p.1 #1 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
This post is a follow-up to a small set of monochrome photographs from Skye that I shared a few weeks ago. These are all in color, obviously, and they expand the geographic coverage further up the northwestern coast of Scotland. (Some of them are along the "NC500" route, for those of you who know about
it.)
Yes, it is cloudy in Scotland. A lot.
Enjoy!
(I'm open to any questions folks may have about photographing and traveling in this part of Scotland.)
p.1 #2 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Your b&w was stunning but I must say, I am loving the color!
Some say B&W is an "escape" from the conflicts of color...? No conflicts here brother!
Just beautiful!
I might just say 1 thing and it is a "bias" when thinking about Ireland, Scotland and the upper UK...."emerald green" look?
AgainOUTSTANDING photography!
Dan2..got to say the stone structures are phenominal..
p.1 #5 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Danpbphoto wrote:
Your b&w was stunning but I must say, I am loving the color!
Some say B&W is an "escape" from the conflicts of color...? No conflicts here brother!
Just beautiful!
I might just say 1 thing and it is a "bias" when thinking about Ireland, Scotland and the upper UK...."emerald green" look?
AgainOUTSTANDING photography!
Dan2..got to say the stone structures are phenominal..
Was this your trip or a photo guided excursion?
Thanks.
It is more of a challenge, I think, to work with subtle colors than, say, the brilliant colors of fall foliage or sunset/sunrise light. But once you start to see it, it is easier.
And, yes, I think we do expect that “emerald green” thing in these locations. It is there, sometimes, but not everywhere and not in every season. Our visit was a bit before the spring green would really get going. We saw it in a few spots, but we also saw a lot of golden brown.
We did not take a sort of guided tour. As we usually do, we headed out on our own, which gives us the freedom to change plans on a moments notice, to follow the light, to linger. (My wife might be the world’s best non-professional travel planner, and she does all of the detail work of getting accommodations and so forth.)
p.1 #7 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
douter wrote:
These are terrific, Dan, they really give a feel for the atmospherics!
Douglas
Thank you. The “atmospherics” seem to be a pretty big thing in this part of the world — in some cases they actually become the prime subject, in my view.
p.1 #8 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
gdanmitchell wrote:
Thanks.
It is more of a challenge, I think, to work with subtle colors than, say, the brilliant colors of fall foliage or sunset/sunrise light. But once you start to see it, it is easier.
And, yes, I think we do expect that “emerald green” thing in these locations. It is there, sometimes, but not everywhere and not in every season. Our visit was a bit before the spring green would really get going. We saw it in a few spots, but we also saw a lot of golden brown.
We did not take a sort of guided tour. As we usually do, we headed out on our own, which gives us the freedom to change plans on a moments notice, to follow the light, to linger. (My wife might be the world’s best non-professional travel planner, and she does all of the detail work of getting accommodations and so forth.)...Show more →
Your wife needs to start her own "Photography Travel Planner" website Dan!
Your images had a definite "workflow" to them for whatever reason your wife chose....
When I was over there..my mind was always playing tricks on me...The "emerald green" was "projected" on top of my viewed file..I expect it but it wasn't really there! I had to really work on my raw processing skills to get what I saw on the edit..not what my "mind" wanted me to see.
p.1 #11 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
junglialoh wrote:
Each image - so lovely and classic, and feel revival of modernized Ansel Adam style
Thanks! I’ll take Ansel comparisons any time. (I have a sort of once-removed connection to him through various photographer friends who worked with him and/or took his workshops.)
I actually met him — sort of — one time, when my dad took me to a lecture by “some photographer guy” at a local collge and it turned out to be him. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of anything about it…
p.1 #12 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Ross Martin wrote:
Lovely work here Dan, the subtlety of color and tonal graduation is highly appealing.
Thanks you, Ross.
It seems that, for the most part, subtle color is what one often has to work with in Scotland. This was the second time we visited and I photographed there, so we’ve got about a month of Scotland under our belts at this point. It is often cloudy and wet, and even when there is sun the atmosphere is often moist and sort of glowing.
For those used to more colorful landscapes, it takes a little time to adjust, I think.
(I love the place though, and would go back in a heartbeat, perhaps in autumn.)
p.1 #14 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Lobohowler wrote:
Dan, great set! I find #5 and #8 especially appealing, but all are great.
Thanks!
Interesting that you would choose those two. They both come from pretty non-iconic locations where I just happened to see something that I thought was interesting. #5 was on a side road out toward the coast where I saw a turn-out and happened to look back and see those peaks. (There’s another version that includes a third peak.) At that instant the light was not very good at all — everything was in shadow. But I decided to wait it out and see if a break in the clouds would bring some light into the foreground… and finally it did.
#8 is also “just a loch and a peak along the road” as we headed north from Ullapool. The whole route through there was full of interesting peaks and lochs, but the light on this one plus the little island were enough to convince me to find a place to pull over. (That’s not always easy in that area.) Again, the light made it more interesting I think.
My favorite? I think that it is #2, which is the most “composed” image of the bunch. There were a lot of pieces that had to fit together just right for that one, so I spent some time working out the camera position and focal length issues. In end I loved the little s-curve landing into the scene at the bottom and directing attention toward the distant mountains, muted by a bit of light rain, beyond the loch.
p.1 #15 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
gdanmitchell wrote:
Thanks!
Interesting that you would choose those two. They both come from pretty non-iconic locations where I just happened to see something that I thought was interesting. #5 was on a side road out toward the coast where I saw a turn-out and happened to look back and see those peaks. (There’s another version that includes a third peak.) At that instant the light was not very good at all — everything was in shadow. But I decided to wait it out and see if a break in the clouds would bring some light into the foreground… and finally it did.
#8 is also “just a loch and a peak along the road” as we headed north from Ullapool. The whole route through there was full of interesting peaks and lochs, but the light on this one plus the little island were enough to convince me to find a place to pull over. (That’s not always easy in that area.) Again, the light made it more interesting I think.
My favorite? I think that it is #2, which is the most “composed” image of the bunch. There were a lot of pieces that had to fit together just right for that one, so I spent some time working out the camera position and focal length issues. In end I loved the little s-curve landing into the scene at the bottom and directing attention toward the distant mountains, muted by a bit of light rain, beyond the loch....Show more →
The quality of light in #5, especially in the mid-ground, as well as the hot color splash of the gorse/broom in the foreground work really well with the subject matter. As for #8, I tend to be drawn to simple compositions with some nice contrasts (in this case e.g. color tones), and the green in the island really makes it pop. If I had to pick only one, that might be the one. Regarding #2, I did notice the s-curve, which is always a great element for drawing the viewer in. You had a very productive trip! As you know, I was there a few weeks after you, and would love to have a second chance.
p.1 #16 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Hi Dan, love the work and really appreciate #1 and #5. When I made the drive from Lochcarron to Applecross, my perception was the entire landscape was a uniform, fog white
p.1 #17 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Lobohowler wrote:
The quality of light in #5, especially in the mid-ground, as well as the hot color splash of the gorse/broom in the foreground work really well with the subject matter. As for #8, I tend to be drawn to simple compositions with some nice contrasts (in this case e.g. color tones), and the green in the island really makes it pop. If I had to pick only one, that might be the one. Regarding #2, I did notice the s-curve, which is always a great element for drawing the viewer in. You had a very productive trip! As you know, I was there a few weeks after you, and would love to have a second chance. ...Show more →
Yes, that splash of yellow color was a bit of good fortune. (Anyone looking at the photo and wondering about that – just put your finger over the yellow bit and see how much it changes the overall effect of the photograph.)
That little island in #8 was the first thing that caught my attention here — it stood out in the otherwise very austere scene. I knew I wanted a photograph of the island, and I built the rest of the composition around that.
I wonder, were things much green by the time you got there a few weeks later. In some areas we visited it looked like the green was just beginning to appear.
p.1 #18 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
gdanmitchell wrote:
I wonder, were things much green by the time you got there a few weeks later. In some areas we visited it looked like the green was just beginning to appear.
Yes, I think things greened up quickly in the intervening time, which was only a matter of 2 weeks or so.
p.1 #19 · More Northwest Scotland (Color this time)
Lobohowler wrote:
Yes, I think things greened up quickly in the intervening time, which was only a matter of 2 weeks or so.
Yeah, that’s about what I would have guessed. Small plants were just emerging when we were there and in one or two isolated spots we actually saw more green. I’m thinking that the end of May or first week of June might be good times for “the green” and before the biggest crush of visitors.
