The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

It was another cold and bleak Saturday . . . big clouds, a strong wind, and some blue sky poking through here and there.  The days are short this time of year here northeastern Scotland.  "Let's take a drive up to Huntly and see the castle this time."  "OK."  After a beautiful 40 mile drive from Abrdeen, we settled into a delicious lunch in the bar of the Gordon Arms Hotel, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

 

On our walk to Huntly Castle, my wife and I couldn't help but chuckle at this Chinese take-away.  Literally every town in Scotland, no matter how big or small, has a Chinese take-away!

 

We parked in the city center, and after a delightful lunch in the town square, and walked up the tree lined entry to Huntly Castle.

 

You come up on Huntly Castle from behind old walls  . . .  and get your first glimpses through the stone framed windows.

 

The first castle was built on this spot in the 12th century, but it was torched in 1452.  Sometime in the mid-1500s this beautiful structure was built in its place.

 

The beautiful and mysterious Huntly Castle ruins.

 

The castle out-buildings held a few surprises:  the killing floor of this sheep butchery must have been high technology at the time.

 

A sign by the Scottish Trust explained that these features were meant to contain sheep entrails and blood . . . haggis catchers!

 

The back, or working, side of Huntly Castle is very imposing on this grey late Autumn day.

 

A structural element is missing off the back wall.  The 'windows' are purely functional and meet features of the interior without care for the exterior aesthetic consequences . . . as defense is the prime consideration in castle building.  My love of 'wall histories' was consummated in full here!

 

A chilly afternoon at Huntly Castle.

 

But it was time to explore the interior of this famous, so called, "haunted" castle.

 

The hunting scenes over the door attest to the castle's past use as a stop-over for royal visitors of the time on hunting trips to the wilderness of Scotland.  Robert the Bruce even stayed in the older castle in 1307.

 

The interior was empty and parts of the roof were open to the sky.

 

The castle was completely abandoned by the 18th century . . . and all the interior decor and features have long since been stripped.  The Scottish National Trust seems to have been responsible for installing the flooring on the second level and the improvised structural bracing seen here and there.

 

A window view out on the gloomy day.  The sun never rises very far into the sky this time of year, but it goes down very slowly which extends the sunsets for a long time.

 

As I made my way over to the rooms on the south side, the light became fantastic.

 

You can see the structural bracing in the yummie light and shadow . . . I'll try it in Black and White . . . .

 

Oh yes.

 

The sun at last sunk beneath the low cloud cover to shine a golden light through the windows of Huntly Castle!

 

Oh! The light! 

 

I realized I was standing in the castle tower, and looking up I was surprised to see the high walls lit with golden light.

 

An otherworldly sight!  The castle tower lit from the inside!

 

The recreated slotted ceiling lattice and fine light.

 

Perhaps one of the best photos I have ever taken . . . the only thing missing is a body in a noose hanging from the high castle tower ceiling.  Too bad I didn't have my 16-35 L-II lens with me.

 

A marvelous, cold, quiet space.

 

There are many stories of ghosts in Huntly Castle lore.  This happens not to be one of them . . . it's my wife's dancing shadow.

 

Castle shadow ballerina.

 

Self Portrait With Wall no.24. I'm a shadow of my former self.

 

All good things must come to an end . . .  time to leave Huntly Castle.  It gets dark early, and we have a 40 mile drive ahead of us.

 

I was met with this skyview as soon as I stepped out of the castle door.

 

The Aberdeenshire countryside around the castle was delightful.

 

The preferred view was straight up into the Autumn Scottish sky.

 

The sun is always low in the sky in this part of Scotland at this time of year.  Wonderful moods on the day.

 

We passed around the front of Huntly Castle on our way out.

 

What an imposing structure it must have been in its day.

 

Huntly Castle ruins in their full splendor.  The golden light of only moments earlier had gone.  I looked up at the tower and was glad I was lucky enough to be there at the right moment today.

 

The walk back to Huntly through this line of old trees was very pleasant.

 

The trees, in anticipation of an icy winter, had pumped up their turgor (sap pressure) to guard against freezing.  I'm glad I took that botany course in university now.

 

We returned to Huntly under an ever-changing light.

 

We walked through sunset-bathed Huntly, poking our noses into small shops.  We stopped in one cafe for free coffee and pastries . . . it was their grand opening!

 

We enjoyed our day trip to Huntly, but it was time to head home.  We wanted to stop at one of the Farm Stores we passed on the way . . . and I had hopes of standing in a farmer's field and shooting the rapidly developing sunset.

 

Th sunset did not disappoint!  I let my darling wife off at the Farm Store and drove out into the countryside on a farmer's road.

 

With the sun setting at such an acute angle, it took many minutes to fully develop.

 

In the tropics, like Bangkok (where I lived until five months ago), a sunset would begin and end in a matter of minutes . . . .

 

. . . but this most beautiful of sunsets lasted nearly 40 minutes.

 

This horizontal swirling braid moved fast enough for me to see it twisting.  Incredible.

 

If there were such things as flying saucers, this is the cloud from which they should descend!  WOW!

 

It was a big sky full of beauty.

 

I chose the Canon 24-105mm L-series lens, and tried to keep it around f8 hand-held for clarity.

 

As I stood by my car getting ready to put the camera away, I happened to look straight up . . . .

 

. . . and caught this shot of the reflected, and refracting, light of the sunset on ice crystals from yet another weather pattern moving in from the west.  What a great way to end the day.

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!

After breakfast I was getting ready to plug in the iron and de-wrinkle some shirts for work . . . . until I looked out the window.  It was a beautiful day, and there is no telling how many more of these we will have here in the far northeast of Scotland.

 

"Honey, let's go on a Sunday drive." I called to my wonderful wife.

 

"OK!" came the answer from the kitchen.  ""Get ready while I spray the house plants -- let's drive up the coast to Peterhead."

 

And off we went down the small country roads north to Peterhead.

 

The days are short now so the sun is always at a low angle . . . perfect for photography.

 

The light was magnificent, the sky was magnificent, and the road was inviting.

 

Although we had the GPS turned on and set for Peterhead, we turned whenever we saw an interesting sign.  Sometimes we stopped to walk around.

 

I do love cold and clear days. The Aberdeenshire countryside is fantastic.

 

Cruden Bay had a nice beach and what looked like an excellent golf course.  We vowed to return.

 

Then we arrived in Peterhead, The Blue Toon. It was somewhat vacant and not all that inviting looking.  It is a "blue collar" town of fishermen and packing house workers.  We parked and walked around to find a restaurant.

 

There was a walking street, but no walkers.

 

Although Peterhead did not look inviting, it actually was.  We stopped a woman and asked her where there was a good place to eat.  She gladly recommend the Cottonwood.  We went there and the service was friendly, the food was good, and the customers were positive and lively.  We took the big road home in the dark.  It was a nice Sunday.

 

The Tattie Hols were upon us so we decided to take an extensive road trip North and East.  The Tattie Hols date from a time when the schools would close so the children could help bring in the potato (tatties) crop.  The Scots still take this holiday (hols) and so does my school. We drove north out of Aberdeen and stopped at the Baxters roadside attraction.  It is a factory store of a company that makes shortbread and baked goods.  They had an "authentic" old village there for tourists.

 

Yes, there was a "Christmas all year" kind of shop there too . . . .

 

ELGIN:

This is more like it: the fabulous ruins of the Elgin Cathedral (c.1224). . . and perfect light.

 

We had a tee time in Inverness, so I did not go in to explore . . . it's only an hour from Aberdeen.  I'll be back.

 

Fantastic.

 

INVERNESS:

We finished our golf game and made it to our hotel just as a magnificent sunset burst across Inverness.

 

We checked into the Winston Guest House in Inverness.

 

The Winston Guest House was a wonderful old building.

 

After a world class pizza (who knew you could get such a great pizza in Inverness, Scotland at Zizzi's) we walked back to the guest room to see the Inverness Castle (Caisteal Inbhir Nis) fully lit.  A castle has stood on this site since 1057, but the current red sandstone structure dates from 1836.

 

Last night's sunset was good, but this  morning's sunrise over the Inverness Castle was GREAT!

 

Inverness Castle is beautiful at any time of the day.

 

Inverness is a good town to just stroll around in . . . this church was just around the corner from our Guest House.

 

Wonderful detail . . .

 

Old Inverness was just across the Ness Canal.

 

A path ran along the canal at Inverness . . .

 

. . . where beautiful castle-like homes sprouted among the vegetation for miles.

 

LOCH NESS:

Our first view of Loch Ness was impressive.

 

Even if there were no "mystery" surrounding Loch Ness, it is a wonderful place to visit.

 

I watched the waves for awhile and saw the occasional "compounded wave" . . .  larger than the others . . . and took this photo of it.

 

I enlarged (cropped) the above wave image and, lo and behold, there's Nessie!  I did not enhance this photo in any way other than cropping.  Isn't that a large fin-like protrusion along side?  Could those really be demon eyes on The Loch Ness Monster?  No, not really.

 

We were not the first people to visit Loch Ness.

 

If there ever could have been such a thing as the Loch Ness monster, this is what it could have looked like, if there could have ever been one, which there couldn't have been.  Great photo op though.

 

The ruins of Urquhart Castle stand on the shores of Loch Ness.  There is archeological evidence that the first castle or fort was built on this spot in the 560s. The current castle ruins date from the 11th through the 13th centuries.

 

Urquhart Castle is THE archetypical castle ruin.

 

A trebuchet stands in front of Urquhart Castle, a reminder of the many sieges that took place here, and the cause of the present state of destruction.

 

Beautiful artistic workmanship on this medieval weapon of mass destruction.

 

Urquhart Castle ramparts and the remains of the castle tower on the shore of Loch Ness.

We had a 3-day week-end and new cars . .  . what to do?  ROAD TRIP!  We headed up north for a week-end of trail walking, golf, and photography.  At Macduff, we discovered the Duff House forest grounds.  Very beautiful.

 

It was a grey day with cool air . . . perfect for a walk in the woodlands.

 

A week earlier there had been several nights of near-zero temperatures.  A few leaves had started to turn . . .

 

These ferns reminded me so much of my walks last summer in Washington State.

 

There is always so much of beauty to see on a forest walk.

 

After spending the last 17 years in tropical Thailand, the differences within this forest here held a strong fascination.

 

Wonderful old trees evoke old feelings.

 

The twist of this tree trunk tells the story of its taller neighbors come and gone.

 

We walked for over an hour in the coolness of this forest.

 

Shades of a coming Autumn.

 

A long, and warm-for-Scotland, summer has left the forest brimming with life.

 

These mushroom fungi seemed very brainy . . . too brainy!  Perhaps there has been an exchange of genetic material going on in this ecosystem!

 

We left the forest walk through this aged gate.

 

We found Duff Estate.

 

Mr. Duff made a lot of money when housing prices were lower than they are now. We wanted to go on the interior tour, but we got here too late.

 

The gift shop operator told us that Duff Estate "changed the way large estates were built in Great Britain after it's completion."

 

Although not of the estate-changing opulence of the Duff Estate, we were happy with The Knowes Hotel.  The room was clean and comfortable . . . . with . . .

 

. . . an excellent view of the North Sea and the Macduff harbour light.  I decided to grab my camera gear and headed out into the fading light.

 

Macduff and Banff are port towns.

 

Not much in Macduff has been modernized.  There are still old hovel homes left from an older time.

 

Although the stone houses seem cold, there are touches and flourishes of artistry set against the austere facades.

 

I turned left on Institution Street, and then on down the steep hill to the harbour, all the while wondering how the street got its name.

 

Macduff had a fine man-made harbour lined with Victorian era store fronts.

 

A girl was trying to fish for her supper in the Macduff sink . . . without luck.

 

A fine harbour light on a fine last day of summer in Macduff, Scotland.

 

I walked up the harbour road toward Banff, hoping I could get a photo of the old stone bridge.

 

On the way out of town I saw this image . . . telling the history of the internal landscapes of those residing below.

 

In the fading light the contrasts between light and shadow grew.

 

Perfect late light.

 

I  took many photos along the road and was infatuated with the church dome against the sky . . .

 

  . . . when I realized I was missing this old derelict building . .  my favorite subject: dilapidation!

 

Amazing dilapidation.

 

I kept walking along the road to Banff and took this photo of a friendly dancing bus mechanic.  He came over and said . . . "I hope my boss never sees this photo!"  So here is his photo . . . not the one of him dancing!

 

I got to than embankment in time to take this photo of Banff . . . unfortunately the old stone bridge was too far away to walk in the fading light.

 

I sat for a while on the a bank of the River Deveron estuary and watched the sun set.

 

It was a beautiful evening.

 

I climbed some steep steps and took a high road back to the hotel.  Along the way I shot this view of Macduff, Scotland in the last of the light.

 

 I reentered the town center from a side street.

 

Although Macduff is made of dark stone masonry, it is a habitable town.  People add color which, standing off the dark stone, make a beautiful effect.

 

Along "Main Street" Macduff.

 

Macduff streets are steep as they rise up from the catchment.

 

 I rounded the corner and went up Market Street to the hotel.  There were many pleasant architectural arrangements to enjoy along the way in the last of the light.

 

My last photo of the day was taken on the steps of the hotel.

 

The next morning broke clear and cold. This view of Banff was taken from my hotel window.

 

Macduff, Banff, Scottish coast.

 

It was time to leave Macduff.

 

The Knowes Hotel sits on high ground, but just above the hotel stood a Castle turret monument in remembrance of local war dead.

 

We spent the rest of the morning playing the very, very difficult, but very, very beautiful Royal Tarlair Golf Course.  The views were breathtaking!