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Nearing the end of 2021, I found myself in a mindset that I’m sure many of you can relate to, though enjoying going out with the camera, I felt a lack of motivation and direction.

I work full time, and photography is a hobby, but I do devote as much free time as I can to taking photos, mostly landscapes of my local area. I say local area, I feel lucky being born, growing up and living on the Caithness coast, I used to include the NW Sutherland coast, Assynt, Coigach, Durness as local, but as they have become overrun, partly due to the dreaded NC500, I’m happy with the relative quiet in Caithness. It doesn’t have the obvious in your face features of other places, you have to slow down, take your time and work more to be rewarded.

Looking forward, I questioned what the solution was. I’ve never been a planner, so even that question put me in uncharted territory. I’ve never thought about doing a project, but that quickly sprang to mind, but what? For years, I’d thought about gathering enough photos for a book on the Caithness Coast, perhaps I could complete some areas I was lacking, but that felt too vague and what I was already doing. I needed something fresh, more specific, a smaller area perhaps, but where?

I quickly remembered my thoughts when, after lockdown, we were going to be allowed to venture 5 miles from home. At the time, I questioned where I would go, 3 miles to the beach or 5 miles to Keiss castle, which I’d done a 4x4 on here a few years earlier, but thinking of doing it over a year, was there enough scope there? As tempting as that was, the place I was longing to get to at that time was Duncansby and the sea stacks.

The sea stacks and the rugged cliffs are an exception to my local coast not being obvious photos, as the most North Eastern point on the UK mainland and on the feared Pentland Firth it was known to mariners as “Hell’s mouth” it also looks out to the now uninhabited island of Stroma, my father’s birth place. It was my go to happy place and only 20 miles away, decision number one made.

Should I shoot one view and repeat it each week? Very tempting, but knowing that was likely to have 40 near identical grey flat skies and rain, I thought it needed more variation. There are 3 or 4 obvious popular views, but again, I felt it needed more. The stacks are on the east coast, stretching a mile south of the lighthouse, so tied to early morning light, but the mile west of the lighthouse, the flatter north coast gave more options for light directions, a beach, the view to Stroma and over to Orkney. Decision two made, but rather than shoot the 3-4 popular views, try to find something different.

The final decision was how often, I felt that was a necessary part of the structure I needed, a 365 wasn’t realistic, monthly lacked the dedication and effort I was looking for, so that left one a week. I thought that would put on enough direction and focus, but to add a little more “accountability”, I’d set up a website www.Duncansby.me and post the photo of the week as I went along. Later in the year, I thought that if I put everything in a book, I could include more than just the 52 weekly photos.

It seemed perfectly simple, but from week one it didn’t quite go to plan. There was a lot of sea movement, and I picked out the lesser stack and Tom Thumb as a different view, which is the first image in the book. I was happy with that, but just before packing up for the day, I caught the anticrepuscular rays looking north. It was too good not to use so week one I began with one of the most popular views I was trying to avoid!

Six weeks flew by, and I was really enjoying the challenge, but then I faced my first and only real dilemma. It had been in my mind to go over to Orkney, and I booked a last minute long weekend on Hoy, it wouldn’t hurt to miss a week, I initially thought, but that quickly changed to missing a week would be the end of the challenge I’d set myself. As I’d have no daylight before travelling, what could I do?

Maybe some astro, but the forecast was cloudy for the next few days. I’d previously shot the road twisting up the hill to the lighthouse in daylight, could I do it at night and catch the car’s light trails? The following night, bitterly cold with 30 mph+ winds blowing in sleet showers, guess where I was? Yes, setting up the tripod and putting the camera on a timer, then driving up and down the road to the lighthouse!

Another issue that cropped up early was trying not to repeat similar views too close together, sometimes that resulted in not using what I’d consider to be the best photo. Week 13, and I used an image of the Geo of Sclaites, partly for variety, but it’s an inspiring spot to see the 30M high sides of the narrow geo. On getting home and posting it on the website, I thought I’d check the map and see when the sun would rise in the centre, wouldn’t you know it, only two weeks away!

Two weeks later, I went out to get another view for just after sunrise and thought I’d quickly get the shot looking out the geo, then move to the other shot. It was perfect, even getting a sun pillar! Slightly disappointed I couldn’t use it I thought it wasn’t all a loss, I could get the same alignment in 5 months, the time passed and I went out four days over two weekends only to be defeated by low cloud.

I had started thinking there might be enough content to make a book again. I could add in some explanations, use a second or third photo from the week, maybe tell a few stories of things that happened. That thought took a bigger boost in week 20 when I rediscovered a Line of poetry carved in a boulder at Sannick beach. I hadn’t realised what it was when I found it a few years earlier.

This time I researched it and it was by the Chilean Nobel Literature Laureates, Pablo Neruda and wow did it take me down a rabbit hole. Over the next few weeks I went on to discover another 28 unknown carvings, it took me on a journey from my little two mile stretch of coast on the furthest NE point of Scotland around the Globe to Chile via University Spanish literature experts in the UK, Europe and the Americas, speaking to sculptors, ending up on the Radio 4 program The Poetry Detective.

Later in the year I started to look into producing a book, reading articles, watching vlogs and the common themes seemed to rely on pairing images, creating a cohesive flow and consistent style. My project was the polar opposite, it’s main reason was to find different shots so I put it to the back of my mind again.

On completing the year I was happy with the results and again doing it as a book cropped up, the following week a good friend who I highly respect both his opinion and photography was staying in the area. I took a few prints of the alternate shots when I visited and was going to ask his thoughts if a book was possible. It was a good catch up getting all the gossip from the outside world, talking photography, as he had said through the year he enjoyed the project which he still felt on it’s conclusion, I was just about to ask if he thought there was a book in it and he said “Have you thought about putting it together as a book?” in my mind I screamed YES!!! And punched the air but before I could say anything he said “just one for yourself!” speak about deflated!

That was January 2023, I had brief thoughts repeatedly after that but between the standard book guides and what I took as a knock down from my friend I always talked myself out of it. Then in April this year 2024, I decided there was only one way to find out, just go for it, I could always stop if bringing it together wasn’t working. I chose one of the printers that will do from one to as many as you want thinking it would be a nice simple template, how wrong I was! It took a lot more effort and learning to bring together than I expected and the result is an A4 landscape, 116 page hard covered book, on 170 GSM silk paper, with 114 images. It is available direct from me at ajrs@live.com for £35 + £5 p&p Despite some big upsets I feel I’ve learned a lot and the next one will be easier. I am happy with the final result and would encourage others to try but I say “next” firmly tongue in cheek then again there is that original Caithness book idea!