Early last May, my wife and I set off on a much-anticipated trip to Scotland, with Edinburgh as our main base. As a Street Photographer, I was eager to explore its atmosphere, its characteristics and experience its visual energy that this historic city and surroundings has to offer. From the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, to a day trip to Newcastle and a quick visit to Glasgow, this journey gave me a fresh new perspective – as in, some great opportunities to capture lifes’ unfolding daily situations with a new backdrop.
What follows is a short diary of that trip, highlighting the places we visited, the people we met, together with the moments I managed to capture through my lens. Even though not every day was equally productive photographically, each one had its own charm, rhythm and surprises.
This year, it was time to travel to Edinburgh — The Hilly Capital as it is also known. And yes, it is very hilly! Walking around for street photography wore me out, constantly going up and down the city’s endless hills and stairways.
On the first day, we set out to explore this beautiful city. I didn’t shoot much, as I hadn’t quite picked up the mood of the city yet.
Day two, I decided to walk along the Royal Mile. After climbing, what felt like an endless uphill climb of stairs, I arrived near Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile starts here and stretches all the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
This historic street is full of shops, street performers, and colourful characters. To my surprise, on this particular day, there were crowds of people holding flags, banners, and even musical instruments. Curiously, I wandered around to see what was going on.
I soon found out that it was The Edinburgh May Day Parade. It was a joy to photograph both the parade and its participants, together with the onlookers — locals and tourists alike. I’ve written and dedicated a blog post about The May Day Parade, which you can find in my previous blog.
Monday, the 5th of May, we took a trip to Newcastle upon Tyne — a city which I’ve visited many times, as my father used to live there. During the day, I didn’t shoot much as I couldn’t find the right spots nor the right characters at that.
In the evening, when it was time to catch the train back to Edinburgh, we arrived at the station quite early, as we were feeling tired. However, to my surprise, the light at the train station was incredible. As we had plenty of time at hand, I told my wife that I’d go off and take some photos in the beautiful light.
It turned into a feast of shooting. Every corner offered a great scene, both inside and even outside the station.
On the 6th of May, I found myself wandering the streets of Edinburgh once again. This time, I visited Calton Hill and later made my way to The St James Quarter. The place was fantastic, simply my style of street photography.
While my wife was shopping, I roamed around capturing some great moments. Just as I was wrapping up, a security guard approached me, and, in a polite manner, informed me that photography wasn’t allowed in the building as it’s private property. I apologised and left without any fuss.
Other than that incident, of which I managed to retain the images, I was really pleased with the work I managed to capture that day.
On the 7th of May, we travelled to Glasgow to meet some friends of mine. One of them is Maltese and lives there, while the other is a friend I connected with online through The Progressive Street group, of which I form a part of. We collaborate regularly on projects for Progressive Street, so it was great to finally meet in person.
We spent a few hours together before they had to leave. Afterwards, my wife and I continued exploring the city — especially me, always in search of more photo opportunities. Glasgow wasn’t particularly fruitful for Street Photography, but I did manage to capture a few good shots.
Looking back, this trip was not just about photography — it was about reconnecting with familiar places, meeting old and new friends, as well as soaking in the atmosphere of cities that each offered their own rhythm and stories. Although some days were more successful than others in terms of images, every moment added to the experience. I returned home inspired, a happy man, with new work in hand and a deeper appreciation for the creative potentiality that travel brings. I look forward to sharing more of what I’ve captured in the days to come.
