From Glencoe to Skye.
Just back from a fantastic photography holiday in Glencoe and Skye with some interesting stops in-between.
Firstly, I set off with a vision of what I wanted to capture and a few words were in my thoughts! romanticism, drama, atmosphere and mystery to name but a few.
Starting with the word romanticism, what could be more romantic that a visit to kilchurn castle on the banks of loch awe. Before setting out, I checked the weather, loch water levels, wind speed (for reflections) as well as sun surveyor to to find the exact location to set up. Like always, luck plays a massive part in photography as nobody can accurately predict the weather. In saying that, the met office had it spot on this time with sunshine and showers. I arrived in the rain and trudged across a field ( just as well I had the welly boots on as the ground was extremely marshy!
I tried many different angles to shoot from before settling on this. Generally, I always try to find something in the immediate foreground to draw the viewers eye up the photo, but by doing this the castle itself was only a distant subject. Now it was just a matter of patience and waiting for the sun to creep over the hills. The sky was quite dark and mysterious looking so I was some what apprehensive as it was moving in my direction. Just then, the sun came over the hill lighting one side of the castle, it really was a perfect moment and one that I will remember. The camera settingswere 1/5 sec shutter speed so the tripod was essential, although I could have chosen a higher ISO but wanted it as sharp as possible so was set at 64 and F11 for DOF and 50mm on 24-70 2.8.
Onwards and upwards to the stunning location of Glencoe. I have been here many times before and the photo opportunities are endless, with the changing seasons making every visit a new experience. I have been trying to take a particular photo for about a year now, it’s a waterfall with Buachaille Etive Mor in the background. The majority of my previous images of this weren't quite right. You really have to go numerous times, as the water levels change as does the strength of the waterfall itself. From my experience the best time to go is spring where melting snow coming off the mountains gives a much stronger energy to the fall. Even just six weeks previous to this, the fall was nothing more than a trickle.
The waterfall is located on the road to Glen Etive about half a mile down the trail where you will find a couple of parking spaces. Once parked, the fall is behind you over about 100 yards of muddy ground.
I scouted the scene again and took a couple of test images, but the light was poor and it started to rain again so I packed up again and decided to try the following day. We set out the following morning hoping to get a sunrise shot as the met office predicted good light and visibility. Yet again, I was so disappointed to find it overcast with mass low cloud covering the mountain. I was starting to believe that I would never get the shot I wanted. I travelled around the surrounding area looking for photos but the rain just kept coming. Another check of forecast and there was to be a slight break in the weather at sunset, another chance to return to the falls!
Taking the photo was extremely challenging, to say the least, for the shot I wanted I had to get down into the water as I wanted to get really close avoiding all the distracting elements in the scene. My wife was also in the water as she was shielding the spray with coming off the waterfall with an umbrella, protecting the lens, retracting every time a shot was taken. There was also a bit of drizzle coming down but the sky was turning an amazing colour. My tripod was balanced between two rocks while my back was up against the banking making it awkward to clean water off the lens. While trying to do so I slipped down a hole and water poured into my welly. I must say though, without my wife, the shot was not possible. So if your looking for a similar shot you will need someone to shield the lens between shots as spray hit it between every shot. Just to make sure, I took plenty of shots ensuring, or hoping, that I would have one without spray.
Onwards to Skye, my favourite place in the world!
As I have a few shots of skye from previous trips of the usual places like Quiraing and kilt rock, I wanted something a bit more unusual and mysterious. My main focus of interest was Elgol and the view across to the Cuillin hills! Although this has been shot thousands of times before, my challenge was to capture it in a alternative light that I haven't seen. As we were staying in Broadford, Elgol was just 16 miles away, although it took about 45 minutes to drive those winding, single track roads in darkness. I try to get to the locations about one hour before sunrise when the lighting is at its best so another 4.15am start. On arrival, the lighting was perfect for moody kind of photo, the sky was still black with just a hint of magenta. It was high tide and the waves were crashing into the shore. You get a real sense of isolation and harmony, nothing else matters! This is the reason I love photography.
My first shot was the Cuillin hills with huge boulders in the foreground covered in lichen and grass. It was still before sunrise and the sky was lit up with fantastic colours. It was still dark, but I was getting reflections on the rocks in front of me so I put on the polariser to bring out the colour in both the sky and the foreground. It was shot at F16 for maximum DOF as I had a foreground element and the usual ISO 64 with a 3 minute exposure. It just looks so tranquil to me!
For the second shot, I noticed these pebbles gleaming, as if they were polished. As the sun was coming up, it looked like it was creating a hole in the sky! A very simple composition but its the kind of shot I wanted. It has basically all the same settings as the previous shot.
Next was a trip to the fairy pools!
I found this to be more of a challenge as its hard to find a composition that hasn't been shot before. We set out in darkness again along the winding trail out to the pools when I came across this beautiful scene! It was lit under the moon with the foreground rocks gleaming, the small waterfall appeared almost blue. Not sure if my photo does it justice but it was a truly stunning scene.
The second shot further up the trail is rather a tourist shot, although still a lovely scene with the four small falls with the mountains as a backdrop.
The walk itself at that time in the morning is such a joy that many will not experience. It feels so peaceful and remote. It is such a different experience from during the day, which I have also done, as it is always busy. You can shoot anything and we never met anyone until we were leaving.
The fairy pools of Skye, just like Quiraing is a magnet for tourists, it can get really busy and rightly so! It is such a lovely walk. Once arriving at Glenbrittle, the walk out to the pools takes around half an hour but you wont regret it. You honestly could spend a week at this location. My advice for the photographer is go before first light.
On my way home the weather was extremely poor but couldn't help myself stopping at Eillean Donan Castle for a quick photo as the light and clouds were so dramatic. We waited for a couple of hours for a bit better light.
