Portfolios > Love Letters to Life

Dear Nina, when I returned to Scotland, I was unsure what to do next. Angelika, my German friend, advised me, “Ach, you should do photography.” Although I had been making pictures for twenty-five years, I had no idea what she meant. Eventually, I presented a very naïve portfolio of images I thought represented what photography was at an entrance interview for a place on the BA Photography degree at Edinburgh Napier University, then called Napier Polytechnic. I quelled my nervousness with several large whiskies at a pub across the street before my interview. Robin Gillanders was one of the interviewers. Surprisingly, I was accepted, and life took a less self-destructive turn. With guidance from Robin and Dave Williams, my relationship with photography evolved into a practice, still naïve but progressively more self-conscious. Many years later, Robin and Dave remain trusted friends. Their influence on my life and on what photography means endures. I have adopted much of what they taught me into my own teaching, especially their constant encouragement and the way it continues to affect me.