Chasing The Light

This was one of those days again where nothing seemed to go right! I had researched several locations around Fife looking to get something a bit different. I decided on St Andrews and the Maidens Rock! I looked at a couple of images online and loved the location, it was numerous sand stone rocks just poking out of the water (great for some experimental long exposures). The tip I had was to go at low tide and walk for a couple of hours along the coastal path towards Crail. 

I arrived there far too early and parked up beside the beach but it was far too dark, in fact it was pitch black so I decided to drive off to another spot and return in a couple of hours. Just along the road is the village of Anstruther with the neighbouring and adjoining village of Cellardyke. I have been to Anstruther too many times to count, but it was Cellardyke that interested me. Even though I had been to St Andrews, it was still dark when I got there as it’s only about 8 miles drive. 

My aim was to capture rock formations and converting to a high contrast black and white photo to relay the drama. 

Again, I couldn’t find a single place to shoot ( I will go to a location several times and always see something a bit different due to the tide times so I will be back!)  so off I went, back to St Andrews to make the journey to Maidens Rock. 

It was much lighter so I felt more comfortable walking that distance, and I’m glad I waited, I slipped several times on the path out there. As I was drawing closer, I was beginning to feel that this was going to be a waste of time. It was at low tide like advised in a online post but there was no way I was travelling across about 200 yards of undulating, wet and sharp rocks covered in seaweed! I am usually one to take a risk, but that would have been stupidity. I looked around and tried to find something worthwhile to shoot but evidently, didn’t find a single shot. By this point, I was a bit frustrated to say the least as I hadn't even taken my camera out of the bag. 

It’s funny in landscape photography, you can plan everything so well, but when it comes to seascapes and you haven't been to the location, you rely on another person who has! and that person might have an alternative perspective to you or they were in a slightly different location. 

Back to the car I go! 

As I mostly shoot an hour before sunrise to get the best light, there was still time although the sun had just came up, I decided (as a last resort) to go to my old faithful, Elie!! I got there to find it rather cloudy but I was hopeful, there was fantastic colour and it was drifting in my direction. I jumped out of the car and made haste for the lighthouse. I took a few sample shots with the 24-70 lens. The trouble was that the good light was on the horizon at the back of Edinburgh, across the water. It just wasn't having any impact on the photo. Decision time! I wanted to capture the light house but have that amazing light right behind it. Well, there was only one option! I needed to compress the perspective and shoot with the long lens. I headed back to the car to get the correct angle. I was at maximum length at 200mm on my Nikon D750, but the shot still wasn't right (I was too far away) I made the decision to swap camera’s for my Nikon D7100 which is a crop frame camera, this would give me an effective perspective of just over 300mm, or equivalent, getting me closer. I had one filter on, a 3 stop graduated filter for the sky to increase clarity and balance the foreground. The overall scene was extremely dark as there were thick clouds with pockets of light everywhere so I put the camera on the tripod. The image just wouldn't have been the same without it, the shutter speed was just too low even with vibration control. 

I have shot this location numerous times now, one in my portfolio and one in another blog. It just shows you, position and light changes everything!

As soon as I got this shot, I rushed back to the lighthouse to capture one more, there was majestic light falling over North Berwick Law, so there was no need to change camera, lens of settings. This image just works for me. I was lucky enough that a couple of birds flew into the scene to add that bit extra.

Aberdour Old Pier

Another bitterly cold morning on the east coast of fife with temperatures below freezing. This actually allows for better light so decided to head out for sunrise. The weather seemed to be in my favour as the met office was saying there was to be a clear sky with little cloud cover. The tide was completely out which I really didn't want (I prefer the tide to be in, as you can capture more of the pier in water) but that’s just the way it goes sometimes! 

I didn't want to travel too far this morning so set off at about 7.45 heading for the village of Aberdour. It is only a 20 minute drive from home so arrived in plenty of time as sunrise was at 8.32. I have been to this location before and there are various positions to shoot from.

I wanted to get as close as possible as I knew the tide was out so decided on the most accessible route. It’s quite easy to get to, just follow the signs for Silver Sands beach , continue down the track past all the car parks until you can't go any further. On parking the car, head to your right up the slope and over the hill, down the steps and to your left. 

I set up on the waters edge facing the sunrise and like always, I wanted to capture a little movement in the sky and cut the reflections from the rocks while smoothing the water, so all the usual filters came into play! The polariser for glare, a 3 stop graduated ND filter to bring down the exposure in the sky and 6 stop ND filter to add movement to the sky and smooth the water. However, I did try to experiment by bracketing my exposures to begin with but ultimately, decided on the long exposure using F11 for about 4 minutes to capture this and of course, ISO 100 for maximum sharpness.

Dundee to St Monans

I started the day with all good intentions! I had a couple of places that I wanted to visit, one was Dundee, to shoot the curvature of the Tay rail bridge. I arrived well before sunrise to capture the morning light, I had previously looked at a couple of images on-line and studied where I wanted to set up and what I wanted from the overall image. My thoughts on the image were simplicity and minimal content as I think this captures the drama ( less is more ) I was shooting at F11 using the 16-35 lens as this gives maximum sharpness to the photo and perfect DOF. 

Sometimes the idea of a photo and what you want to achieve just doesn't materialise into the image you were thinking of! There is so little time to shoot long exposures in the morning as the light changes dramatically. This was the first time at this location so I kind of knew that it wasn’t going to be perfect, but Im a little disappointed with this one. Simplicity is one thing, but there is nothing in the shot! On hindsight, I would have chosen a different angle and focal length to fill the frame more rather than the bridge being on the outside with a very bare foreground. 

The Zigzag Pier at St Monans is always a favourite with photographers as it’s so unusual. The difficulty is, being there at the right time. To get the perfect shot (well my perfect shot) is to wait until high tide coincides with sunrise, obviously this doesn’t happen very often. Then there is the weather,  there could be high winds as it’s on the east coast so extremely challenging if you are planning an exposure time more than 250/1 of a second.

This shot was taken just after sunrise and about an hour before high tide but unfortunately, there were really high winds so the lens was moving, even at an exposure time of around 4 seconds. I chose this time as I really wanted water motion at the bottom of the pier. I managed to get about 4 shots off at F11 at 5 seconds with a 6 stop filter before the waves came crashing around me soaking the front end of the camera. 

Like most of my recent shots, I like the simplicity of it. I chose to shoot the pier centre frame as I think, on this occasion it works. 

This is a shot of the Bass Rock from St Monans, It was taken on the spur of the moment! there were dark clouds over the sky and sun was lighting up the clouds with a brilliant glow. As I had my other camera on the tripod, I used the Nikon 7100 crop censor camera with the 70-200 full frame lens giving me an effective focal length of just over 300mm. The sky was absolutely gorgeous and there was a bird sitting on a post to add that little bit extra to the photo. 

Overall, it could have been a better shoot but at the end of the day, it was thoroughly enjoyable. I will be back to the same locations with a greater insight on each location, worth the effort I think!

St Andrews

I was planning on going to Glencoe yesterday but the weather just wasn’t right so I decided to stay local and visit a couple of places in Fife. 

My first port of call was the beautiful town of St Andrews, surprisingly enough, I have never shot any photos here as I am a keen golfer. I looked at different locations before deciding on the Swilcan bridge looking back at the club house. My aim was to capture the street lights shining on the course while lighting the buildings so I arrived in plenty of time (about 45 minutes before sunrise) It was still relatively dark at that time so I deliberated on what shutter speedand focal length to use to capture the image i wanted. There was so much cloud cover, it was pointless to try a long exposure as there wouldn't be any movement in the clouds.  I decided to shootwide open at 16mm using my 16-35 lens and get close to the bridge making that my dominant foreground interest. As it was still quite dark, I had a shutter speed of 8 seconds at F11 to get everything in focus making it as sharp as possible. 

From there, I travelled towards a very small village called Boarhills. I have shot this location before so I knew what to expect. I was shooting a gorgeous little church on the outskirts, about 5 miles from St Andrews. 

Planning is everything so i left St Andrewsin plenty of time to capture the morning light. I chose a different position for shooting this time,  (I like variety of photographs from alternative angles). I chose the path a leading line but wanted some interest from the sky. The wind was picking up and there was some clouds in the sky so went for the long exposure. I put on a polariser to get maximum colour, depth and saturation from sky and the Lee little stopper to give an exposure time of around 7 minutes.

I was going to head home after Boarhills as the best light had gone but went on to the coastal village of Elie. After much deliberation on whether to take a shot or not, I looked down at the sand and it had a lovely texture and line leading out towards the lighthouse so I decided to snap a couple of shots!.

The shot looks like I’m standing on the beach but i’m actually in the water with my wellies on. This effect comes when using a polarising filter taking most of the glare away from the water. I also have a ND graduated filter and the 6 stop ND filter shooting at an exposure time of around 13 seconds to see if i would get any movement in the clouds.

Quiraing, Isle of Skye

The weather has been truly dreadful today, so I thought I would post a blog on a visit to the Isle of Skye back in October.

This is without doubt, a photographers paradise as there are so many places to photograph! Quiraing, isundoubtedly my favourite place to visit. It is so peaceful and tranquil with views on either side, it really is spectacular! I shot this photograph in October when the weather was so changeable and dramatic. One minute it was pouring with rain and the next sunshine, there are not many places on earth where the weather changes so rapidly. 

As this was October, I didn't have to get up at a silly hour to get shots as the sun rises at about 7 o clock ( unlike the summer months where i get up at 2.30 and travel for a couple of hours) Yes, it’s still early but you have to get the light! 

I stayed in Broadford which is about an hour and a half away from Quiraing depending on your speed, but you have to take extreme care as there are plenty of sheep on the road. If you plan on visiting Quiraing, it is quite straight forward to get to. You head on the main road to Portree, going past the old man of Storr into Staffin and there is a sign an the left. The road is extremely tight and windy so take care when driving and watch out for sheep and other wild life. 

Once up there, you will be greeted with the best scenery (yes, i am biased). I have been to Skye before so I knew what i wanted to shoot, but Scotland has such changeable weather, you are never sure what your going to get. On this occasion, I had everything, from 25 mile an hour winds to torrential rain, just Scotland really. I did experiment with a long exposure having my wife hold an umbrella to reduce to wind but there was still camera shake and she nearly took off, Mary Poppins style (I love photography, but I think the wife comes first!!)

I was planning on shooting a long exposure and hoping for sweeping clouds creating a dramatic effect, but had trouble keeping the tripod still because of the wind so I decided to a close up image. I was using my 24-70 on this occasion and had to go all the way out to 70mm. I had a graduated Lee ND filter to balance the sky, (3 stops or .9) whichI think it works really well. The light was amazing and added to the drama of the overall image.

Any questions on locations in Skye, feel free to contact me.

Elie Lighthouse

Looking at the weather forecast yesterday, it looked horrible with a forecast of rain most of the day! 

So much of photography is dependent on the weather conditions, sometimes terrible weather can bring an excellent image but when it’s forecast for grey sky, you fear the worst. 

Anyway, knowing all this, I decided to go out anyway as there was a small window of hope, just about sunrise when the rain would stop. I travelled up the east coast of fife (the East Neuk)  to the village of Elie. Its a beautiful little village with glorious beaches. It also has a very scenic lighthouse which I was aiming to photograph. I already have a shot of this in my portfolio but wanted to capture something different. 

I arrived well before sunrise as I wanted to capture the lighthouse shining in the night sky! It seems to be a habit over the last week or so but again, I was shooting at 70mm using my 24-70 lens at F8 to give me the sharpest image. The focal point was around the middle of the photograph, near the centre rock for maximum DOF, no need for filters on this one as shooting well before the sun came up!

Bridge to Nowhere

Bridge to Nowhere

After visiting the old shipwreck, I travelled further down the coast to Dunbar in East Lothian to see this unusual bridge. It doesn’t look to serve any purpose but it actually does. There is a stream which runs below the bridge but only visible during low tide. 

As per usual on the East coast of Scotland, it was extremely windy so I had a hard time shooting here. Most of the time I like to get as close as possible to the subject, even putting on the welly boots and getting out the 16-35 lens making the subject more prominent but on this occasion, it just wasn't possible, even with my sturdy tripod, the wind was just too strong.

I decided on a spot to shoot from, not my preferred place like I said but had no option as the wind was shaking my lens. I went with my favourite lens, the 24-70 and because i wasn't on the shore, I was already thinking 70mm was the perfect choice of focal length. 

It was about an hour and a half after sunrise so I was still getting very good light but just as I set up, as luck would have it, the light started shining on the bridge from behind a extremely large cluster of clouds. 

I was shooting at f16 for maximum DOF with the Lee polariser and little stopper to give me an exposure time of around 80 seconds to smooth out the water. I originally wasn't planning on using the ND filter but it gave me the best result. 

The bridge is located at Behave beach! If you are on the coastal road, take the sign for Winterfield golf course and follow the road passing by the course on your right, straight down to the beach.

Shipwreck

Ventured out this morning to take a look at an old shipwreck in East Lothian. As always, I checked weather forecast, tide times, sunrise and wind speed (I don’t want my camera to shake during a long exposure). All the elements seemed to be in my favour, apart from the sunrise which was rising behind where I wanted to shoot, and the Met office said there was to be clear skies. 

I have a sun app called “Sun Surveyor” (which I have to say is fantastic) which lets you know the exact position of the the sunrise and sunset from anywhere, even having a live or street view mode.

Anyway,  I took the chance that I would have some nice light as its not often that the tide times and sunrise happen at the same time as you want, especially with the Scottish weather.

After shooting at a couple of different angles, I decided that this was the best for me. The tide was coming in fast, so I had to react quickly before the wreck disappeared. I was using my 24-70 lens and zoomed all the way to 70. I chose to shoot at F8 as the would give me maximum DOF and the sharpest image. I had a polariser on to stop the glare and a Lee little stopper on to slow down the exposure time to 10 seconds. I think it gives a nice ambiance to the overall image.

The Wreck is located just before Longniddry. The best way to find it is to park at bents 1 car park on the coastal trail and it is located about 300 yards to the left as you enter the beach. You will definitely want to be there about 2 and a half hours before high tide if you are looking to take shots, but beware!, the tide comes in extremely fast. I was set up for this shot and within half an hour,  the wreck was barely visible. 

Any questions on the location or settings, please feel free to contact me.

Longer exposure creating a more dramatic effect.