Residency reflections: Sam Laughlin

How has the residency been?

It's been a wonderful and intensively productive six weeks. Photography is often very weather contingent and I was quite lucky in that regard during the first part of my stay, with some incredible evening light around the solstice. August was another matter! But I managed to be productive despite the incessant rain.

I stayed off-grid in either of two buildings owned by Borders Forest Trust – one is a cabin at their Corehead site and the other a more remote barn up at Gameshope. I visited Carrifran Wildwood, where BFT established a native woodland more than 20 years ago. Each site is a forest in the process of becoming, and each is at a different stage in its development, which is fascinating and very inspiring. Everywhere I looked I saw positive change in the form of new growth. I've been very detail-oriented, photographing plants and insects which speak to the positive impact of Borders Forest Trust's work in restoring ecosystems.

What have you discovered that you didn’t expect to discover?

I used the residency as a chance to experiment with new equipment, techniques and ideas, which has been very freeing. There have been a few strands to my response – some are very intuitive and reactive, whereas others are more cerebral or process-led, such as my continuing development of long exposure techniques (as a way to respond to the various natural processes occurring at different timescales in the Wild Heart). One unexpected discovery was an enormous wasp called a Birch Sawfly, which I found at Gameshope. This is an insect closely associated with birch woodland and something which would not be there if not for Borders Forest Trust.

As a photographer, light is fundamental to your work. Can you tell us more about other themes which developed during the residency?

I began to think a lot about the process of photography as being somehow analogous to photosynthesis - in the sense of light being gathered or accumulated. Being in Scotland, with so many hours of daylight I found myself responding to this also - whether through long exposures, or by working at particular times of day, particularly with the low angles of light in the morning and evening.

Water has also been a key theme. This reflects the overarching theme of the residency, but also the positive impact BFT is having on the hydrology of the area. At Gameshope, in particular, I met plenty of people who come to swim in the pools along the burn and have had many conversations about the changes taking place in the landscape.

How has this time spent in the Wild Heart informed your work in relation to the natural world?

The residency has brought about a real shift in my work, in the way I respond to the natural world and in the techniques I employ in visualising that response. Spending so much time in one specific locale made me slow down even further - rather than arriving in a place with some expectation or with a searching mentality, I was more open to chance encounter, more receptive and reactive. Crucially also I had time to think, reflect and experiment in a beautiful and supportive atmosphere, free from distraction.

Tell us about some of the wildlife encounters you had in the Wild Heart?

Where to begin, there were so many! I'm an avid birdwatcher, so mostly these involved birds. I kept lists of all the species I encountered, which sadly didn't include any Golden Eagles - I'm told I arrived too late in the year and they had dispersed.

On my second day I came across a Redstart fledgling sitting quietly in the Dairy wood at Ericstane and watched it being fed for some time. Redstarts are a favourite bird of mine so that was very special. There was also the unforgettable morning up at Gameshope when a Pied Wagtail perched on top of my coffee pot, which luckily was not hot at the time!

Any final reflections on the residency?

It has been a privilege to spend so much time in landscapes being restored to their wild, forested glory. That people should value my response to such places and support me as I live and work in them, was really a dream come true. Since I arrived in June I have been touched by this place and by the people here. Filled as it is with new life and forests in the process of becoming, I have tried, in my own peculiar way, to make sense of it all and of the abundance of northern light.

Gathering Light, an exhibition of the photography that Sam produced during his Wild Heart residency, is taking place at Dawyck Botanic Gardens from 1st February to 4th May 2025.

www.samlaughlin.co.uk
@samlaughlin90