A WINTRY WILDERNESS
The magical bleakness of the Highlands in its midwinter glory is manna for those with an artistic eye, like Richard Gaston
Snapper Richard Gaston captures Scotland in all her winter glory
While some people loathe the dark days, frosty mornings and exorbitant heating bills, others see winter as the ideal subject for photographing, writes Stephanie Abbot. ‘It’s atmospheric, it’s extreme, the light is amazing and the snow creates perfect opportunities for photographers,’ says selftaught snapper Richard Gaston from Glasgow. ‘I’m always on the lookout for forecasted snow and often head north when I know that there’s been snowfall.’
To capture these images, Gaston has to brave the elements of the harsh Scottish winter. ‘Along with my time spent photographing in the Highlands, I have also developed skills in mountaineering which has given me the experience and equipment I need to get to extreme places,’ he says. The challenges that come with this kind of landscape photography seem to only draw him in further. ‘I think it’s the unpredictability of nature and how moments can spring up at you at any second.’
Gaston turned his hobby into a career through ‘years of fiddling with a camera and spending time in the outdoors’, and this collection of pictures showcases the truly jaw-dropping drama our midwinter landscape offers.
‘Years spent hiking and camping in Scotland have taken me to some stunning places and these are the moments that I deemed most beautiful at that time,’ he says. ‘I prefer to focus on the details of nature, not so much on the wide vistas. As you can see most of them are not too complicated, just a simple yet lovely moment.’
“It’s atmospheric, it’s extreme and the light is amazing
“It’s the unpredictability of nature – moments can spring up at you at any second