A Journey into the Fog

“I didn’t know that someday I’d become a photographer,” says Scotland-based landscape photographer Fran Mart. “But what I did know is that I’ve always been seeking for growth and to expand culturally, emotionally and spiritually.”

Image Source: Fran Mart / Adobe Stock.

Fran’s journey into photography began with a tragedy, when he lost his younger brother five years ago. “In that period of time my sensitivity developed and I started noticing things that I couldn’t see before,” he shares.

The reflection of light on surfaces, the melodies of songs, the sounds of nature – the world around him began to take on new meaning – and the camera became a tool for exploration and expression. “I kind of feel that photography and, in particular, self-portraits discovered me. It was a way to release my pain and begin to see my own reality through the lens.”

Image source: Fran Mart / Adobe Stock.

Fran says that he is “obsessed with light,” and it’s this fixation that inspired him to move from his native Spain to Scotland. According to Fran, there are only two seasons in his native home, Andalusia – summer, and not summer. Although beautiful and vibrant, the bright and harsh light of the Spanish coast was not to Fran’s liking: “There has always been a part of me that felt I belonged somewhere else, somewhere earthier and more temperate.”

When he visited the Scottish Highlands for the first time in 2015, Fran felt immediately at home. Unlike sunny Spain, the light in Scotland was delicate and moody. “What fascinated me about this place is the thinness between earth and sky – here the light seems to take you to another world,” he explains.

Fran spent his days exploring the land, and his days on the trail lead him to another important realization. “Something inside me awoke on those walks – a sense of exploration and adventure that brought me a new realization that our emotions are so connected with nature.”

Image source: Fran Mart / Adobe Stock.

Although rugged wilderness and isolation are the subject of many of his images, Fran compares the experience of photography to spending a cozy evening by the fire with friends, recounting old memories and making new ones. It’s this sense of closeness, connection, and belonging, that are the heart of his photographs.

Since settling in Scotland, Fran has continued to create emotive photographs of the world around him. By sharing his images through Adobe Stock, Fran hopes to “tell stories that inspires us to take a slower path, noticing all the little details around us, connecting our inner and outer worlds.”

Image source: Fran Mart / Adobe Stock.

See more of Fran’s photographs on his Instagram and on Adobe Stock.