

Breaking our ties with our past

Mark Littlejohn
Mark Littlejohn is an outdoor photographer who lives on the edge of a beach in the desolate wastelands of the Highlands of Scotland. He takes photographs of anything unlucky enough to pass in front of his camera.
I lived in North Cumbria for nearly forty years. During that time I fell in love with the area, married, raised a family, and took up photography. And fell in love with the area all over again. For over a decade I took photographs almost exclusively in an area encompassing the Eden Valley and Ullswater. It became the photographic equivalent of a comfort blanket. I knew every nook and cranny. I knew the best times to go to all those nooks and crannies. My photography fell into similar patterns. Out in the morning. First light. Different locations for dawn at different times of the year. Knowing where the mist would be in certain conditions. It was almost too easy.

People would ask how I got some of my shots and I would just reply – I pointed the camera in the right general direction and press the shutter release. It really was just a case of pointing and shooting.