The Hielanman's Umbrella

“I suspect it is for one’s self-interest that one looks at one’s surroundings and one’s self. This search is personally born and is indeed my reason and motive for making photographs.” – Lee Friedlander.

The Hielanman's Umbrella, seen from Argyle Street, Glasgow

The shops under the bridge are painted in a uniform, green colour 

The glass walled railway bridge which carries the the platforms of Glasgow Central Station across Argyle Street is an iconic landmark.  It was given the name "The Highlandman's Umbrella" locally, because of its being a meeting place for many Gaelic speaking Highlanders who had come to Glasgow seeking work, from the late 19th century onwards and remained so well into the 20th century, where Highlanders kept in touch mainly at weekends, by meeting under the bridge.  Having been a student in Glasgow in the late seventies, I was aware that although the practice had ceased long before then, my father had participated in the "Gaelic community gathering" in his young days but I would suggest that few young Glasgow Gaels today are aware of the landmark connection and nickname.  I considered the social impact on society today, with the advent of the technological age and the ease of communication as people connect through social media.

The nail-bar lady with whom I connected was from Vietnam 

Eric Kim, of whom I have already blogged, is a very dynamic online facilitator of street photography who studied sociology in University.  He likes to define street photography as "proof of humanity. (Nov 2013, petapixel.com, An Interview with Eric Kim).  In his writing, Kim refers to identity and that it is insightful for photographers to work on projects that are personal to themselves, citing that sociology has been the biggest influence on his own photography.


Kim's free online blog posts and e-books are inspirational, especially for the street photography beginner and he published his first book in 2015, "Street Photography: 50 Ways to Capture Better Shots of Ordinary Life." He gives lots of techniques and tips as well as drawing on the wisdom of the great classic photographers, using their experiences in his teaching.

Mirror reflections of the East African barber and his client 

This multi-cultural community of workers, were happy to engage with me, and my photography subjects showed an active interest in the fact that I had travelled from the Isle of Skye to photograph people in urban contexts such as the businesses under the "umbrella". 

Capture through the window of the Kothel Grill House 

Chat from the Kothel Manager

Melissa from the shop next door buying lunch 

Returning to Glasgow in March, one month after my first visit I decided to call in at the Kothel Grill House (this was a result of me being captivated with the image I had taken on my previous visit, shot through the window).  I chatted to the Greek manager about the working community under the bridge and was pleased to discover that he knew the story about the Hielanman's umbrella.  In a true spirit of welcome he practised his only word from the Gaelic language for my benefit, using the word "fàilte"!

Fàilte from the Kothel Grill House!

Paul Halliday a sociology academic at Goldsmiths, London University and a practising urban photographer whose 20-year long street photography work on "The London Project" was featured on Channel 4,  easily identifies  the links between visual art and sociology.  He writes:-

"through engaging with the social world, we have access to a set of new experiences that take us into hitherto unimagined worlds; . Engagement comes in different forms, but what drives it, to my way of thinking, is a desire to contemplate that there may be a multi-verse of lived experiences being played out on the streets." 

(Paul Halliday, Creatve Director of Urban Photo Fest, London 2013)


Undoubtedly the taking of street photographs can impact on the photographer as a self-connecting experience with people in all forms of society. I did feel a strong connection with the people I photographed on these two occasions and through this I am able to define the added value of this project.


"For me the most memorable street photographs are always the ones that hit you in the gut, evoke some emotion, and burn themselves into your mind.  They are photos that challenge you to rethink what it means to be human, that challenge you to see society differently and to connect. "  Eric Kim