February: month in review
Each month I aim to pick an image that, in my mind at least, captures the flavour of that month. It might not be the best image from the month, or the most spectacular of subjects; it just needs to illustrate something about the month.
Isle of Kerrera
Fujifilm X-T3 | 74mm f/5.6 1/125s ISO320
What’s this month’s image? A view looking across the Isle of Kerrera towards Ganavan, near Oban, on the mainland.
Did you do anything to it? The light on the day was fairly flat, so I’ve boosted the saturation and contrast a little to make it slightly more punchy. I’ve also used a little bit of selective dehaze to bring out a hint of the hills in the far background.
What’s it doing here? This isn’t a great shot; it’s certainly not a competition entry, let alone a winner. In truth, it feels a bit bang average… So, given that, you might wonder why I’ve selected this particular image. Well, Helen and I were up in Oban late in the month for a couple of days to get away and recharge the batteries and, while there, did a walk around the Isle of Kerrera. Despite the weather on the day being mostly Scotland, it was a lovely walk and a real reminder of what we love so much about Scotland. The landscape is largely unspoilt, there are no hoards of tourists, there’s a hint of azure in the seas and you can just make out the majesty of the hills in the far background through the mist. In short, it’s a lovely spot and a tonic for the soul…
And that last point is important… As I sat down to start looking at these images the soundtrack was the first reports of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Newsreaders and pundits often open with the phrase ‘I can only begin to imagine…’. I can’t. I simply don’t have the life experience to be able to understand the fear, the outrage, the anger, the sorrow, the rage, the defiance or the whole range of other emotions that the Ukrainian people must be feeling. I hope I never do.
What I had hoped was that in the face of Russia’s inhumanity, our own government could demonstrate the positive qualities and decency that show us at out best. Instead we have a Foreign Secretary - our minister for Instagram - who seemingly looks at the unfolding misery and conflict and thinks ‘photo opportunity’, who pledges to stand firm with the Ukrainian people while UK officials at the Gard du Nord block Ukrainian refugees with family in the UK from boarding the Eurostar. Instead of leadership we have the sight of a dishonest Prime Minister donning his Churchill playsuit for the cameras while off-camera pandering to Putin’s enablers because, y’know, party funds. A man who, when other EU nations unconditionally open their borders to Ukrainian refugees, promises to look at visas for those with immediate family in the UK ‘soon’… And before the nationalists start pointing to Westminster, the sanctimony from the devolved governments is matched only by the stench of their own hypocrisy. What a sad, tawdry, mean-spirited, self-absorbed nation we must seem to have become in the eyes of others…
However, days like the one that we had last week act as an important reminder that most people are fundamentally decent. Yes, the Scottish landscape is spectacular but it’s more than that. If you look more closely at the image you’ll see the small mainland hamlet in the background before the landscape recesses into the mist and rain covered hills. But in the foreground, on the island, you’ll see livestock and the farm track - it’s a home and a workplace. I’m no expert on the Kerrera economy, but it doesn’t strike me that living and working there is the easy option.
It may only be four miles long, a mile and a bit wide but it sits about 500m offshore, which is a complication. There’s no shop, no pub and the ferry can only take one car at a time - there are surely easier ways to make a living. But there is a community on the island, and I can only think that they stay and work for more than the money. Perhaps a love of place, or community. I’d certainly like to think so because that helps renew my faith in the basic decency of people. Honest, hard working, dedicated and supportive of their community. Our politicians may be charlatans and chancers, but the people who live and work here aren’t, and I think they much better reflect the Britain and Scotland to which we aspire.
Plus, it’s still a lovely spot to visit, a lovely spot to walk and there are some great views. So I’ve added a few more pictures below…
Have you been up to much else? February turned out to be a bit busier than expected in photographic terms. As well as the visit to Kererra, the rest of the Oban trip was quite productive. I also had another go at the kitesurfers and we also managed a couple of other outings and trips. So much, in fact, that I’ve included two rows of additional images…
Coming Up
We’re planning to get on a plane for the first time in over two years in March, which is exciting… if it happens…
