A photographer and life-long enthusiast of the RNLI is visiting all 237 lifeboat stations with a Victorian Plate Camera.
Jack Lowe, who is capturing stunning glass images along the way, is currently on the west coast of Scotland leg of his journey.
He will visit Kyle of Lochalsh today, but has already been to Oban, Tobermory and Mallaig.
A grandson of Dad’s Army actor, Arthur Lowe, he has admired the RNLI since he was a little boy and said the project allows him to “follow his heart.”
He said: “This was the first time the lifeboat station project has visited a Scottish island and Oban was the 50th station I’ve visited so far, some very significant milestones on my journey and a very important part of this project for me.”
As part of the RNLI Lifeboat Station Project, he plans to visit all 237 RNLI lifeboat stations, photographing the breath-taking views from each station along with the crew members. He is using a Wet Plate Collodion, a Victorian process that allows him to record stunning images on glass. The project is predicted to take approximately five years to complete.
Whilst in Tobermory, Mr Lowe made a number of stunning images including that of the full time Coxswain, David McHaffie and a number of women involved in the station in operational and management roles.
He will return to Scotland in June when he’ll be heading to RNLI lifeboat stations in the far north, including Shetland and Orkney.
Sam Jones, deputy launching authority at Tobermory and a keen photographer herself, said: “It was an absolute pleasure not only to host Jack and witness the creation of his stunning images at first hand but also to introduce him to island hospitality. Jack’s photographs are not only beautiful pieces of art but his project is also raising awareness of the RNLI to a whole new audience.”
His unique glass photographs are being developed in a decommissioned NHS ambulance, which he purchased on eBay and transformed into a mobile darkroom.