I certainly remember taking this photograph on a salmon farm in Orkney a few years back for aquaculture client Scottish Sea Farms. The journey out to the farm felt endless, and the sea conditions were some of the roughest I’ve ever experienced — so rough, in fact, that our afternoon schedule was cancelled. Funny enough, once I had a camera in hand, the conditions didn’t bother me so much; I just focused on creating.
I usually like to keep horizons level in my work, but in this shot I wanted to show how the boat was listing alongside the pens while keeping the subject level. This approach follows a style we developed on my first shoot in the sector: placing the person squarely in the frame, looking straight at the camera, and making them the hero of the image. These portraits are all about authenticity — subjects captured in a matter of minutes, just as they arrive for their daily shift, with no styling needed. Lighting is simple, often just one light to separate the subject from the background, consistent with much of my portrait work.
I genuinely enjoy working with salmon farmers in Scotland. They’re a fantastic group to photograph, and I’ve built many lasting friendships along the way. I also love the colour palette of the sector — blues, oranges, and moody skies — so different from land-based food production. Well, maybe not the moody skies!
