Living A simple green Life: Photography Scotland

Welcome

Welcome to my wee blog.My name is Andy ( The Dafthermit ) . For the last 20 odd years i have ben trying to get back to a simpler way of life and finally in my old bus up here in the Scottish mountains i am finally getting there. My time now is spent taking pictures of the highlands ,making films to show the world the beauty all around and writing something that has surprised me having had a few of my stories published , Having picked up a camera and laptop in 2008 i have really enjoyeed the journey the camera has taken me on again having had a couple of pictures in national magazines, last year three of ,my films where shown at the Loch Ness film festival. anyway i hope you enjoy your visit to my wee blog

love and light

Andy

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Photography Scotland

Home to Ros Gasson’s stunning photos of some of Scotland’s beautiful places, people and events. On these pages you’ll find landscapes, seascapes, sunsets, city photography, close-ups, fascinating people, photography from all manner of Scottish events, photos from the islands around Scotland’s coasts, images of mountains, glens, snow and sunshine…and photos of anything related to Scottish traditional music.

Landscapes and seascapes

Scotland is a beautiful country, with enough variety to keep any photographer occupied for a lifetime. I’m passionate about the west coast and the islands around Scotland, so you’ll find plenty of images from places such the Outer Hebrides, Mull and further afield. In the summer of 2011 I’ll be going to St Kilda. I’ll certainly have my camera with me for that trip!

Cities

Edinburgh is the festival city. It’s home to the world famous Edinburgh International Festival, Fringe Festival and New Year Street Party. I love being part of the energy that festivals bring to the city, from the Canal Festival to the Edinburgh Mela, beach busks and torchlit processions. And from time to time, I stray into other cities with my camera too.

Scottish traditional music

I’m lucky to have access to such a variety of traditional music events to photograph. The annual Edinburgh Harp Festival, Ceilidh Culture, and the Scots Fiddle Festival are all right on my doorstep. Festivals such as Celtic Connections in Glasgow bring numerous world famous musicians to the city each year. Across Scotland there is also an enormous number of live music sessions in pubs, regular folk club events and ceilidhs, which provide plenty of more relaxed opportunities to take photographs of our amazing musicians in action.

2 comments:

Ros Gasson2 August 2011 01:01
I've just stumbled across this...thanks a million!
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Dafthermit6 August 2011 13:58
nae bother my friend
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A wee film about us on STVs the HOUR SHOW click on STV logo to see the film

Andy the Daft Hermit lives 45 minutes outside Inverness with his wife Mel in an old bus parked in a layby. This current home of theirs is the longest they have ever stayed in one spot. “I’ve been travelling now 25 years,” said Andy Lowe. “Mel’s been travelling 15. One of the reasons we’ve come and stayed up here is because of Mel’s health. I wanted to bring her to the mountains for fresh air and clean water and just a slower pace of life.” Mel has had breast cancer twice, skin cancer once, and for three years believed she had bone cancer after being wrongly diagnosed. Andy’s belief in the restorative powers of the north made them pack up ‘The Black Bus’ that they live in and cross the border into Scotland. New Highland home for hermit couple Andy and Mel “I think we both believe in trying to get to a more simple way of life,” said Andy, “but it’s strange for us because we are sort of hermits, or we like to live separate, but it’s not being anti-social… it’s just the way we are that allows us to be creative.” Andy first began travelling when he left the army. Fed up with bureaucracy he packed a rucksack and left for France and has been travelling ever since. By investing any money the couple have earned into solar panels and wind generators they now live a self-sustaining existence, without electric bills, and collect rain water “straight from Heaven”. “It’s not easy,” said Mel. “There might be time when there might not be enough facilities around, but you always find a way, you know?” Rather than rejecting technology, Andy blogs about his travels online and collaborates with artists from around the world via his ‘Scratchy Heid Film Studio’, which he runs from a static trailer next to the couple’s bus. He explained his philosophy: “My belief is that if you can go through life and you drop dead and you’ve got a balance there that slightly outweighs the good than the bad, you’ve done alright. “Yesterday, with what Mel’s been through with the cancer and all that, I had a woman on one of my sites there that thanked me for the writing, for the positive things, and to me that’s worth everything. You can keep your millions, we’re not interested. That is what we do.” To check out Andy’s artwork and video projects check out his website. MORE FROM THE NORTH