Creative Edge wrote:
nice set, I just got back from Scotland this past Tuesday.. Had a great time, gorgeous country
Thanks!
And you were there, too. What did you visit in Scotland?
We love pretty much everything about Scotland after having spend a total of close to a month there during the past few years.The main act of our previous trip was a weeklong walk on the Great Glen Way, where we got to experience that area really up close. This time the main feature was a big driving loop from Inverness out to Skye, then up and across northwest Scotland and back to Inverness. (We spent a few days in Inverness at the start of the trip and then finished up the Scotland part of it in Aberdeen.)
roythegreat wrote:
Amazing work as always. I am intrigued by your composition and framing
Thanks.
I’m always curious about how people see and understand my photography. What is it that intrigues you about those things — some specific or just a general quality?
RWNPhoto wrote:
Well done and well converted to B&W however you did it.
Thanks.
I sometimes previsualize in black and white. That was the case with a couple of these, notably the first and third photographs. (I hadn’t decided on what todo with the one with the interesting clouds, but I think that monochrome crossed my mind.)
As to the how, I usually keep all the color data from the raw file when I open in Photoshop and then do the monochrome transformation there. I start with the black and white adjustment layer, selecting one of the filter options that heads me in the right direction. Then I usually do quite a bit of work with masked curves layers to get things the way I want them.
And you were there, too. What did you visit in Scotland?
We love pretty much everything about Scotland after having spend a total of close to a month there during the past few years.The main act of our previous trip was a weeklong walk on the Great Glen Way, where we got to experience that area really up close. This time the main feature was a big driving loop from Inverness out to Skye, then up and across northwest Scotland and back to Inverness. (We spent a few days in Inverness at the start of the trip and then finished up the Scotland part of it in Aberdeen.)...Show more →
we pretty much did the same route. We loved Inverness, spent a good deal of time in Isle of Sky, Glencoe, Pitochry, St Andrews and then back to Edinburg. Total of 3 weeks..
Will post some pics,, do not want to post on your thread..
Got the shot I wanted of Eilean Donan Castle but it took 3 different trys. Went out there on 3 different days as the first day the tide was low, second had no clouds and finally got what I wanted on the third day.. lots of fog rolling in..
While I photograph the icons, especially if I”m new to a place and may not be back, I’ll photograph any subject that is interesting and which gives me workable (or better) light.
#2 is kind of a case in point. Those two beautiful trees are way down a side road that few would drive on — it took us to the rather remote lodge where we stayed. As we drove back and forth on it each day, I started to see more and more potentially interesting subjects right there… including these trees.
#3 is also from a pretty remote place, the southwestern Skye village of Elgol. More or less on a whim — hey, it was off the beaten path! — we headed out there after doing a morning tour at the Talisker Distillery. Hey, it’s Scotland — you can do a whisky tour in the morning! The route took us down a long, winding single-track, and eventually to a hill where the little village began. From that hill there is a tremendous view out across the water toward a group of islands. The abstract shape of the island, with its details lost in the haze, seemed like a good contrast with the dramatic clouds and the reflections on the water....Show more →
We went to Elgol as well, and your image demonstrates one of things I appreciate about photography. The light and conditions shape the focus and compositions we see such that we leave with very different images. The day we were there, there was several passing showers and strong rainbows so I spent much of the time shooting north across the water from the car park. I also found some nice rock details on the beach too. I'm looking forward to more of your images!
Creative Edge wrote:
we pretty much did the same route. We loved Inverness, spent a good deal of time in Isle of Sky, Glencoe, Pitochry, St Andrews and then back to Edinburg. Total of 3 weeks..
Will post some pics,, do not want to post on your thread..
Got the shot I wanted of Eilean Donan Castle but it took 3 different trys. Went out there on 3 different days as the first day the tide was low, second had no clouds and finally got what I wanted on the third day.. lots of fog rolling in..
I look forward to seeing your pictures.
Your story about trying to photograph Eilean Donan Castle pretty much characterizes the challenges of photoraphing in Scotland, in my experience. The conditions vary a lot — and quickly — and the odds are that you may find yourself in a special place with less than ideal light.
We got lucky at the castle, and more or less by accident. It was sunny, but there were enough clouds around to create some varied light and a more interesting sky. But we pretty much got skunked at the Old Man of Storr, arriving in heavy rain. We suited up and gave it our best effort, but the feature was more or less socked in by clouds and the wind was howling.
I’d like to go back and spend perhaps 2-3 weeks moving slowly though the northwestern Scotland landscape, giving myself more opportunities to react quickly to those rare and special opportunities.
Monika C wrote:
Wonderful set, in your understated but powerful style. Fortunately, you are used to shooting in "interesting" conditions........!
Thanks, Monica.
I’d rather be challenged by those “interesting conditions” than have to figure out what to do with another “perfect blue sky day!” (Those are the bane of High Sierra photographers, where we often hope for some clouds to break up the “perfect” weather.)
I appreciate the comment about the “understated” style. I think my roots in west coast monochrome landscape photography still urge me to look for subjects that can sort of “speak for themselves.”
amv8 wrote:
We went to Elgol as well, and your image demonstrates one of things I appreciate about photography. The light and conditions shape the focus and compositions we see such that we leave with very different images. The day we were there, there was several passing showers and strong rainbows so I spent much of the time shooting north across the water from the car park. I also found some nice rock details on the beach too. I'm looking forward to more of your images!
Thanks!
I’m impressed that you made it to Elgol. (Someone wrote to me elsewhere saying that he had gone there 60 years ago, but could never convince his travel partners to go there since that visit, since they all said it was too far!)
I strongly agree that it is largely about what we do with the light and conditions. sometimes I’ll start to feel that it is more about those things than the available subjects, and I start to think “just give me the light and I’ll find something to photograph!” I’d truly rather be in a place with non-iconic subjects and great light and conditions than find myself in a place known for its beauty in boring light.
I’m mentally envisioning that day of passing showers and rainbows — it must have been spectacular!
gdanmitchell wrote:
I look forward to seeing your pictures.
Your story about trying to photograph Eilean Donan Castle pretty much characterizes the challenges of photoraphing in Scotland, in my experience. The conditions vary a lot — and quickly — and the odds are that you may find yourself in a special place with less than ideal light.
We got lucky at the castle, and more or less by accident. It was sunny, but there were enough clouds around to create some varied light and a more interesting sky. But we pretty much got skunked at the Old Man of Storr, arriving in heavy rain. We suited up and gave it our best effort, but the feature was more or less socked in by clouds and the wind was howling.
I’d like to go back and spend perhaps 2-3 weeks moving slowly though the northwestern Scotland landscape, giving myself more opportunities to react quickly to those rare and special opportunities....Show more →
Your Neist Point photo is also wonderful. Looks like we both had gray conditions. (I have a color photo of it that I’ll share later, but the conditions were… challenging.)
Jul 26, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Mark Metternich Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Nice collection here Dan. I especially like "The Isle of Rum". I've always loved the ultra minimalistic B+W long exposures genre. Although maybe (maybe?) not directly that genre, it has that same simple surreal presence. Nice work.
Mark Metternich wrote:
Nice collection here Dan. I especially like "The Isle of Rum". I've always loved the ultra minimalistic B+W long exposures genre. Although maybe (maybe?) not directly that genre, it has that same simple surreal presence. Nice work.
Thanks.
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Lightsearcher wrote:
Beautiful series and great post processing.
Marcelo
Thank you.
I don’t know how apparent it is, but there’s a lot of post-production work on these photographs. For one thing, I gon’t expose for the SOOC quality, but instead to capture the best image data for what I think I’ll do with the images in post. The first and third photos might be the most obvious examples here.
I had stopped at the first location to photograph the larger scene, mainly attracted by a partially-backlit and glowing atmosphere on a day when moisture filled the air. That soft light, which worked pretty easily for the larger view, was a challenge when I used a longer ens and narrowed down the composition to focus on this bit of the Red Cuillin Mountains. I knew that I’d have to take that “capture” and work the file in post to get the range of tones that I had in mind.
The “Rum Island” photograph was similar. Portions of the sky and the reflection on the water were quite bright by comparison to the dark from of the island, and again low level hazy atmosphere muted details on the dark island. So I exposed for those highlight areas, knowing that I’d have some work to balance out the other tonalities in post.
Wow! This is really a gorgeous set of images. Your compositions show a lot of careful framing and the conversions are perfect. It's quite evident to me that a lot of very good work was done in post.
I've noted that the XT5 is not water resistant. Considering the weather you encountered, I'm wondering what you did to keep everything dry.
Brent
bnfotografie wrote:
Wow! This is really a gorgeous set of images. Your compositions show a lot of careful framing and the conversions are perfect. It's quite evident to me that a lot of very good work was done in post.
I've noted that the XT5 is not water resistant. Considering the weather you encountered, I'm wondering what you did to keep everything dry.
Brent
Thanks.
I’d say that the XT5 IS “water resistant.” It is not “water proof,” nor are most cameras. It incorporates a large number of body seals to protect against water and dust and similar issues.
So I don’t hesitate to take the thing out in drizzle or light rain, though I certainly would not leave it unprotected between uses.
On this trip I used a “Day” lumbar pack from Mountainsmith, a product I’ve been using so long that I now own two of them! It is a large, general purpose lumbar pack that can be augmented with a detachable set of shoulder straps. I used it for various purposes — on this trip it was my “personal item” under-seat luggage on flight, carried with a detachable shoulder straps in urban environments, and my “day pack” on a weeklong walk in the Cotswolds, where it also rained.
The camera and lenses usually live in that pack. Since the pack isn’t padded, the gear goes into foam/fabric pouches for protection.
In over a dozen years of traveling and shooting with the Fujifilm system I have not had a weather-related issue.
(I use a different full-frame system for most of my landscape photography, but I did not travel with it on this trip because of the Cotswolds walk and since I did a lot of urban street photography, too.)
Such beautiful scenery so well captured. The last one with the castle especially memorable, beautiful tones and managed to bring out the fine details in the stonework
voltaire wrote:
Beautiful set, Dan. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
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lazlo36 wrote:
Such beautiful scenery so well captured. The last one with the castle especially memorable, beautiful tones and managed to bring out the fine details in the stonework
Thank you. Photographs of that castle almost make themselves, given its spectacular location.
