Documenting the Small Isles

The Small Isles don’t draw the same attention as some of the larger islands off the west coast, but that doesn’t make them any less memorable. When I travel out to photograph them during the earliest stirrings of spring, journeying from one to the other in turn, I find an archipelago of rugged beauty, the warmest of welcomes and a population of industrious, hard-working locals.

Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna. I’ve heard these names for years but it’s my first visit here, so my aim is to meet people, and to feel immersed in the landscapes. The weather on my trip is fine, almost unseasonably so; where I’d feared murk and wind, I find sunshine and flat seas. In truth, I’m charmed from the moment I arrive.