Dear Mat Larkin and the team at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture,

I’m applying for the Visual Content Creator role—full-time or part-time. Working as a photographer and videographer, capturing the wild and telling meaningful stories across Scotland and beyond, has been a lifelong dream.

From the day my father gave me an Olympus OM-2 at the age of ten to carrying an iPhone with RAW capabilities today, I’ve almost always had a camera in my hand. Early on, I taught outdoor pursuits in Jackson Hole, the Adirondacks and along Scotland’s West Coast, drawn to documenting untamed places. Later on, and particularly around the water, from the Solent to offshore passages, deepened my connection to working landscapes and the communities that rely on them.

I’m largely self-taught, learning through trial, error, and curiosity. My influences range from Henri Cartier‑Bresson and Ansel Adams to conservation leaders Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, with additional inspiration from fellow Scot David Yarrow.

I can produce short-format films for social and web, taking ideas from outline to delivery. In the field, I can work with a camera as a host/presenter, accompanied by a small crew, delivering stand-ups, links, and explainers that cut cleanly for Reels/Shorts. I’m comfortable interviewing contributors on camera (including remote conversations via my podcast) and capturing clean location audio with lavaliere (Lav) or shotgun mics, along with wind protection. I edit in Final Cut Pro and handle stills/design in Adobe Creative Cloud (Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign). Assets are catalogued with clear naming and mirrored across external drives.

During the COVID pandemic, my wife and I moved from London to Loch Ard, where I helped my mother, a potter, sell her work through photo and film. In 2021, with our newborn daughter, we settled further north at Boath (near Auldearn/Nairn). Since then, I’ve focused on raising our daughter, reconnecting with the landscapes that ground me, and using content to support our small off-grid Airbnb, Boath Cabin.

As an old Gordonstoun boy and former outdoor instructor, I’m at home in the elements on the water and in the hills, whether in the mountains during winter or summer, or on the water or coast.  That background means I’m calm, safety-minded and methodical in remote places: navigating, assessing risk, and working efficiently with a small team. I’m comfortable with pre-dawn starts, foul weather, and long, static spells waiting for the light or wildlife to cooperate. Overnights in the field, whether in a bivvy, bothy, or tent, are routine, and I bring the patience and fieldcraft to protect my kit, manage batteries, and stay quiet in the wet and cold, all while still coming home with the shot.

Although my focus today is on Scotland’s land and seascapes, my roots lie in shipping, an often‑overlooked industry that quietly underpins global life. In 2013, a medical condition forced me to leave a life at sea; I relocated to the City of London, where I audited maritime security companies to risk-based standards before founding a company in collaboration with Garmin and Oracle. That experience sharpened my eye for accountability and impact: shipping accounts for 95% of world trade and contributes significantly to global emissions. While the International Maritime Organisation is advancing change, progress accelerates when rigorous evidence meets hopeful, human storytelling. I’m inspired by Anders Holch Povlsen’s Wildland project as proof that vision, capital and narrative can rewild both land and sea, and I want to bring that same intersection of commerce, conservation and visual storytelling to your work in the spirit of Mittermeier, Nicklen and Yarrow.

I’m Scotland-based, field-ready for pre-dawn starts, long days on foot and all-weather shoots. I have the legal right to work in the UK, a full UK driving licence, and a Land Rover, providing reliable access to remote locations in poor weather conditions. I am a CAA-registered drone operator (registration valid to September 2026) and am researching, looking towards the A2 CofC; operator ID available on request.

I would relish the opportunity to contribute to SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, supporting short‑form outputs, collaborating on longer pieces, and helping your team bring Scotland’s rewilding stories to wider audiences.

Warm regards,

Andrew Cowderoy

Please see below for examples of my work.

Please click here for my CV