Canon 5D4, 28mm, ISO 100, 13 seconds @ f/16.
I was really pleased with this image. I enjoy the balance, the juxtaposition of the hard rock and the soft background as well as the colour contrast of gold to blue from left to right.
As the sun rises it burns off the mist and the forest starts to show itself.
Canon 5D4, 130mm, ISO 100, 1/25 sec @ f/11.
An insanely early trip to Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle this week. Arriving at 5.30am before sunrise we picked our way through the marsh to the edge of the water and waited for the dawn. The air was still and clear with a magical display of stars above. To be honest, the images from this trip are a bit underwhelming but there’s always something to observe and learn. The photographs have a subtle shift in colour as the light rises from a blue pre-dawn light that is flat and mysterious with 30 seconds of exposure time to the warmer tones at first light and the harsher contrast and warmer light as the sun clears the hills.
Niall and I got to discussing the merits of each situation. Most of the pictures we have seen are taken after sunrise because most people are infinitely more sensible than the the two of us stumbling around in marshland in the dark to catch the very first light of the day. The fully lit scene is normal. It looks like the landscape we all experience. It’s ok but its familiarity makes it less interesting I think. That blue, flat light that comes from no direction in particular is a rare thing. We both agreed that even if we did not make any earth-shattering images that day just to be in that light, at that place for a few minutes to experience something that is out of the ordinary is worth the 3am rise.
Kilchurn Castle March 2019 05.20am
Kilchurn Castle 2 March 2019 06.02am
Kilchurn Castle 3 March 2019 06.42am
Never gets old. Some images from a previous year. Reminds me to get back there soon.
After just a few short days the leaves have taken on a much more autumnal hue. The days are colder and near to freezing at sunrise. Lots of empty acorn cupules lying on the forest floor but no acorns so let’s hope they are all squirrelled away (literally) for the winter. The erosion of the rocks has carved out some beautiful forms and today we noticed some long strata of quartz stretching across the river.
Another lovely day out in the company of Niall and Joe.
Dunkeld, Scotland.
An early morning visit to the river Braan reveals the subtle change in hue and tone across the forest as Autumn creeps in.
The sunlight in the river valley is just beautiful. Areas of darkness punctuated by shafts of light that light up the leaves like lanterns of green and yellow.
It’s a bit too much work to write up all the camera settings etc but if anyone is interested to know I would be happy to message you back.
Once again a big thanks to Manoj for the company and the chat.
