By day, Stephen Breslin is the chief executive of the Glasgow Science Centre. But over the last decade he has spent his ‘downtime’ honing his skills as a mountain and wildlife photographer in the wild places of Scotland. Now his photographic talents are being showcased by conservation charity, The John Muir Trust, which is mounting an exhibition of his work at its Wild Space visitor centre in Pitlochry, Perthshire.
Running from March 1 to April 30, the exhibition in the centre’s Alan Reece Gallery will feature stunning mountainscapes of some of Scotland’s most iconic scenery, including Glencoe and Ben Nevis, as well as spectacular wildlife shots.
Stephen’s quest for great photos
At weekends and on holidays, Stephen often rises in the early hours to travel from his home outside Glasgow to get to a mountain top or viewpoint before dawn breaks just so he can capture the first rays of sun hitting the hillside.
He says: “I try to differentiate my images by looking for the perfect combination of location and light. This can mean a lot of preparation in all sorts of different weather conditions, getting there before sunrise, and searching for places or viewpoints that are less often seen.
“I can be sitting on the hill for a couple of hours sometimes before the sun comes up, so you’ve got to enjoy being out in the wild.
“I have lists of places with compositions in mind and sometimes it can take multiple visits, often over a few years, to get the conditions for the shot I’ve envisaged.”
Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe
Buachaille Etive Mor at the entrance to Glencoe is one of Scotland’s most photographed mountains but Stephen has been going there for years looking for a defining winter shot.
One of the centrepiece images in the exhibition is a stunning image of “The Bookle” taken just before Christmas last year with the first morning sun splashing the iconic summit top.
Stephen says: “You just don’t know how the light is going to develop. Sometimes, it’s spectacular, yet other times, it just fades and you don’t get the shot. But you are in the midst of nature, seeing dippers, deer, black grouse. You have got to enjoy the experience and want to be outdoors.”
The roots of a Stephen’s photo exhibition
Stephen’s love of the outdoors was ignited by a camping trip to Glencoe when he was a teenager. He says: “As a boy from North Lanarkshire, I didn’t know places like this existed. So, I’m really pleased that my photographs of Glencoe and Ben Nevis, where the John Muir Trust does such great work, are going to be at the heart of the exhibition.”
The exhibition came about after staff from the John Muir Trust, who work from a base in the Science Centre, commented on some of Stephen’s pictures, which he had put up in his own office. Initially, he contributed images for the trust’s Christmas cards.
Stephen adds: “Ideally, I’m striving to capture what I feel about the landscape of Scotland in the image. I could spend the rest of my life just taking pictures of Scotland. I’ve no desire to take shots of the Alps or Yosemite, which are undoubtedly astoundingly beautiful, but it’s Scotland that I have a lifelong passion and affinity for.”
Emma Castle-Smith, visitor engagement manager from The John Muir Trust said: “I first saw Stephen’s work in June 2022 and I knew immediately that his gorgeous photographs, showing Scottish landscapes in a different light and at a time of day when many people don’t get to experience them, would be hugely popular in the gallery.”
The details:
Stephen Breslin’s exhibition is at the Wild Space visitor centre, on the corner of Atholl Road and Station Road, in the centre of Pitlochry. Opening times: March 1 to October 31, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm and on Sunday, 10am to 3pm. (Closed Tuesdays).