'Highland' photo series was shot in the West Highland Way - a route in Scotland that starts at Milngavie passes through Mugdock Country Park, follows the shores of Loch Lomond, passing Ben Lomond, through Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, crossing Rannoch Moor, past Buachaille Etive Mor to the head of Glencoe, climbing the Devil’s Staircase, descending to the Loch Leven before entering Lairigmor and Glen Nevis and finishes at Gordon Square in Fort William.

I walked a large section of the West Highland Way in Scotland. I walked alone into the highlands, carrying everything I needed for a week, camping wild along the way. If you want to get up close and personal with the Highlands, then I can't recommend this route enough. For me, autumn is one of the best seasons in which you can visit the Highlands. As the Red deer are in rut, the weather becomes harsh, and the colour of the land is in a state of change. The light is great too.
-Daniel Alford

The inspiration was the journey. The challenge, the weather, the mountains, the isolation. I like to give my shots a personal angle so I shot handheld - which felt more like being an opportunist whilst documenting my personal journey - and then trying to create a mood within the shot which reflects my experience.
-Daniel Alford

I love traveling alone, because no matter how much you imagine how your trip might go, it never ever goes to plan. Some people might be put off by that, but it’s a large part of why I go, and why you should go too. For instance, one memory that sticks in my mind from this trip, is the especially cold and rainy night in a shed at the Glen Coe ski centre, and morale was fairly low. The shed housed all of the ski centre’s rental equipment as it dried out, but it had two electric heaters and a light so I was pretty happy with that. The next day I walked down to Kings House, a small inn at the start of the glen and met a Canadian couple walking the path from the opposite way. We got talking and stayed in the inn for a couple hours trading stories, and drinking Guinness.
-Daniel Alford

Another memory I have from this trip happened a few days before. It was a cold and misty morning near Inveroran when I woke up to the sound of a stag roaring. I opened my tent door to see the stag a hundred metres or so from my tent standing tall in the Glen. I felt extremely lucky to witness that.
-Daniel Alford

I try to give my work a cinematic feel and a sense of nostalgia, because telling a story is always the main objective. I’m constantly trying to explore the line between true documentation, and creating an image.
-Daniel Alford

From the start I think the most profound influence on me has come from the BBC natural history unit, Sherpa Cinema, and Nat Geo. There is no question that they are producing some of the best natural history images in the world, with the help of the finest explorers and photographers out there. People like Doug Allen, Mark Smith, Cory Richards, Paul Nicklen, and J.P. Auclair. More recently, publications such as Cereal Mag, and Ernest Journal are doing great things in print.

Photographers like Finn Beals, Kevin Russ, and Chris Burkard are a constant source of photographic inspiration for me, too. More generally I think people like Yvon Chouinard, Alan Watts, Henry David Thoureax have a huge impact on how I think creatively, and my life.
-Daniel Alford

What I would say is keep putting in the hard work and keep putting your work out there into the world. Challenge yourself and question yourself, why do you do what you do? But no matter what is going on in your life, keep making things and keep expressing yourself. I would say that letting go of a piece of work sometimes can be difficult, as in sharing it or publishing it. Its important not to be a perfectionist to the extent were you don't really share much too. I use a Canon 6D, 24-70mm 2.8 and a 70-200mm f4 for this project.
-Daniel Alford

About Daniel Alford

Daniel Alford started shooting landscapes and documenting his travels around four years ago, and now it’s all he ever wants to do. Photography is a great vehicle for travel and it’s taken him to some incredible places. He started walking and hiking in his home country, Wales, which was great. But over the years he wanted more and more, and eventually started planning more elaborate trips further afield. Daniel thrives in wild country. Loves the space, and the solitude and silence he finds there. He loves sharing his adventures; if somehow he can encourage and inspire people to get outside and into nature after seeing his work, that’s job done for him. See more of his amazing photos on Behance or his website.