This Guy Will Blow Your Goddam Mind With His Epic Photos Of Scotland

    *Movie announcer voice* "John McSporran is a tough ex-detective on the hunt for the most epic sunsets and lochs. Rated PG-13 for prettiness."

    Hilary Mitchell
    by Hilary Mitchell

    BuzzFeed Staff

    John McSporran is a photographer based in Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute. And he takes pictures like this:

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    This is the summit of Ben A'an beside Loch Katrine at sunset. Wow.

    Plus, he has the most Scottish name ever, which makes his works of art even more satisfying.

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    Like this amazing snowy photo of Buachaille Etive Mòr and Sron na Creise.

    I've been writing about Scotland for years, and his photos are honestly the best I've encountered.

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    This is a photo of Suilven in the North West Highlands of Scotland, from Cul Mor.

    Possibly because of the sheer effort he puts into capturing these amazing images.

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    He regularly climbs mountains in the pitch darkness to capture sunrises, or camps all night at the summit to take amazing photos of the night sky.

    I mean, just look at this photo of the Cuillins he took from Sgurr na Stri after an overnight wild camp.

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    So awesome.

    As if being an epic photographer wasn't cool enough, John also used to be an anti-terrorism detective.

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    He's a former senior Scottish policeman who spent decades tracking dangerous criminals and suspected terrorists. He's basically Taggart with a zoom lens.

    He doesn't just take photos of mountain sunrises though – he's fond of woodland glens as well.

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    Like this pretty bluebell wood in the Trossachs.

    He captions his most breathtaking shots with poetry.

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    "We still remember, we who dwell

    In this far land beneath the trees,

    Thy starlight on the Western Seas."

    And he shares really interesting facts as well.

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    "The old legends of Ireland tell the stories of Cúchulainn, the mighty warrior of Ulster. Cúchulainn was sent to train in arms with the renowned warrior-woman Scáthach in the land of Alba (Scotland) at her residence Dún Scáith (The Fortress of Shadows) on the Isle of Skye. These are the mountains that bear Cuchulainn's name - the Cuillin mountains."

    So if you follow him on Flickr, you'll definitely learn a lot.

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    "On the left in picture is Ben Venue, the mountain of the goblins. As recently as the 16th century, The Urisks (Goblins) were sighted living in caves on the mountain. The 'outlaw' Rob Roy raided up and down the loch in the birlinns (war galleys) of Clan MacGregor."

    He captures familiar places in an atmospheric new light.

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    Like Lagangarbh Cottage in Glen Coe, taken from the famous Devil's Staircase.

    And his night sky shots are truly staggering.

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    This is the Milky Way and the aurora borealis seen above Loch Lomond.

    See?

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    This night-shot of the Buachaille was his first ever attempt at astrophotography.

    And he got up at 4am to take this equally magical photo.

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    While standing in a partially frozen river at temperatures of -6. What a hero.

    He's got a fantastic eye for detail as well.

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    Just look how this wee bunch of daffodils gleams in the light of the setting sun.

    Some of his photos are almost too beautiful to be real.

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    But this photo of Rannoch Moor at sunset is real, I promise.

    John regularly goes off the beaten track to unique places.

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    Like An Teallach, which, as John puts it, is "an ancient hearthstone mountain on which, the legends say, the Old Gods forged the Highlands of Scotland in fire and ice, back in the mists of time." Woah.

    But his photos of more famous places are just as epic.

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    Why hello, wee rowan tree overhanging the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye.

    TL;DR, this guy's photos are glorious and make me proud to be Scottish.

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    Thanks for sharing them with us, Detective McSporran.

    You can view more of John's photography here.