I had been working on building up my landscape stock files and came across this view of Cove Harbour on the Scottish Borders while doing a recce. It looked promising with Torness Power Station looming in the distance and I planned to return for a dawn shoot.

With the weather forecast looking good, my alarm set for a red-eye 3:45AM start and following a one hour drive, I waded through trouser drenching grass to get in position.

Ten minutes until sun-up and it was all looking good. But then a fast moving front rolled in and twenty minutes later I was sheltering my gear from the rain, while watching a crab fisherman set off to check his nets.

Suddenly a warm glow started to shine through onto the harbour wall and buildings, gradually developing into a delicate warm/cool contrast between the foreground and background. I rushed to set my gear back up and managed to make a handful of exposures as the boat left the harbour, at which point the sun vanished for the rest of the day.

The drama created by the light and clouds that morning was more than I could have hoped for and I feel lends the image a narrative that would otherwise be missed.

It wasn’t until after completing a Zoology degree and then working as a multimedia designer for several years that Tim decided to pursue photography professionally. He returned to university to study scientific imaging at postgraduate level and then assisted for a while.

Tim has been shooting news, PR, interior features and self assigned stock since 2005.

Photographer since 2005, EPUK member since 2007.