I have been taking pictures ever since I got my first camera in the 1970s (a Kodak Instammatic). Slowing Down is my first solo exhibition and I'm so grateful to the Bennachie Visitor Centre for giving me this opportunity. I have been doing NEOS for the last few years but for this exhibition I wanted to show my more personal work. All of the pieces were shot on black and white film using a variety of cameras. The practicalities of using these old cameras requires a slower pace than with modern digital cameras and I'm increasingly drawn to this slower way of working as it allows you time to see things around you in a different way. Slowing down lets you absorb the environment with all your senses. Birdsong, the wind moving the trees, the scents after fresh rain in the forest and the cold blasts of autumn weather become important elements of the final photograph and the memories we take from a place. Slowing down is something we can all benefit from.