The photographer, who is the younger brother of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, took shots of the location and involved a number of local people – including a traffic warden, a lollipop man, a representative from the Wick lifeboat, a woman and her dog, some youngsters and hotel staff.

He wanted to take some pictures of the unique street for his latest project – an exhibition and book which he has been commissioned to do by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Mike Merritt, who directed the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness last autumn, is also involved in the initiative and will be writing the words.

McCartney's task is to reflect the beauty and diversity of the Highlands as a place to live, work and visit. Among the locations he has photographed are the Castle of Mey, the Dounreay plant and Cape Wrath. He also photographed British transatlantic oarsman and explorer John Ridgway and his family at their home at Rhiconich.

Sixty-four-year-old McCartney, who has made a name for himself as a top rock photographer after enjoying success with the chart-topping group the Scaffold, explained what his aim is with his latest assignment.

"I am trying to get a different perspective on the area. I did something similar in Liverpool previously and want to do the same for the Highlands. I am not attempting to create a record of the place but more my impressions of it," he told the John O'Groat Journal yesterday.

McCartney said he discovered Ebenezer Place, which is listed with Guinness World Records, when he was looking for a place to stay in Wick.

"I found Mackay's Hotel and when I heard about the shortest street in the world I could not believe it and had to photograph it. I wanted to try and capture it with people walking past," he said. The photographer recruited a few volunteers and took some shots of them in front of the street and walking up and down.

While he was staying at the hotel, he got a phone call from his famous brother who invited him to a gig he was doing at Liverpool Cathedral.

Mike McCartney puts Ebenezer Place and some passing Wickers in the frame yesterday afternoon. Robert MacDonald 01955 602741

He told Sir Paul: "I'm sorry I can't come. I am up in the Highlands with my camera doing a shoot for this book and have just come back from the Queen Mum's home at the Castle of Mey."

McCartney and Merritt arrived in Wick on Wednesday and will be leaving again tomorrow, going to Dunrobin Castle.

The book will be published in the autumn and the exhibition, which will be staged around the same time, will visit a number of places including the Scottish Parliament.

McCartney paid his first visit to the Far North last year when his work was featured at the Durness festival. His photographs there included portraits of Sir Paul, Brad Pitt and Annie Lennox, and bands such as Travis and U2. He loved the area and was delighted to be back here for his latest project.

Prior to becoming a respected photographer, he had commercial success with pop trio the Scaffold. The group had top ten hits with "Thank U Very Much" and "Liverpool Lou", and took the 1968 Christmas number one with "Lily the Pink."

g.calder@nosn.co.uk

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