First, a bit of background...
Hi there, my name is Niall Huggan, I live in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. I first picked up a ‘proper’ camera when I was 17, eventually taking an indestructable East German Praktika MTL3 (with a Meyer-Oreston/Pentacon 50mm f/1.8) with me to University in 1982, where it saw action out in the field on various Geography department trips around the UK and Europe, as well as on the streets of Edinburgh. Whilst there, I also dabbled in some infrared photography, but primarily shot on black & white film.
My approach to photography today has been shaped by my ever-changing environment over the 40+ years I’ve been active in (primarily amateur) photography. I’ve lived in very rural areas, small towns, small cities and big cities. I’ve travelled from rural Eastern Europe to Downtown Manhattan, and everything in between. Each enviroment has given me a unique perspective on the world and its people, posing different challenges in my attempts to capture and document them. Whilst my professional camera is digital these days, I still dabble in film, using the unique properties of expired film and a 1960s Halina Paulette Electric camera to produce more experimental photos. I have also recently branched in to Graphic Prints of my photos using Risography and other print media.
Photographic Philosophy
My philosophy embraces the Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi and ichi-go ichi-e (“one time, one meeting”)
These ideas complement each other, emphasizing the beauty of imperfection and the unique nature of each moment.
Wabi-sabi embraces the transient beauty of imperfection and the natural cycle of life, while ichi-go ichi-e encourages cherishing every encounter as a unique, irreplaceable moment. These concepts inform my subject matter, from the imperfect and transient human-altered landscapes, to a single moment in time captured in one of my street photographs.
