Taylor joins Document Scotland for his student placement

Hello, my name is Taylor Cowe and I am a photography student from Aberdeen. I am currently studying photography at Edinburgh Napier University, and I am undertaking a placement with Document Scotland over the next few months. My main interests are within documentary photography, and I will be using this opportunity to get a closer look at […]

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a picture of a woman kneeling with her two children in a Scottish island landscape

Sophie’s images from Fair Isle in the Telegraph Saturday Magazine

This Saturday images from Sophie’s trip to Fair Isle with fellow photographer Tessa Bunney will be published in the Telegraph Saturday Magazine. Tessa and Sophie travelled to Fair Isle in 2021 travelling by tiny plane to the island which is home to around 50 people. They took part in a residency on the island and stayed for a month, making images of the landscape, the residents and photographing a portrait of island life.

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©Robbie Murrie

Latest Interview: Margaret Mitchell in conversation with Robbie Murrie

Margaret recently caught up with Robbie Murrie to chat about his ongoing work Polo Mint City as well as his reflections on his route into photography and the creative process during long term projects. You can read the full interview over here. Margaret says: “I met Robbie through a mutual contact – someone I’d photographed […]

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Making Space - Photographs of Architecture exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

What’s On?

We’ve been running our Document Scotland Patreon supporters’ platform for over three years now. In that time, we have featured previews, reviews and interviews of our own photography and that of hitorical and contemporary photographers making work about Scotland. Becoming one of our patrons through the scheme unlocks all the stories and features we have […]

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Margaret Mitchell and Craig Easton Join Document Scotland

From the series Fisherwomen. © Craig Easton, all rights reserved. Collectives adapt and evolve. To survive and thrive, they must move with the times. When Document Scotland was established in 2012 by Sophie, Colin, Jeremy and Stephen, the immediate future of our nation was up for grabs, with the Independence referendum on the horizon. Our […]

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Show Us Colonsay by Sophie Gerrard

I’m an island lover, certainly. Having visited and photographed many of Scotland’s islands, I had never been to Colonsay. It’s a place I’ve heard so much about from friends and colleagues. So it was a wonderful opportunity to visit for a Document Scotland project this May. My approach is always to gravitate towards people, after […]

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Show us Colonsay

Document Scotland launches Show Us Colonsay photography project – a community-focused photography event designed to engage, educate and excite. What: Show Us Colonsay Where: Colonsay and Oransay, Inner Hebrides When: 2-7 May, 2022 Show Us Colonsay is a community-focused photography event devised and delivered by Document Scotland in partnership with the Colonsay and Oransay Heritage […]

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Document Scotland launches its Patreon initiative

DOCUMENT SCOTLAND SEEKS SUPPORT TO CONTINUE MAKING AND SHOWCASING THE BEST OF SCOTTISH DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY Document Scotland is launching an initiative to continue the work they do to support photography in Scotland. They are inviting individuals and organisations to become their patrons, and in doing so, putting the work of the collective on a sustainable […]

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The Story Behind the Photograph with Colin McPherson

Hailstones, Kinnaber, 2000. Photograph © Colin McPherson, all rights reserved. This Saturday, 30th May 2020, is the twentieth anniversary of the day I took a photograph that has come to symbolise my work and the project Catching the Tide, which documented Scotland’s last salmon net fishermen. To mark the occasion, Document Scotland is hosting a […]

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What Does Photography Mean To You?

Over here in Document Scotland HQ we’re fans of those who promote democracy within photography, who give voices to all photographers, where all opinions are welcome and valid. For that reason we enjoy the podcasts brought to us by Grant Scott’s UN of Photography every Wednesday, in which he explores the topic of the week […]

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On call on Colonsay

Life is changing for all of us. That much we know about the world we live in as the conseqienses the coronavisrus pandemic become more apparent. The future has never looked more uncertain and we can only guess and speculate what is in front of us now. A year ago, Document Scotland photographer Colin McPherson […]

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Archive feature: Jute Spinning in Dundee

There is a lot of debate these days about the role of journalism in our daily lives. Questions are asked as to where we get our information from, and the all-pervading accusation of ‘fake news’ is something which causes a real stooshie amongst the general public and also in the journalistic trade. It’s easy to […]

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Portrait of Place: Orkney Sophie Gerrard exhibition

Earlier this summer Sophie was commissioned by The New York Times Style Magazine to photograph a craft makers’ residency on the Orkney Isles. Sophie’s photographs are featured in an exhibition “Portrait of Place: Orkney” at The New Craftsmen Gallery as part of the London Design Festival in London until the end of September 2019. Read the published […]

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A Contested Land – behind the lens #5

In the lead up to the opening of our latest showing of A Contested Land, which takes place as part of FLOW Photofest in Inverness in September, Document Scotland’s photographers give an insight into the work they have made for the show. Here, Colin McPherson, tells us about one of his favourite images his project entitled Treasured Island. “Serendipity […]

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A Contested Land, at FLOW

The next showing of Document Scotland’s current exhibition, A Contested Land, featuring work by Sophie Gerrard, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Stephen McLaren and Colin McPherson, will be at FLOW Photofest 2019, and held at Inverness College UHI. FLOW Photofest 2019 – the international photography festival running across the Highlands & Islands and Moray in the North of […]

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Anna MacKinnon rolling fleeces at Amulree, Perthshire. June 2019

Drawn To The Land – Perth Museum and Art Gallery

Sophie was commissioned by Perth Museum and Art Gallery to continue her long term project Drawn To The Land, the resulting work is currently being exhibited at the gallery until the end of October. Drawn To The Land continues to be a fascinating journey for me. For this chapter it took me to Perthshire, where […]

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Easdale Island events, 8th/9th June.

Join us this June on Easdale Island for a Salon evening of photography, followed by a day of community photographing, chat and reviewing. Document Scotland Salon Evening Date of Event: Sat 08 Jun 2019 Location: Easdale Island Community Hall. Event Type: Exhibition Time: 8.15pm (Doors/Bar open 7.30pm) Ticket Pricing: FREE   Document Scotland’s exhibition entitled […]

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Sophie Gerrard featured in ‘209 Women’ and ‘Sixteen’

There are less than a week to catch 2 exhibitions featuring work by Sophie Gerrard this month. ‘209 Women’ at the Open Eye Liverpool and ‘Sixteen’ at Format Festival in Derby. Both exhibitions finish on the 14th April 2019. If you are in Liverpool or Derby do try and see them.   209 Women Open Eye […]

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@EverydayClimateChange

@EverydayClimateChange, a Street Level Photoworks show, co-curated by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, is on now at Hillhead Library, Glasgow, until April 28th.  Hillhead Library 348 Byres Rd, Glasgow G12 8AP Monday to Thursday: 10:00am – 8:00pmFriday & Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pmSunday 12:00pm – 5:00pm Another opportunity to see panels from the collective Instagram account involving 20 photographers from […]

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A Contested Land, at Perth Museum

Our touring show for this year, A Contested Land, opens on 23rd April at Perth Museum and Art Gallery. The show will run until 23rd June, with talks about the exhibition and work by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Colin McPherson, on the evening of Thursday 9th May, 7pm. Perth Museum and Art Gallery,78 George […]

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Evening of photography from Scotland

Yesterday evening at Stills in Edinburgh, Document Scotland photographers Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard, and Colin McPherson, and guests Arpita Shah and Margaret Mitchell, presented new photography work to a packed house, answering questions and generally having an enjoyable evening of photography from Scotland. First on the floor was Sophie, introducing her new work The Flows, which takes a […]

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Forthcoming attraction

As part of the launch of A Contested Land, the first exhibition of which is currently on show at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, we are staging one of our popular salon evenings at Stills Gallery in Edinburgh. The event takes place on Thursday, 7th February and as well as presenting work from our […]

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A Contested Land

Document Scotland’s A Contested Land has now opened at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, England. The show runs until 16th March, 2019, before further showings in Scotland at Perth, Dunoon and Inverness. It gives us great pleasure to announce that our latest show, A Contested Land, successfully opened last week at the Martin Parr Foundation. Surrounded by friends, family, […]

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from the series The Flows © Sophie Gerrard 2018

A Contested Land: Behind the lens #3

In the lead up to our forthcoming exhibition A Contested Land opening at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol on 15th January 2019, each of the Document Scotland photographers gives an insight into their work, this week Sophie Gerrard talks about her new and ongoing work The Flows. As a young child, one of my […]

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A Contested Land: Behind the lens #1

In the lead up to the opening of our forthcoming exhibition at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol in January, 2019, each of the four Document Scotland photographers gives an insight into the work they have made for the show. We start with Colin McPherson, who tells us about his project entitled Treasured Island. “Last year, […]

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A Contested Land

A Contested Land – new work and exhibition from Document Scotland.  Set against the current political backdrop, Document Scotland’s four photographers examine the complex relationships between the nation’s people, history and landscape. Showing at The Martin Parr Foundation, 15th January 2019 – 16th March 2019. “The Foundation supports and preserves the legacy of photographers who […]

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We Feed The World

Sophie Gerrard’s images from the Western Isles are featured in the exhibition We Feed The World from The Gaia Foundation at The Bargehouse Gallery, Oxo Tower, London until 21st October. Curated by Cheryl Newman and bringing together an international team of world-renowned photographers, farming communities, farmers’ movements and civil society groups, We Feed the World […]

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@EverydayClimateChange

@EverydayClimateChange photographic collective are bringing their images off the popular Instagram feed and onto the gallery walls of Trongate 103, Glasgow, this month, in an exhibition running from 4th Oct – 4th November. The exhibition is an off-site show from Street Level Photoworks. An opening reception will be held on 4th October, from 6pm- 7:30pm, […]

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Nelson Mandela, Glasgow 1993.

Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert’s images shot during the visit of Nelson Mandela to Glasgow in 1993, go on display this month at the City Chambers in Glasgow. Coinciding with Black History Month, the small exhibition has been made possible with the support of Street Level Photoworks, and depicts the events of the visit of Mandela to Glasgow to […]

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: TRANSPORTATION PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND 2 June 2018 – 13 January 2019Scottish National Portrait Gallery1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD0131 624 6200 | Admission FREE#PlanesAndTrains Part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2018 The extraordinary advances in the technology of travel over the past 170 years, and their wide-ranging impact […]

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10 From The North | 10 bho Tuath – an An Lanntair exhibition

10 from the North | 10 bho Tuath 10 March – 14 April 2018   This exhibition of new photographic work from Scotland and the Nordic countries showcases some of the most interesting contemporary imagery being made by female practitioners. The Scottish-based Wildfires collective features established names such as Patricia Macdonald with her work ‘Burnt […]

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Photography Courses in Scotland

Document Scotland photographer Colin McPherson will be once again running a series of photography courses this summer. Based on the tiny car-free island of Easdale, 15 miles south of Oban, Colin and fellow photographer, Liverpool-based Adam Lee, will host the short residential courses, where photographers of all levels will be guided and assisted to create […]

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Seedbed – new work in progress

Document Scotland was delighted to receive support recently from an organisation called Seedbed, which supports projects with start-up funding. The support has allowed two of our photographers, Sarah Amy Fishlock and Sophie Gerrard to each undertake a small project looking at different aspects of land use in Scotland, with a view to developing the work […]

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Fresh Focus at Stills

Last month Sarah took part in CONNECT FOR Photography Graduates at Stills, a day of talks focussed on supporting graduate and emerging photographers. As well as insightful talks by Melanie Letore, Mat Hay, Morwenna Kearsley and others, the event included a presentation by Christina Webber, Zoe Hamill and Erin Semple on a new initiative being run out […]

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Going with the Flow

The inaugural Flow Photography Festival took place across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in September 2017 with the theme ‘People and Place’. The festival launched at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, with several other galleries hosting work by internationally-acclaimed and award-winning photographers from Iceland, Finland, Scotland and Norway, icluding work by three Document Scotland […]

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Behind the Scenes, University of St Andrews

Recently as a group we were delighted to be invited to spend time at the University of St Andrews, taking a look at what goes on behind the scenes, seeing the little moments which make the historic educational establishment run on a daily basis. From gardeners to waiting staff, from members of staff to the choirs […]

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When We Were Young

We’re delighted that the next photography exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ‘When We Were Young’, will include work from the Scottish photography archive by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert. Included in the group show will be Jeremy’s images of Roma children, photographed in Sintesti Roma camp in Romania in the early 1990’s, part of his multi-year […]

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North Sea Fishing, in Wick.

North Sea Fishing, an exhibition of black and white photographs shot aboard seine net fishing boats in the early 1990s by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, continues its travels up the East coast of Scotland, and is presently showing in Wick’s St Fergus Gallery. Times and dates are in the above poster. After Wick, it’ll travel onwards to Thurso […]

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