Shetland, Scotland, 2011. This photo was taken during one of my journeys through the remote regions of Scotland, specifically at Fethaland Point in the Shetland Isles. It was a windy winter’s day, with the light constantly shifting between golden clearings and menacing clouds. From a map, I had set my sights on one of the northernmost tips of the Shetland Islands. Headlands always hold a certain fascination, evoking a sense of the world’s edge, where the land abruptly gives way to the vastness of the ocean. Here, facing the North Atlantic, I found a wild and isolated landscape steeped in history.
Once, Fethaland Point hosted one of Shetland’s busiest haaf fishing stations, where fishermen would gather each season to harvest the rich waters of the North Atlantic. Today, it’s a place where time appears to halt before an endless horizon. Starting from Scalloway, where I was staying, I drove along winding roads lined by an ochre landscape without vegetation. Then I parked and walked for hours across Scottish peatland. Nearing the Point, I saw an abandoned caravan standing alone, facing the rough ocean, solitary and remote. It stood in silence, disturbed only by the wind and the brutal swells of the sea.
I was captivated by the melancholic presence of this white caravan. It seemed almost incongruous amidst the wild expanse. It was the human presence within this untamed nature, that of the crofters, those isolated farmers who had set up a shelter here for a few moments of warmth, a cup of tea, and some conversation amidst the harshness of the Shetlands.
That day, the light was both dim and extraordinary. The sky was heavy with clouds, but shafts of sunlight pierced through, creating patches of intense brightness that brought out the colours of the land and the sea. I lingered a long time before this vastness, occasionally capturing a frame, hoping for a beam of sunlight to reveal the beauty of the place. That light never fully appeared, but its faint presence was enough to reveal the austere, magical atmosphere. The contrast between the warm tones of the land and the cool blue of the sea gave a unique depth to the scene.
This photo symbolises solitude and the power of nature for me. Being isolated in the face of such natural forces nourishes both the mind and the soul. It is also for moments like these that I pursue documentary photography: to discover, explore, and, as in this case, bear witness to the sheer power of the elements and the insignificance of humankind in the face of nature.
I hope this image transports you, even for a moment, to this wild place.
This photograph is also available as a fine art print in my online shop—bring a piece of Fethaland’s wild beauty into your home.
