Fortunato Gatto's Image

If the Isle of Eigg is a gallery of landscapes, then Laig Bay is its masterpiece.

Fewer than 100 people live on this tiny geological jewel off the northwest coast of Scotland. It’s part of the Small Isles (an archipelago in the Inner Hebrides), the result of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. ‘On a stormy day, you get the feeling of having been catapulted into a black-and-white world, with more shades of grey than you could ever name,’ says Fortunato. Bracing himself against the powerful winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, he photographed the textured patterns in the volcanic sands of the long, silvery beach, etched by the ebbing tide. ‘To me, it represents the essence of this place.’