The breathtaking, natural beauty of the wild and rugged Orkney Isles stays with you once you have experienced it. I always visit Orkney in the winter months, searching for unique moments that come along with winter swells and storms. There is something about the wild, cold weather that inspires me to create. Although I love the summer months and the feeling of the sun and warmth, the conditions are less likely to be creatively inspiring compared to winter. Being out alone in the midst of a storm produces a feeling like no other, a feeling of reconnecting with nature and the raw essence of the land.

The cliffs at Birsay on Orkney see spectacular conditions when stormy weather hits. I tend to head towards a storm providing there is some good swell that comes along with it. The waves at this particular location can be some of the biggest on the island. Seeing the forecast, I decided it was worth a walk along the cliffs that day. But it was a battle from the moment that I left my car. With the wind buffeting all around me, I had to lean forwards to make any headway at all. Staying well away from the cliff edge until I reached a corner where the huge rolling waves became visible meant that my joy and determination increased in an instant.

I left my tripod in a safe place, as it was clear that it was unusable in these wild conditions. I crawled carefully closer to where I could view the seas and cliffs more clearly, and took out my camera. The sea was regularly spraying high over the edge, showering me and my camera in seawater every few minutes. Half of my time was spent cleaning the camera to the timing of the waves. I could only hold the camera up for a few seconds at a time, so I made sure everything was ready to shoot when I saw an opportunity. I noticed huge rollers crashing into the cliffs in the distance, with a great perspective from where I was. The scene was dull and grey. But for a few fleeting seconds, the sun broke through and lit up the land, the cliffs, and moved over towards the sea. I captured just a single image where the sun lit the crashing wave as it hit the cliffs at Birsay.

Sometimes the most challenging part of making my images is just working in the dramatic weather conditions. But it is also the most uplifting. There isn't a feeling to match that of heading home, drenched, cold and tired but having witnessed and captured a unique moment of magic in the landscape that I know will never be repeated.