From the series River Spey by Ed Smith
Waterscapes have been a constant in the life of photographer Ed Smith, who explores the River Spey in his latest project.
Smith, who is the owner of the Eleven41 Gallery in the Scottish Highlands, here discusses the inspiration behind the ongoing series, and what it highlights about the waterway’s history and community connections.
He shares images from the river project – and contrasting landscapes from a series exploring the majesty of the Cairngorms.
From the series River Spey by Ed Smith
Where does you interest in photography stem from?
My uncle was a great hang glider and quite experimental in photographing the sport in the late 1970s and 80s. He took some exceptional pictures by mounting a 35mm camera to his glider’s wing and used a long cable and bite release to capture pictures mid-flight. I loved looking at these pictures growing up.
At the same time, my dad was a kayaker and took pictures from rivers and at sea using a waterproof Canon, which he got when my mum was pregnant with me – we still have it.
Given these influences it was inevitable I’d photograph my own journeys. As I travelled in my late teens and early twenties, with a passion for whitewater kayaking, that’s when things got serious. I started selling images to magazines and kayaking companies to fund my trips.
The RPS came to my attention while studying press and editorial photography at Falmouth University. I enrolled in this course to immerse myself more deeply in photography’s language. I loved pushing my work with friends, peers and mentors. I applied to the Society to keep this group connection going.
From the series River Spey by Ed Smith
What themes do you explore through photography?
When it comes to shooting commercially for the likes of outdoor companies I love photographing stories about the people who use their gear in challenging environments – from shooting mountain rescue volunteers for outdoor clothing company Helly Hansen to following Army Benevolent Fund ambassadors on a 100km trek.
Equally, my personal projects are about exploring individual and community connections to their environment.
What makes the River Spey special to you?
It’s where I did my first multi-day expedition with my dad when I was 10. While not a huge river by any means, it’s incredibly beautiful and has huge cultural and community significance.
Given my experience on this water, I feel a responsibility to document the Spey’s story, the culture it holds and the challenges it’s facing.
My local river is the backbone to many places on its journey from the Monadhliath Mountains to Spey Bay on the Moray Coast. This River Spey project – working title – examines it history, environment and communities.
I started the project at the beginning of July 2025 with a full source to sea descent of the river using the same canoe I first paddled the Spey in with my dad 29 years ago. I’m giving myself a year to capture the river throughout the seasons, do more kayak and canoe descents and explore its catchment area by bike.
From the series River Spey by Ed Smith
What have been your highlights?
I’ve gotten to hear the history of one section of the river from an individual who has lived on its banks for over 50 years. They’ve witnessed it change with their own eyes and inherited some of the river’s story with their 1700s house, which holds maps from when this water took a different course before floods in the 18th and 19th centuries redirected it.
I’ve also gotten a greater understanding of the sense of belonging the river offers individuals who’ve moved here. For example, a local gentleman originally from Bangladesh feels a sense of home next to the River Spey having grown up by the Ganges Delta.
What has this project taught you?
It’s certainly developing my awareness of the carefully poised balance of the local environment and just how significant the river is as the main artery through it.
Photographically, I’ve spent a lot of the last 15 years on the freelance treadmill with limited scope for shooting personal projects. Focusing my passion on this project and environment has reminded me what brought me to photography – telling stories close to the heart. I’m aiming to pivot my entire work to this approach.
From the series Cairngorms by Ed Smith
What draws you to the Cairngorms – a contrasting landscape to the Spey?
The Cairngorms reveal their secrets of their own accord and have a tendency to surprise, with subtle features tucked among vast expanses of terrain so that no two journeys are the same. This is particularly true in winter for Scotland’s largest area of sub-arctic terrain, when the land becomes an ever-changing sea of snow-carved features, shapeshifting beneath a veil of stormy skies and under pressure from the strongest winds found anywhere in the country.
On bright days, a shimmering mountain paradise of sculpted ice and snow is revealed, with newly formed obstacles offering fresh opportunities for exploration. Solidly frozen terrain allows swift passage, while unseen snow banks, wind lips and loaded snow slopes often require adventurous diversions. Experience and improvisation are useful traits here, as short distances can stretch into long but nonetheless rewarding days as the destination itself drops in and out of sight. While moving among it all, it is always worth looking over your shoulder to see where you have come from and witness the land from a different angle.
From the series Cairngorms by Ed Smith
What do you want viewers to take from your images?
My ultimate hope is that people gain insight into the River Spey and are moved to look deeper into their own local environment and the plethora of stories it holds. Showing, sharing and understanding more about an environment is the key to protecting it – which we all need to be on board with more than ever in today’s climate.
What’s next for you?
I’m planning to do a bike circumnavigation of the river’s catchment area in autumn – I’m currently figuring out how I rig my bike to carry all the camera gear I need as well as the daily essentials.
Between now and then I have a couple of exhibits launching in my Eleven41 gallery, including a collaborative exhibit with 10 others shooting on analogue and a case study I’m filming and photographing for the Army Benevolent Fund in my 11th year of working for them.
I’m hoping to have an accompanying book and exhibit for the River Spey project once it’s finished, but details won’t be firmed up until mid 2026. It’s a busy but rewarding patch just now.