Having grown up on a farm in Loch Lomond, Heather Buchanan took her knowledge of the subject and has put together a stunning series of shots of farming degradation as part of her final photography project.

Having just recently graduated from the University of the Arts, in London, Heather wanted to highlight the deterioration of the farming industry in the west of Scotland.

Heather commented: "As local farmers are pressed to sell off their land for property development or to other, larger farm owners, they've become victims of this shift in culture and industry. A series of six night time landscape farming images, 'Nocturnal' captures what is left of the old before this rural landscape becomes fully transformed.

"While these photographs create a romantic notion of the farming landscape for posterity, it is, in fact, masking the harsh reality of the vanishing farming culture. We can become captivated by the aesthetics of the photographs, however, it is important that we do not overlook the harsh reality of the situation."

She continued: "The current collection of images are just the start of an ongoing project in which I hope to capture as many of these farm landscapes as possible before they disappear."

Heather's family has been farming dairy and beef for three generations, and she comes from a family who had a great interest in photography, her grandfather was a photography enthusiast, and she was a hobby photographer for many years. In 2016 she spent six months in Colombia, and she began to develop her photography career there, completing a photography and documentary course.

"This was a life changing experience, and it was there that I produced my first photography series titled Un dia en la playa, documenting the life of a mariachi band, however it wasn't until last year that I decided to take the leap and pursue photography as a full-time career."

The local area where these six images were shot is particularly under threat as the land becomes prime location for residential property development. 'Nocturnal' will hopefully act as a record for future generations of a once thriving farming culture. The shots capture what is left of the old before this rural landscape becomes fully transformed.

Heather would like to take this show on tour throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK to raise awareness of what has been an important part of Scottish culture, and is seeking funding to support the series' extension and exhibition tour.

See the collection at www.heather-buchanan.com/nocturnal