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Alistair Horne

@ali.horne

Landscape photographer based in Scotland

Introducing Alistair Horne

Alistair Horne is a freelance photographer living in Glasgow, Scotland. His mom transferred her passion for photography to him and she got him his first camera. After being the annoying kid with the camera at parties, he found his passion to be landscape and travel photography. He hopes to inspire others to see cultures, traditions and the outdoors, but he also wishes to educate people through his photography about the world, especially about Scotland. “We are at a critical stage of preserving wilderness and wildlife for the next generation with climate change and global warming. I want to help shed light in any way to restore these fragile ecosystems through photography campaigns” Alistair said.

Of course getting where he is now, didn’t happen from one day to the other. In the beginning he did photography aside of his job in a marketing agency, after which he decided to take the risk and pursue a career in photography full time. It was fighting for enough work in the beginning, but afterwards he got rewarded with companies and agencies reaching out to him too. He learned that it’s really important to just be honest on what he could offer when closing deals with companies and to have a portfolio of work to show that is similar to what he believed the companies were looking for. In this regard, he gave the tip to not undersell yourself and to give a clear indication to how you came to a certain price point. 

Alistair is someone who really enjoys to keep evolving as a photographer, mixing up the style and type of photography he takes. He loves to venture into other areas of photography, to challenge himself and improve his skills that way. His ultimate purpose is to make a difference with his work, whether this is by collaborating with environmentally-conscious enterprises or by heading to the edges of the world to see and document the impacts of climate change. He is very grateful for the travels that come with this, the people from various backgrounds he meets and the different cultures and landscapes he learns about: “Expanding your own horizons always gives you a new perspective about the world and makes you appreciate what you have.”

Interview

Welcome Alistair!

You are a Scottish freelance photographer living in Glasgow, Scotland. Is that where your passion for photography started? What has provoked you to delve into photography?

Photography has been a passion of mine since I was 12 or 13. I’ve always been interested in capturing moments with friends and family since I’ve been young. My mum is a keen photographer and she was the one who bought my first camera and made me realise how much I enjoy taking photos. I used to be the annoying kid at parties taking photos and uploading them to Facebook the day after. My passion for the outdoors and landscape photography came later after university, when I travelled to the west coast of America. 

You wrote on your website: “I am passionate about capturing that landscape, animal photo and view that encourages emotion and connects to the audience”. What is your purpose with photography and where you focus on?

My purpose with photography is to promote certain regions of my home country of Scotland and other areas of the world I am fortunate enough to travel to. I want to hopefully inspire others to see cultures, traditions and the outdoors and really embrace new things and increase their knowledge through photography. In Scotland the wilderness, wildlife and historical aspects all play a vital role of what it means to be Scottish and I really want to showcase all this country has to offer. In terms of animals and wildlife, we are at a critical stage of preserving these fascinating creatures for the next generation with climate change and global warming.

"I want to help shed light in any way to restore these fragile ecosystems through photography campaigns and educate people on the latest news and the things we can do to maintain these animals for the future."

There is a long path for a photographer from a starter to freelancer and to actually doing this full time. How was this journey for you? What were your challenges and highlights?

It’s been a journey of ups and downs, just like any career! I started out doing some photography work on the side when I was working at a marketing agency (I studied marketing at university). It got to a point when I felt I could pursue photography as a full time career and I was enjoying that side much more than the marketing. I knew it would be difficult and it still is to this day, having enough work to keep you busy and to pay the bills! Having the flexibility and freedom of being your own boss and being able to travel and photograph for work is something I couldn’t imagine a few years ago, but I love it and want it to continue for as long as possible.

You are working with small Scottish companies, tourism boards and large brands, among others.. How did you find these clients? According to you, what is important in closing deals and collaborations with these kind of partners?  

It’s been a mixture of ways in which these work connections come about. Sometimes you meet people at conferences or industry talks, or sometimes agencies or companies reach out to me via emails, social media or get in touch as they have seen previous work and would like new imagery.  I also email and phone companies, both large and small, asking if they are looking for new imagery for their website or advertising use or any social media promotion. More recently I am doing more commercial work, so it’s great to work with a variety of companies and really mix up the style and type of photography I take. In terms of closing deals and collaborating with these companies, it’s really important to just be honest on what you can offer and having a portfolio of work you can show, that is similar to what you believe they are looking for, is very useful.

Alistair Horne
"Don’t undersell yourself - you will be taken more seriously than undercutting your work if you give a clear indication to how you came to that price point."
Meet Alistair Horne

Are there any type of collaborations or photography projects you would love to do in the future? Something new you dream about doing? 

I’d love to continue working with tourism boards and companies both here in Scotland and around the world. I’d like to travel as much as possible and venture into other areas of photography. Whether that’s capturing animals on the African plains or heading to the edges of the world to see the impacts of climate change, I’d love to really challenge myself, improve my skills and work with environmentally-conscious enterprises to make a difference with my work. I have never been to South America or Asia, so there are two areas I still need to see and explore!

You are also doing social media promotions/campaigns for clients. How are these connected to your photography? And what role does social media plays in your success as a photographer? 

I would never have pursued photography as a career had it not been for social media. It was a great way for me to increase my reach and following, leading to a variety of client work that would have been much harder to acquire on my own. It has given me a lot more confidence in my own work knowing that others appreciate my photos. When certain work gets positive feedback, or people even spend money on my prints to put up in their homes, that’s a great feeling.

I really enjoy working on a project and seeing the end results on social media afterwards and seeing positive comments and thoughts from both the client and the audience.

"I have been able to work with tourism boards and clients I would never have imagined working with as a result of social media, so it has been a great avenue in that sense to push myself and really test my skills."

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You have won various awards for the UK Outdoor Photographer of the Year and for the Landscape Photographer of the Year in Scotland. In your opinion, what is an award winning photo? 

I don’t think there is a specific formula to a great photo and I never go out intentionally thinking ‘this will make a great photo’. A lot depends, especially in Scotland, on the weather and the light. Forecasting where to be for sunrise or sunset or during the day can be difficult as the weather is ever-changing on these shores. Quite a lot of the time I might end up in a different spot than I imagined but may come across a scene that presents itself, making a photo I had never expected – these make sometimes for the best shots!

Can you tell us something about your editing style? What are your favourite tools when post processing? 

I edit all my photos on Adobe Lightroom, with a few tweaks for social media posts on my phone on either Snapseed or VSCO. In terms of my style of editing, I would say I enjoy bringing out the colours and contrasts of a photo and I try and reimagine myself when I was taking the photo. It is ever-evolving!

What do you think are the most important aspects to keep in mind when editing? And, according to you, what are the last steps or ‘checks’ before finishing a photo and sharing it? 

Having a consistent style to the same set of images you edit is usually advised. In terms of last steps and checks, I usually go through all the edited photos to check the images are as I hoped they looked and make any last minute tweaks to colours or tones if necessary.

Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?

Colin Prior has been one of my main inspirations in terms of Scottish landscape work. His panoramic landscape work is very well known in British photography and he breathed new life into the way Scotland is perceived. Two other photographers I am inspired by are Alex Strohl and Paul Nicklen.

As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. All your pictures represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, what is your favourite photo? And what’s the story behind?

It is really difficult to choose one photo but if I had to, it would be this image from the Old Man of Storr at sunrise. It was taken in January when the days are short and I had to make the most of my time on a trip to the Isle of Skye. The sunrise forecast was promising as I made the hike up the hillside in the dark. Thankfully, the sun came up with some low lying clouds, making for some dramatic shadows in the landscape.

"Anytime I see the image it brings back good memories of a morning well spent!"

What is the most beautiful thing that travel has allowed you to do?

Being able to meet people from different backgrounds, learn all about cultures and see new landscapes and views for work is without doubt the best thing about travel. Expanding your own horizons always gives you a new perspective about the world and makes you appreciate what you have. 

Nowadays we see so many young talented artists pursuing a career as a full time travel/landscape photographer. What four pieces of advice would you give them? 

Try and find a niche style of photography that you enjoy and one you believe you are good at. If you don’t feel comfortable with one variation, like landscapes, maybe try taking some urban shots or portraits of friends and see if that makes you feel more relaxed and happy with your shots.

Keep shooting daily if possible: no matter what you shoot, this is a great way to understand photography and improve on composition, lighting and really master how to use your camera and adapt it to the situation around you. No one situation or scene will be the same twice and you will have to learn and improve as you go, so knowing how to use your camera gives you a great starting point to create your best work possible. I would also recommend reaching out to a variety of companies, large and small and try and arrange a meeting to find out what sort of work they are looking for and how you can help them out.

"The worst thing that will happen is they say no, so don’t be shy!"
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