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John S Pate

@johnspate

Travel and adventure photographer based in Scotland

I owe a lot to my parents for developing and nurturing my passion for photography and travel. Both were keen amateur photographers and my first memories of taking photographs were of stealing their cameras at family events to take pictures of everything and anything I could find! Since then, they have always been supportive of my work and help me in any way they can. They also helped me to go on my first big trip to Peru, when I was still at school.

"This really ignited my passion for travel and desire to explore the world more."

After my mum passed away over the summer, I found some photos on an old SD card she had taken on a trip with friends in Scotland. While looking through all these photos, my appreciation for the photographer she was, grew with every photograph. I like to think that some of her talent got stuck on me and that I am just continuing her work. In fact, the puffin photos I shared on social media at the time, were her photos that I had just edited.

For a long time, I felt like I struggled to know what I enjoyed and wanted to do with my life. Photography has helped me rediscover my passion for the outdoors and travel. It got me outside to enjoy life when I might have instead wasted a day watching tv. Photography has opened up so many doors for me and introduced me to some incredible people who I now can call friends.

"More than anything, photography helps me feel close to my mom and it is something I will always be grateful for."

While I have been taking photographs for years, I feel it has only been over the last year or so that I have really begun to take it more seriously. While I do have a full time job as an equine veterinarian, I would love photography to be a bigger part of my life and to be able to spend more time doing what I love… Previously, I would only take photos if I was passing somewhere nice or if I was already somewhere and a certain subject or view appealed to me. Nowadays, I plan trips to take photographs and meet up with other photographers. A lot of my development over the last year has been due to working with other photographers. I feel I have learnt a lot from them and they really helped pushing me to improve my work. They have changed the way that I view photography and storytelling.

"I try to use online workshops and tutorials where I can learn as well, but I believe excelling in photography means just lots of practice, trial and error!"
"That goes for shooting, but also for editing. I have found, little by little, a style that I feel good with. I try to keep things as natural and realistic as possible."

 I want to try and recreate as best as possible the scene as I saw it and remember, so I tend to make as little adjustments in Lightroom as I can, and let the image do the rest. I want my final image to be something that stops the viewer from scrolling and allows them to enjoy the image. Often I am sharing an image I personally like and I hope other people enjoy it as well, hopefully bringing back good memories if they were there, or inspiring them to visit the location themselves. Sometimes though, I am sharing a photo that has more meaning behind it, and I want people to engage and discuss more. This is particularly relevant when discussing mental health issues.

"But no matter the image I share, I want a photograph that makes people pause, even just for a second, to appreciate it."
"To build on that, I think photography has a wonderful power, which all people actually should experience."

Photography helps developing within you a certain appreciation for everything you see around you, the environment, details, elements… It teaches you to have a different perspective of the world and of everything we have. Normal things or landscapes turn into something special. I am ashamed to admit, that when I lived in Scotland I definitely did not realize what an incredible country it is. It is only after moving away for work that I have learnt to appreciate just how stunning it is. There is so much more of Scotland that I would love to explore, especially in the Highlands and Islands. The good thing is though, with all my family still in Scotland, I have plenty of opportunities to visit, explore and photograph.

Without a doubt, this has played a huge role in my photography and it’s certainly where my most popular content has come from. In fact some of my top photos (from both a personal view and also popularity) have come from places less than an hour from where I grew up, near Glasgow. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs might not have the most recognizable spots but places like Ben A’an, Loch Katrine and the Three Lochs Forest Drive have some great views that I love going back to.

"As much as I want to explore the rest of the world, Scotland will always be special."

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