Stunning photos in new book – Skye, Cloud Island

A celebration of Skye is set to be published, showcasing stunning photographs taken on the isle.

Skirinish Publishing, a small independent publishing company, have published Skye, Cloud Island with photography and text by Morten Hansen.

Skye, Cloud Island is a well produced and designed coffee-table book, showcasing the exceptional imagery of Morten.

Morten Schmidt Hansen was born in Horsens, Denmark in 1976. He went to Stirling University, and decided to stay after graduation in 2002.

Having enjoyed Skye since first visiting as a child, Morten decided to move there in 2011, due to the incredible combination of sea and mountains. Mountaineering has been a part of Morten’s life for a long time, and Skye presented the perfect opportunity to start climbing on the Cuillin hills.

Morten said: ‘It’s all come about, thanks to my publisher. I’m always taking pictures – and have done, for as long as I can remember. She knew about my photos, and asked me if I would like to do a book, so I thought, “Why not?”. I’d always wanted to do a book.

‘I looked through all of my pictures for the book. I’ve taken somewhere between 40-50,000 pictures since I first came here, and been through them to bring it down to around 40 for the finished book.

‘I wouldn’t say I’ve got any favourites, but if you were to push me, I’d probably go for the front page image. Just five minutes before I took it, you couldn’t see anything, and then the conditions changed, the sun burst through, and there it was.’

Publisher Marianne de Raad, of Skirinish Publishing, said: ‘The Isle of Skye is in lists of top 10 locations to visit in the world. There are a few photobooks about Skye, but none of them stands out. We think Morten is a photographer who does walk the extra mile and after doing so waits for that perfect moment with the perfect light.’

Morten is a passionate climber and volunteers in the Skye Mountain Rescue team.

He said: ‘Thanks to modern technology, a mobile camera was ever present on these trips. After a while, camera gear and the tripod got lugged up the mountains too.

‘I’ve always been interested in photography. The landscape and light on the island gave it an extra push needed to take it seriously. This book is the culmination of six years of photography.

‘I’ve lived on Skyre for eight years now. My parents keep coming over to visit, and the like finding new things to see.

‘The shot of The Old Man of Storr in winter was very fortunate. You never know what you’re going to get when you go out.

For more details, and to order a copy of the book, visit www.skirinishpublishing.com

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