B (184)

26

B+W

When I came home I went to Harris and went round thinking:

oh this is actually a bit like Bolivia. When you look at Harris there’s

a lot of emptiness there. There are a lot of big beaches, but there’s

not really anything like an iconic mountain or a well-known tree,

so you have to think about shapes and patterns.

If you were visiting the Eiffel Tower then that’s what you’d

photograph. But why does it have to be a picture of an iconic

landscape? Why can’t it be an anonymous place? Why can’t it be

just about texture and tone? That’s what Harris is about.

MB An interesting thing you mention on your website is about how

our choice of words can affect our attitude to making pictures.

BP I was talking to a friend who runs workshops and he kept using

words like ‘strive’ and ‘challenge’ and I said I really don’t believe

in that. I think it just flows, and when it’s not flowing and there’s

a blockage then it’s time to stop and give it a rest. Stop fighting

something that’s clearly not working for you.

Photography is like a metaphor for life sometimes. I’ve been in jobs

in the past where I shouldn’t have been in them, I should have got out



24-30_BRUCE_PERCY_175 ER/MB.indd 2624-30_BRUCE_PERCY_175 ER/MB.indd 26 18/02/2015 16:3218/02/2015 16:32