A little about me
My story began in the Republic of El Salvador
Learn more about
El Salvador
Life in The Scottish Highlands
My new home, och aye!
I was now 16 and mom and I became the best friends ever! That was a wonderful experience and would not have been possible in the busy life of a city in El Salvador. We arrived in Scotland and wow! it was November – you know, the good old days when November meant freezing temperatures! And we had just left the really warm temperatures of El Salvador’s tropical climate…………man! it was like walking naked in a freezer! ha ha! It was here that I met my step-father, Laird Murdoch John Smith Mackenzie (from Nairn), a man whom one can only describe as golden-hearted, a man who loved life and the world without prejudice. To my surprise his talent was music. He could play anything from the penny whistle to the guitar but also my favourite instrument, the violin — and wow! he played it with such feeling! It was magnificent!
Later, back in 1982, I became a volunteer Spanish interpreter with the Northern Constabulary. Later in the same year, I got a job as a part-time Spanish teacher at Lochaber High School. This was a good challenge for me and a great opportunity and experience!
My biggest obstacle in furthering my career was my American qualifications which were not recognised in the U.K. Undeterred; I decided in 1984 to prove my worth through my own initiative and created ARBJr Graphics & Translations. By doing this as a side-line and at the same time working in other jobs to subsidise my new venture, I established a good reputation and by the early 90’s I was managing a graphic studio in Fort William, “The Image Factory” …
Today, I am still registered as a self-employed/freelance graphic designer and an interpreter/translator for Spanish and English. I also worked part-time as an ICT lecturer at Inverness College from May 1997 to June 2009– and of course, I continue my own studies in a constant search to improve my knowledge and skills. My business is my hobby too and I have a passion for Photography and Digital Graphics. I have gained a reputation as PhotoShop Guru and hold membership in NAPP (the National Association of Photoshop Professionals); ACITP (the Association of Certify IT Professionals)
My Passion for Photography
My Journey in Photography began at a very young age back in my home country of El Salvador, in Central America, when Dad would show me how to adjust the camera to take some shots. back in the ’70s.
After some 40 years of moving to Scotland (God’s Country), I developed my own style and interest in Black & White, Product, Landscape and Experimental Photography. I shoot Nikon D50, D300s and D800. but the very first camera was a ZORKI -4K 35mm film and then progressed to the Olympus Om10 which I got second hand but learnt a lot from that.
in February of 2012, I founded Fort William Photographic Society which I am proud to say has lasted 10 years!
What Inspires me
My passion is taking photographs of the three scapes: Land, Sea and Cloudscapes, living in one of the most beautiful places in the world The Scottish Highlands. I find it so rewarding to capture a panoramic shot that captures the weather and the ever-changing light that one finds here in Lochaber.
So whenever or wherever I go I have a camera just in case something catches my eye… But I always photograph the things I like not just Landscapes, that would be boring, right!?
