Friends of BEGG & CO Photographer Gordon Burniston

ABOUT: I’m a commercial photographer mainly working in design and advertising, based in Glasgow, Scotland.

How are you staying positive during these strange times?

Myself and my wife have been trying to take comfort in the simple things like having more time to walk our dog together or trying to cook something new. We’re also feeling very lucky to have a garden which makes a big difference now that the weather is getting better. It also helps that it’s seen better days and needs a lot of TLC so that’s proving a welcome distraction!

Your photo diary is such a lovely concept, how did the idea come around?

The photo diary came about quite organically. Like most people nowadays I tend to take photos on my phone when I’m out and about. I had brought all my cameras home from the studio last week and decided to pick up one of the snappy ones and make a point of photographing what I was (or wasn’t) doing day to day. All work has stopped for the foreseeable which is of course concerning yet I found this was a nice distraction and gave me something to focus on. I’m aware that the nature of the situation could get repetitive but that appealed to me as some sort of antithesis to the gravity of the situation worldwide.

Is there anything, in particular, you are listening to at the moment to get you through?

I listen to a lot of instrumental/ambient music which I always find quite calming yet inspiring. I think the absence of lyrics can sometimes force you to make a more of a connection with the music which in these uncertain times feels like a good means of daydreaming.

Do you have any good recipes you could share with us?

When I said earlier that we had been trying to cook new things I should have really said it was my wife Gemma as she is the far superior cook. She made Keema Pau last week from the Dishoom book and it was amazing. A bit like an Indian version of Mince n Tatties, so much more exotic than the Scottish staple but just as comforting! Highly recommended!

Follow Gordon’s daily photo diary of social distancing here: www.burniston.com/socialdistance www.instagram.com/gordonburniston