{"id":20421,"date":"2019-12-28T11:55:48","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T11:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=20421"},"modified":"2021-01-19T14:26:10","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T14:26:10","slug":"shooting-the-breeze-anke-addy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/shooting-the-breeze-anke-addy\/","title":{"rendered":"Shooting the Breeze – Anke Addy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our occasional series of interviews with photographers living and working in Scotland continues. David Lintern speaks to Cairngorms<\/em> afficionado, Anke Addy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\nare originally from the lowlands of the Netherlands. How did you end\nup living and working in Scotland and what attracted you here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is often the case, it was for work. First, a short-term job at a field centre in South Wales, and from there to Scotland. Having arrived in the North East, more than 35 years ago, we soon appreciated the varied landscape and spent a lot of time out of doors, and still do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scots pine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How\ndid you get started as a photographer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography was a very natural progression from observing the landscapes while walking, and picking up a camera to preserve experiences on the hill, on film. Once I got the bug I mainly concentrated on monochrome images, including learning the process of hand developing and hand printing. From thereon I studied at Aberdeen College to broaden my approach and became a freelance photographer in 2000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your\nbook \u2018The Living Cairngorms\u2019 is framed by the work of Nan\nShepherd. When did you first come across Shepherd\u2019s \u2018The Living\nMountain\u2019 and how is it significant to you? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My\nbook \u2018The Living Cairngorms\u2019 was published in Summer 2018. I\nfirst came across Nan Shepherd\u2019s book\u2019 The Living Mountain\u2019 in\nthe mid 2000\u2019s when I was engrossed in a Black and White project on\nice. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nloved the focus on water and ice in the book\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nrecall I had spent several hours on the banks of the river Dee while\nthe temperature was dropping to -13C. The moving water in front of me\nbecame ice in a very short space of time and built up into amazing\nshapes and patterns. Around that\ntime, I’d read\nNan Shepherd\u2019s description about \u2018\u2026 the struggle between frost\nand the force in running water \u2026\u2019 The written description of this\nprocess is what I had closely observed while taking the images and\nthis mutual experience was\na defining moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Water of Clunie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nOne of the amazing aspects of frost is that it\nchanges the world around us and keep changing while the temperatures\nflucuate. This excites me. It also resonated with Nan Shepherd, hence\nher vivid and sharply observed descriptions in her writing, for\nexample \u2018Frozen Carrots,\nor \u2018An Ingenious Glass Toy.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nfair bit has been said about how Nan Shepherd\u2019s writing is informed\nby her gender \u2013 that there\u2019s a different narrative in her book\ncompared to more traditional mountaineering stories. Is this an\nimportant distinction to you personally? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes,\nthere is a difference between the male perspective of writing about\nmountains and Nan Shepherd\u2019s. What is different about Shepherd\u2019s\nwriting is the creative expression of every aspect of the mountain\nenvironment; the plateau, the birds, the plants, the air, the water\nand the mammals, while the male perspective has traditionally\ntended to be on\u2019 how to get to the top\u2019 and \u2018bag another\nMunro\u2019. Of course, both are valid. When Nan Shepherd wrote \u2018The\nLiving Mountain\u2019, she showed the overall mountain and that is what\nset her apart – certainly at the time she wrote the book. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nCan you talk about the role of the other\nelements in your Living Cairngorms book? The \u2018air and light\u2019\nchapter finds the focus above the horizon line, for example.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThis was a lovely chapter to photograph as one\nhardly ever totally concentrates on the air and light in a landscape\nsetting. As you say the focus is above the horizon; the land area is\nminimal, and the sky is the main subject matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Air + light<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\nare described in your book as an environmental teacher as well as a\nphotographer. How does that inform your photography? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I became a photographer, I was a teacher, and for a number of years \u2018my classroom\u2019 was outdoors. I taught upper Primary classes environmental studies while hill walking, did pond and tree studies, and created opportunities for youngsters to find out more about the natural world they live in. By spending a lot of time outside and in the same places our observational skills develop, which in turn make us feel more connected and for me that also means taking photos of natural aspects which attract me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nyou think of your work as documentary or \u2018art\u2019? Does that\ndistinction even matter?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With\nthis project I think it is mostly documentary, I am recording the\nlocal environment, but whilst doing so my photographic response could\nhave a creative slant rather than a straight forward representation\nof say a tree. Looking at the rowan tree I could have photographed \na trunk, branches, leaves, and with or without flowers or berries.\nInstead I found a tree with only red berries while all leaves had\ngone already. To show off Autumn and its wild weather I choose to\nphotograph this tree on a very windy day with along exposure. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rowan tree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One\nof the things I love about living in the Cairngorms is the mix of\nrock and wood. How do you experience the forests, and the\nrelationship between hill and glen? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hill and glen inevitably go together, but they look very different. Unfortunately, the hills are often artificially kept treeless because of land management issues. The glens which are mostly forested feel more natural. I would like to see more trees germinating and growing up the hillsides for a more natural habitat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nphotos of animals feel very intimate and natural. How were these\ntaken?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I only used a hide to photograph the black cock (grouse) in the book. All other birds and mammals I photographed in the open air and often without camouflage. Of course, over the years I have learned where to find certain species and although you are not always successful at the first attempt; perseverance usually does pay. The very young roe deer was a happy and totally unexpected incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fawn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s\nso special about the Cairngorms, for you? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have walked in many places, but the Cairngorms is on my doorstep and very attractive, so I tend to spend more time there. My two main photography subjects – landscapes and wildlife – are well represented in this area, and as each day, any weather, season, or indeed any hour can bring changes and challenges, I am unlikely to get bored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Geese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s\nnext for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nkeep on taking images, mostly about landscapes and wildlife, as I\nenjoy them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somewhere\nalong the way I\u2019ll find another project or theme to concentrate on.\nFor the time being I am still giving talks about \u2018The Living\nCairngorms.\u2019 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book is available in selected independent bookstores and galleries in and around the Cairngorm National Park, or direct from Anke – email via her website.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our occasional series of interviews with photographers living and working in Scotland continues. David Lintern speaks to Cairngorms afficionado, Anke Addy. You are originally from the lowlands of the Netherlands. How did you end up living and working in Scotland and what attracted you here? As is often the case, it was for work. First, a short-term job at a field centre in South Wales, and from there to Scotland. Having arrived in the North East, more than 35 years ago, we soon appreciated the varied landscape and spent a lot of time out of doors, and still do. How…<\/span> <\/p>\n

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