Artist in Focus - Andrew McKay
Born in Scotland, Andrew McKay aims to capture the wonder, essence and beauty of the places he visits in such a way that will inspire others to enjoy the outdoors, explore nature and care for the environment.
At the beginning of this century, Andrew photographed a beautiful sunset on a Scottish beach and was so pleased with the result that he started on a career as a professional photographer in which profession he is becoming increasingly recognised with him being a finalist on a number of occasions in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition.
Andrew is also a scratch golfer and he merges his love of the game with his professional expertise to produce stunning photographs of golf courses alongside his wonderful landscapes.
For someone discovering your work for the first time, can you tell them a bit about you, your photography and how it began?
I’m a great lover of the outdoors first and foremost. Since childhood I’ve always been interested in and inspired by the natural world and that fascination continues to this day. I began creating landscape photographs after being inspired by a holiday snap I took on a basic film camera back in 2003 of a beautiful sunset reflected in the water and sand at Nairn beach in the north of Scotland. I read as many books as I could on outdoor photography and set about developing my art and craft by exploring the local landscapes of the Campsie Fells and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Taking what I learned in these wild places, I then began creating images of golf courses as I’ve appreciated them over the years as a competitive scratch golfer – seeing them in the dramatic light of early morning and late evening.
What are your two biggest inspirations?
Light and landscape. The quality of light here in Scotland has to be the biggest inspiration. It’s constantly changing with the weather systems that come off the Atlantic and often makes you just stop and stare. Combined with our fantastic landscapes and beautiful golf courses, there are endless possibilities for an outdoor photographer. Inspired by fleeting moments of wonderful light, I enjoy the challenge of capturing them in camera to share them with others, who have not been as fortunate as me in witnessing them first hand. Scotland has a wealth of stunning locations and I’m particularly inspired to capture the beauty of my local landscapes. I enjoy exploring and finding places off the beaten track, photographing scenes that are often overlooked and less well known. When photographing golf courses, I’m inspired by the natural features and forms and try to accentuate them in my images using light and shade.
What do you want people to think or feel when they see your work?
I hope people see the beauty of nature in my work and feel a positive emotional response. I aim to create images that make people feel they could step into the scene and enjoy the moment for themselves. If my work can make people think about the protection of the natural world then I’m delighted!
When is your favourite time of the day to create?
I love the golden hours of dawn and dusk. Those times often produce magical light and also a wonderful stillness and sense of solitude. The transitions between day and night are beguiling.
What piece of advice have you been given that has stayed with you?
Landscape photography is about distillation. In contrast to a painter who adds to a blank canvas, my job is to exclude anything from the scene that doesn’t contribute to the image. It’s about capturing the essence of a place and creating images that spark an emotional response in the viewer. That’s not always easy and takes time and discipline.
Which other photographers inspire you?
I love the work of other landscape photographers and have a large collection of books I often refer to for inspiration. The work of Vittorio Sella, Galen Rowell, Ansel Adams, Colin Prior, Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, Sebastio Salgado and Peter Dombrovskis stand out. In golf photography the work of Kevin Murray, Evan Schiller and Jacob Sjöman have been and continue to be, a source of inspiration.
What is next for your art or what future projects would you like to try?
I’ve started to explore astrophotography. I’ve recently managed to capture some images of the aurora borealis and would like to capture fresh images of the milky way and learn more about the planets and stars. I’m considering combining this with my golf course photography.