not interested in golf . . . this was a rugby day and the New Zealand All Blacks were playing England on the television.  Everyone was rooting for the Kiwis and against England!  I left my camera at the B&B and we went on to a wonderful evening out at a fabulous restaurant.

The next morning I woke before first light to see the town at sunrise.

I walked along the seaside path as the sun rose over the North Sea.

I was greeted with an exquisite sunrise from the end of the old St. Andrews jetty.

As the morning light expanded, the marshes leading to the boat basin came into view as the tide rose.

I was the only person outside to see this new dawn.

Many fishermen stood around waiting for the tide to rise enough to free their boats for the day's labor.

Some of the fishermen began to load their crab pots into their teetering boats.

It was very pretty here . . . I could have stayed all day . . .  but we had plans for the day.

I walked back to our B&B fast, only taking a few photos . . . like this ivy covered cottage . . . completely archetypical. I was hungry.

 OK . . . I couldn't resist a few more photo of thi wonderful and ancient village . . .

Just before `i rounded the corner to our B&B I took this photo . . . it says everythig about St. Andrews: stately, substanntial, and beautiful.

At last the Nathan Guest House.  I went in and joined my wife for a fabuluus breakfast, then packed up for the drive to Sterling.  I promised my wife we wold drive straight there withut stopping, so no photos of the country roads . . .

STERLING CASTLE:

Sterling Castle sits atop a hill with commanding views of the surrounding valley. [The tower on a far hill is the Wallace Monument.]

At first we did not realize we were in the presence of such a great and historic castle.  I was infatuated with the details . . .

As the mist swirled around us, Sterling Castle came into view.  Incredible.  The archetypical castle.

Sterling Castle.  The swirling mist changed the lighting on the castle surfaces every second.

We walked around on the castle's outer defences . . . taking in the grandeur.

The weak, low winter light on the surfaces lent an air of mystery.

THE Perfect Castle!

Castle and morning mist-shrouded tree.

We entered the castle through several arched openings.

Sterling Castle gate.

What would we find inside?

Sterling Castle is not a castle that was abandoned and then restored.  It is a living castle with all of its original features still intact . . . a very rare find.

Looking back out of the gates.  The optical illusion here is interesting . . . Just how large are these stairs on the right?

The oversized stairs led who-knows-where.  I am so attracted to these castle doors and stairs: where do they lead?  What mysteries are to be found beyond?

The morning ground fog came and went.  The interior courtyards were breathtaking.  This is not a movie set, or a Disney creation, this is a real castle.

We walked though one of those doors and came out on the outer defensive ramparts of Sterling Castle.  The castle-on-a-hill rose above the fog in the valley below.  Wonderful.

Medieval view from the castle.

This would have been better as a movie clip: the fog strands and wisps were moving quickly below the castle.

We were transfixed by the ever-changing fog below the castle.

The fog sifted through the autumnal trees on the slopes of the castle mound.

After a half hour of drop jawed revelry at the view, we entered Sterling Castle proper through this inconspicuous side door.

Our back door entrance led to a Great Room.  The Scottish Historical Trust provided historians in period costumes . . . and period consciousness, like this guy who stayed in 16th century character no matter what I asked.

I have never really been this close to an authentic set of knight's armor.

The Queen's bed in the . . . .

Queen's Chamber.

The Queen's Chamber was right off the Throne Hall.

The Throne in the Throne Hall (where else?).

Sterling Castle Throne.

Sterling Castle Throne Chair (SCTC).

Another Sterling Castle Middle Ages sage actor.

We left the main castle building for the courtyard . . . where we marveled at the architectural detail.  Who designs this stuff?

The castle chapel was across the courtyard.

The chapel was a lovely structure.

The castle chapel door was a thing of beauty.  We opened this door and went inside.

Tall windows on one side brightly lit the ox blood yellow walls.

The chapel interior was austere.

. . . beautiful color, light and shadow in the Sterling Castle Chapel interior.

The chapel abuts another throne room.  This particular plastered and painted structure was left as is to demonstrate how the entire castle was finished at one time.  Later Kings and Queens favored the bare stone.

Gargoyles, angles, and saints festooned most of the roofing eves.

We spent a wonderful morning in Sterling Castle . . . and left through the cobbled central courtyard.

Cannon emplacements still ring the castle (and were next to the gift shop!).

I would not want to be on the other end of one of these . . . .

Robert The Bruce defeated the British in 1307 and is celebrated in Scotland.

As is always the case in the UK, there are monuments to fallen soldiers of past wars.

We passed by the Wallace Monument on our way out of Sterling . . . at Sterling Bridge.

We did not climb up to the Wallace Monument (folly).

We were sorry to have to leave Sterling.  The weather had been very cold (2c), but the sky was brilliant, and the clouds were constantly giving us a beautiful vision. Our drive back to Aberdeen took us on the small country lanes and was rather uneventful . . . until we realized we were almost out of fuel!  We found a Shell station with only vapors in the tank!