First Steps in Scotland — and why I reached for the Fuji X100VI

Arriving in Scotland

It’s been exactly one week since we finally touched down in Scotland.

All those weeks and months of preparation didn’t really take the stress out of the move, nor the 28-hour journey back. We’ve left a lot of things in the Philippines — some not important, others more sentimental in value. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t ship everything to the UK that we wanted to keep. We had to make a lot of choices and, in the end, Sofia, my mum and I arrived in Scotland with just four suitcases, three camera bags and two laptops to our name.

We’ve been sleeping on the floor while we wait for beds to be delivered — in fact I still am — but after one week we are slowly getting there. Furniture is ordered and starting to arrive, Sofia’s new toys to replace those she left behind turned up today, and today is actually the first day I’ve even had a moment to consider getting outside and taking a proper look at the area we’ve moved to.

Our first outing at Macrosty Park

It was raining, of course, but Sofia — armed with her new warm and waterproof gear — was more than up for a bit of exploration. This little outing was more about seeing our local area than getting great photos, but I wanted to take a camera along with me.

One of the only things I managed to successfully negotiate on our transcontinental journey was bringing all of my cameras and lenses, split into three camera bags, while wearing my Nikon Z8 around my neck with my heaviest lens attached. That was about 30kg of gear in total, and I felt every bit of that weight in the aches and stiffness in my muscles for a few days after we arrived.

Why I reached for the X100VI

Constant decisions and compromises have been the core of my life in the last few months, so naturally I gravitated toward grabbing my Fujifilm X100VI — a camera that removes many of a photographer’s indecisions about focal length.

A fixed-lens camera with a wide 35mm equivalent field of view is incredibly versatile; it can handle everything from landscapes to portraits, and with its 40-megapixel APS-C sensor I knew it would give me some nice files if any opportunities appeared.

The light was incredibly flat when we arrived at our local park and a fine rain was drifting down — very much like I remember from my time in the Outer Hebrides. With the X100VI worn casually around my neck, we got out of the car and ventured into a beautiful local park that sits on the banks of the River Earn.

As the rain got heavier, I did briefly question the weather sealing on the X100VI. The thought crossed my mind that it would be a bad omen if the weather broke my camera on my very first outing here — but I needn’t have worried. The Fuji performed flawlessly, which is more than I can say for me. To ensure your X100VI is fully weather sealed like mine, see my Fuji X100VI accessories post.

Shaking off the rust

I haven’t really picked up a camera for at least six weeks and it took me a little time to get back into the swing of things.

My eye was slow to spot compositions, I fumbled slightly with the controls because my hands aren’t used to the cold anymore, and I pushed the limits of Fuji’s IBIS further than I should have with shutter speeds I remember being able to handhold years ago but perhaps can’t any longer.

But what stood out to me wasn’t the photos I took — it was the absolute contentment I felt simply walking again, camera in hand, my daughter by my side, and the sounds of nature all around us.

Realising we now live here

This move from the Philippines has been one of the most stressful experiences of my life. I’ve been juggling things that I simply can’t write about here.

But in those moments by the River Earn — watching the water thunder downstream while Sofia threw pine cones in and raced them along — it really dawned on me for the first time since landing that we now live here, in this beautiful country, and that this is where our future will be.

Why the X100VI mattered today

The X100VI was the perfect camera for today.

It gets out of your way when you just want to be immersed in your surroundings, yet still lets you take photographs when the moment appears. No swapping lenses, no agonising over focal lengths — just you, the camera, and the world in front of you.

That’s why it was the first camera I picked up, and why I’ll continue using it for a long time.

Looking ahead

In the coming weeks and months I’ll gradually start getting out more with various cameras.

But a recurring theme in my life is that when I simply want to capture moments — without being burdened by choice — the X100VI is the tool I reach for. Whether documenting places my dad loved in Devon, or Sofia and my new life here on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, the X100VI has been a dependable companion that just gets out of the way.