The Isle of skye

The Isle of Skye. 4 days in this stunning, extreme and awe inspiring landscape. There are shear cliffs that allow rivers to plummet into the sea below. Rock face spires that shoot to the heavens and eerie glens that hold some kind of mystical allure. All of these attributes make for a fantastic location to visit with a camera..... And everyone who owns a camera knows this.

The Isle of Skye of a few years ago has gone. The landscape remains the same but the car parks and foot paths are new additions to the island. Our choice of exploring in November was intentional, yes there might be clouds laden with rain that refuse to move for our entire week but we would not be faced with the crowds that the asphalt additions have been laid for. We would bring waterproofs, we would bring flask for soup that we would wrap our numb with the cold fingers round. We would have peace and quite. And we did.

The locations I explored with the camera delivered, and I must say, when the weather was challenging the photographs were better. I couldn't do much vlogging at many locations because of the racing wind that muffled my words and made my eyes stream and sting. But I took some photos and I am happy with how they turned out.

There are so many photos of Skye, every glen, mountain and waterfall. I knew this and it made the experience more free. And if the weather was punishing, then I knew I might get something a bit special when I pressed the shutter.

Below are the 3 vlogs for the 3 full days we spent on the Isle of Skye, along with some of the images I came away with.

A poor man’s Leica

I'll admit it, I do check out the new gadgets, new lenses, new cameras. I read reviews, watch youtube videos of new products. I enjoy being dragged unconsciously into the algorithm of video suggestions of 'the next best thing' which promises to be so much better that the 'Last best thing'... But sometimes this algorithm throws out a video that jolts me out of unconsciousness and on this occasion it was 'A poor man's Leica'. Yes, I was looking at, dreaming of, salivating over Leicas, knowing it was never going to happen. But what was this poor man's option? I clicked on the video and there it was, a Canon P rangefinder. Small in form, forgiving to the wallet and the Canon P looks beautiful.

The Canon P is a camera that I could carry around without it getting in the way, and if it did get in the way, it didn't matter because the Canon P looks beautiful. Being a rangefinder, it would make street photography, family snaps, abstract photos quicker with the zone focus technique and if I did take that bit longer to nail the focus, it didn't matter because the Canon P looks beautiful. Okay, Okay, yes my Canon P was predominantly bought because it is just so beautiful, there, I said it. But after I used this camera a couple of times I soon became aware that this was function over form. It is a lovely camera to use. And what I said before about it not getting in the way is so true. This camera is with me all the time. As I write this, sitting in a well known coffee chain, my Canon P occupies a proud space next to my coffee. When I finish my coffee I will sling the Canon P around my neck and go for a stroll through Edinburgh city and I will enjoy capturing images, hearing the pleasing click when I press the shutter, then manually winding back the film with the cleverly designed flush film winder. It is what makes this camera and any camera you fall in love with important, the excitement and joy you get when using it. The images happen later but being in the now with a camera you have delight in using is how you get 'that' photo. As I take the last sip of my coffee, the person across from me looks at the Canon P, leans forward and says, "that camera really is beautiful".

I know where I need to improve.

I'm very honest with myself when it comes to identifying my limitations. I think this is important and is a great way to move away from comfort zones and explore through uncertainty. But, knowing where you need to improve is the easy part. Facing these limitations and moving away from the comfort zone is the challenging part. I often view other photographers work and get inspiration from what they are creating. But when I see the lush green, misty images of ancient gnarly forests, I have the sinking realisation that I would struggle to capture and image like this. I would go as far as saying I wouldn't even notice that type of composition.

My recent trip to the Lake District allowed me to spend a bit of time wandering through forests and face my limitations. My creative mind goes in to shutdown mode when its faced with too much information and I simply can't identify any compositions. I know I need to get better at this and I have decided to attempt this type of photography more over the coming months and hopefully train my eye and mind to see clear images through the chaos that is a woodland forest.

(Some) Films also have impressive dynamic range.

Having a choice of cameras/formats has its positives and negatives (No pun intended). I returned to my Zentit 11 35mm recently and was puzzled by what the ISO (film sensitivity to light) was set at. When checking the light meter reading I noticed that the ISO was set at 125. I wracked my brain trying to think of what film I had in the camera. Was it a random Ilford black and white film? Anyway, I plodded on with the camera set to ISO 125.

A couple of weeks later, back out with the Zenit 11, and with 6 shots left of the ISO 125 film I noticed the ISO was now set at 50 ISO. I remembered the fact that this was set at ISO 125 when I last used the camera so this setting must have changed when the camera was in my backpack... Not great, as this could also have happened before, moving to ISO 125 which I was sure was not a film speed in my stock of film.

The Zenit doesn't have a little holder to put a label from the film box which identifies the speed of the film whereas other cameras do. The Mamiya medium format camera has a slot for this info and the ISO selector is not the easiest dial to move, which is a good thing. Anyway, I got to the end of the roll and was really quite curious and anxious to find out the film speed. I wound in the film and opened up the back.... The film I had been shooting with and thought was an ISO 125 black and white was actually Kodak Portra 400.... Oops!

What does this mean? Well, if I'm shooting a film that is ISO 400 at 125 I'm adjusting the setting to a film that is less sensitive to light - The higher the ISO the more sensitive the film is to light. Fundamentally I have been over-exposing every shot by over a stop. This added to the fact that I usually overexpose film by 0.5 to 1 stop anyway means that I have been allowing a lot of/too much light to hit the film.

I am writing this blog with the undeveloped film in my bag. Kodak Portra does have a wide dynamic range and is very forgivable so it will be interesting to see how the images come out.

Here are some of the shots from the over-exposed film. As you can see there are no issues with the exposures of these shots. Obviously, some films are more forgiving than others - Kodak’s Portra being one of them. To prevent this from happening again I have made the most of the flash shoe and used this to hold the film info card.

The New Old

I've stepped backwards in my photography. Well, backwards in time and bought myself a medium format film camera, circa 1991. I have shot on film before, my first couple of cameras were film but modern film cameras, just before the era of digital relay came to be an affordable option so there would be very little to do regarding settings in camera.

Medium format though, I have never shot so this was new to me and it is with an older camera, which does have a light meter built into the viewfinder but until I got my first couple of film rolls developed my trust for metering would be with an app on my phone (not terribly old school, I know).

The main challenge for me when moving to medium film would be the limited exposures you can achieve from one roll of 120 film. Which is 15 to 16.... And at roughly £10 per roll, I had to really think 'is this the correct composition, timing for the light, settings for the camera' etc. etc. before pressing the shutter.

This experience did really connect with me as I have found with shooting digital, where you can fire off as many shots as your card can hold without the worry of expense even crossing your mind, most of the time my initial composition before changing things up is my favourite. Still, the slowing down and addition of stress and anxiety when taking the shots added to the experience.

This regression to a simpler time in photography didn't stop there. When I told my dad about my new camera he disappeared, reappearing about 10 minutes later with his trusted Zenit(h) 11 35mm film camera. So I have been mixing things up with medium format, which is an absolute joy to shoot with and my dad's 35mm, which is again such an enjoyable camera to use. Interestingly, I find the 36 exposures you get from the 35mm camera to be too many.... This, I think, is that I am so eager to finish a roll of film so I can send it off to the lab for development and see the results. No back screen to check on these old cameras....

Still in Lockdown

The weather has bee improving over these last couple of weeks as we approach mid March and the restrictions seem to be weighing heavier now than when the temperatures were unwelcoming and the days were short. Looking at local areas to photograph and scanning various social media's outlets, from Instagram to 500px for inspiration. I remembered on my last vlog a local photographer, Simon Wootton suggested a local landmark not too far from where that video was shot. Porty's Eiffel Tower. I decided to have a walk down to this location which is situated between Joppa and Musselburgh, North East of Edinburgh and check out Simon's suggestion. The first visit, which was more of a familiarisation of the location, highlighted the importance of catching the tide at the right time and on this occasion it was low tide which made the pipe, for which the structure is a marker for, visible along with some rocks strewn across the scene. As I was aiming for a very minimal image in the style of Michael Levin, the added clutter in the scene wasn't ideal. I took a photo by using the pipe as a leading line to the structure. I tend to favour central weighted compositions, opting for symmetry and balance. I was happy with the image I took from that initial visit but knew there were better times of the day to take this photo which would allow for a more forgiving water level and more colour in the sky.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later, I revisited the scene in the early evening with some nice pastel colours already forming in the sky. Admittedly, the tide level on this occasion was now too far in and finding a vantage point where the horizon didn't cut through the pipe marker structure was not possible. This forced me to shoot the image with a wide aperture to allow the backdrop focus to be soft. I had to hand my Lee filter set with both the 6 and 10 stop filters to control the amount of light entering the camera. This allowed a long enough exposure to soften up the water and the moving clouds.

I was happy with the images but I will definitely try other times of the day when the tide level allows for more experimental compositions.

Below are a couple of the images from both trips.

Pastel Colours of the Firth of Forth

Pastel Colours of the Firth of Forth

Structure

Structure

A Change in the Sky

Sunset Photography in Edinburgh

The developing sunset caught me by surprise as the day had been a grey, dull wash out. I noticed a couple of colourful clouds floating over to where the sun was dipping so a mad dash to head down to Portobello beach, which is only a few roads away from me, to hopefully capture an epic winter sunset. Unfortunately the clouds vanished just as quick as that had arrived and the icy wind was picking up. By this time I was at the spot I wanted to take the photo from so I decided to wait it out to see if the sky would do anything spectacular. Well, it did improve, slightly but certainly nothing extraordinary. I was glad that I stuck it out as the sky was colourful enough to create interest and I captured some nice movement in the sea which was lapping against the steps I was standing above.

Portobello Sunset

Portobello Sunset

It's often too easy to not make the effort to go and create. I find myself making excuses to myself to not go out but I easily forget that if I get an image that is only an addition to being somewhere, physically and mentally. Waiting on the right conditions for a photograph naturally makes you pay attention to the changing scene that is unfolding in front of you. Those times where you allow your busy mind to fade away and focus completely on the developing clouds, the steady rhythmic sounds of the waves or in this case the bright red moon that rose from the horizon can be more rewarding than a photo. Yes it was cold and the scene didn't quite happen but the experience of the solitude and the slowing down was worth it.

Portobello Glow

Portobello Glow

Sunset & Waves

Sunset & Waves

A Winter Beach Glow

A Winter Beach Glow

Heavy Rainfall Preventing Access - Missed photo Opportunity

When the river is high and there is no way to cross

There has been a photo I’ve been after for some time now. The location is only a short drive from where I live and in all honesty, I should really have this photo in the bag by now. However, it is a popular photo location and for it to be a worthwhile trip, the conditions need to be in right. What is the point of a standard photo that looks like all the other photos taken? The location is Dalkeith Country Park and the photo is of the palace from the river, looking through the arched bridge with a waterfall dropping below in the foreground. What I didn’t account for was that those same conditions I was after for this shot would stop me in my stride.

I arrived at the grand arched Montagu Bridge, the palace was illuminated with the soft morning light and there was the subdued faint fog resting on the treetops. The foliage had turned to a stunning rust colour and the grass was sparkling with dew. The heavy rains that we had experienced over the past few days had increased the depth of the colours, making the scene pop. Everything had lined up for the image and all that was needed was for me to find the best location to balance the palace within the framing of the arched bridge and to allow the water cascading below to pull the viewer’s eye into the photo. During this location scouting, I was slowing coming to the realisation that either side of the riverbank did not provide me with a usable view of the palace. After scrambling from one side of the river to the other and having no joy with a composition I resorted to google. This is the only benefit of attempting a photo that has been taken many times by many photographers, the ability to look up the image on Google. It was there I saw that the island in the middle of the river is the only spot is to set up the tripod and take the photo. Unfortunately, the heavy rain that I was thankful for only moments before turned out to be the reason I could not get this image. The river was thunderous and there was just no way of crossing it to get onto the island. I flirted with the thought of kicking my shoes off, rolling up my trousers and stepping into the white rushing waters. Hovering on the banks of the river I could not gauge how deep this river was. I had to retreat. This was not an option. I had to accept defeat and admit that this image that I was hoping to finally capture will have to wait for another day, when the conditions are working but when the river crossing can be attempted, safely.

I did take some photos as the condition were still nice. I opted for a more minimal framing of the river with the autumnal coloured leaves overhanging the water and some traditional photos of the elegant palace.

Dalkeith House

Dalkeith House

The Grounds of Dalkeith House

The Grounds of Dalkeith House

Dew covered mushrooms in front of The Montagu Bridge

Dew covered mushrooms in front of The Montagu Bridge

The Movement of The River North Esk

The Movement of The River North Esk

Top Instagram Locations in Edinburgh

I decided to explore my home city through the eyes of a tourist and photograph locations that appear top of the #Edinburgh Instagram feed. This was really fun and pushed me to view my familiar surroundings with a fresh pair of eyes.

Although these locations are very typical and the standard photos taken in Edinburgh especially when viewing the Edinburgh Instagram feed, there were not my usual go to locations when exploring the city with my camera so I did have to do some repositioning and compositional tweaks so the photo still had my thought process and style attached to them.

I'll definitely do something similar to this again but will take the other extreme and look for those hidden Edinburgh shots.

Below are the photo locations using the website https://www.what3words.com

Scots Monument image 1 - ///senses.scuba.breath

Scots Monument image 2 - ///clap.learn.depend

Bottom of Cockburn Street - ///youth.fuel.boxer

Top of Cockburn Street - ///those.region.boost

Lady Stair Close - ///clash.nets.libraries

Edinburgh Uni - ///places.wage.shade

Circus Lane image 1 - ///studio.blunt.safety

Circus Lane image 2 - ///error.plays.decent

Castle Hill - ///ally.value.glare

Edinburgh Castle - ///drops.shirts.bind

Scots Monument

Scots Monument

Lady Stair Close - The Writer’s Museum

Lady Stair Close - The Writer’s Museum

Circus Lane 1

Circus Lane 1

Bottom of Cockburn Street

Bottom of Cockburn Street

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Top of Cockburn Street

Top of Cockburn Street

Castle Hill

Castle Hill

Circus Lane 2

Circus Lane 2

A Tour Around The Scottish Borders

2 OUT OF 3 AIN'T BAD

I had 3 locations in mind. Gore Glen, Leaderfoot Viaduct and Loch Skeen. My route planned, bags packed and ready to hit the road. As I arrived in Gorebridge the skies turned grey. Not good threatening skies for photography, just grey lifeless skies. This type of sky doesn't fill you with dread and concern. It doesn't make you grab the darkest filter so every thunderous cloud is enhanced so you feel like you have just taken a photo of the worlds final hours. No, these were very much typical Scottish skies..... Grey! Not to worry, I had beautiful waterfalls to photograph and no sky was needed. What was needed though was a waterfall and I was having terrible difficulty finding one. I knew more homework was needed for this location, but it's a well-trodden path, along a river, in a glen. Surely I would find the waterfall! After over an hour and a half walking along the river where said waterfall should be, I returned to the car without a single image taken.

Stop number 2 on my planned route was Leaderfoot Viaduct also known as the Drygrange Viaduct. I have seen this place on many photo websites and have always wanted to see it for myself. It is a stunning location. Like many parts of the River Tweed, this area is well known for fishing but on this occasion, I had the place to myself and explored all potential vantage points for a composition I liked. This did involve sliding down an embankment but it was worth it!

Leaderfoot Viaduct Canon 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | f/8.0

Leaderfoot Viaduct Canon 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | f/8.0

The above image consisted of two long exposure shots, blended together to get the most out of the shadows under the bridge. This created a nice softening of the water but with the disturbance under the bridge still evident.

I will definitely return to this spot in brighter weather which would help illuminate the scene and hope to have a more exciting sky to use.

Onwards to my final location of the day. A place I have attempted to access in the past but the rain had other plans for me that day and beat me into submission back to the shelter of my car. As I arrived at Grey Mare's Tail, the drizzle had moved on and the possibility of reaching Loch Skeen looked good.

On the way up, past Grey Mare's Tail, I was pleased to see a whole spillage of waterfalls (made up terminology... but I like it) which were partially frozen. Well, this made up for the unsuccessful trip to Gore Glen. The issue here was that accessibility was rather limited. Actually, accessibility was rather easy if you don't mind falling hundreds of feet down a waterfall. Care was taken to get as close to the edge as my shaky legs allowed and compose an image of one of the more impressive waterfalls.

Waterfall below Loch Skeen 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | f/6.3

Waterfall below Loch Skeen 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | f/6.3

Onwards and upwards to Loch Skeen. After quite a considerably longer amount of time than I was hoping for I finally turned a corner to be welcomed by the sheer beauty of Loch Skeen. Wow, it was stunning and so still. The Loch was partially frozen and the low cloud hung in the air obscuring the hilltops giving me this sense of confined space. I was well aware that this was winter in Scotland and that means limited hours of sunlight and as I was up a hill, with nobody around and no phone signal, I thought it best to promptly find a composition. The icy loch and the low clouds made the picture taking of this scene quite challenging. There was a lot of reflection to contend with and the brightness of the clouds and the loch made the lights and darks of the image very extreme.

A Tree Island 5D MKII | EF85mm f/1.8 USM | ISO 50 | f/11

A Tree Island 5D MKII | EF85mm f/1.8 USM | ISO 50 | f/11

A high vantage point was required to isolate the tree from the reflections of the hills in the background. Ideally I would have liked to be quite a bit higher but I was already on the highest mound on the loch's edge. This would have to do. I decided to make this quite a tight photo with minimal clutter from the surrounding elements. This way the viewers focus would land on the tree and then explore the semi submerged rocks in the photo.

Loch Skeen 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | Combination of 9 shots

Loch Skeen 5D MKII | EF17-40mm f/4L USM | ISO 50 | Combination of 9 shots

This final image of Loch Skeen has a lot more going on with the inclusion of the surrounding land. I noticed this rock with the striking green moss partially covering its surface to draw the viewers eyes through the scene, starting at the base of the photo and moving towards the centre where the isolated tree is perched in its island.

I need to take 9 photos to make this shot work, combining them together so the darks and lights of the scene were well balanced and that there was sharp focus throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip through the Scottish borders and with the photographs I managed to capture. Maybe one day I'll find the Waterfalls at Gore Glen...

 

Exploring East Lothian Scotland

Exploring East Lothian

The clouds were looking promising, the sun was out and I wanted to explore.

The East Lothian coast line is not far and it has been quite a while since I explored there. I had an idea of what I wanted... well, an idea of what I didn't want, and that was to get back home and see the same kind of photos that I had taken on previous trips. In my mind I was looking for simple, no clutter, minimalist photographs. I'll be honest it wasn't easy. I felt myself falling back in to the usual composition set up but I persisted and came away with a couple of photos that were definitely not my usual style.  

 

Here is the video I took when out exploring East Lothian.

A Winter Shoot

On an early Saturday morning in the middle of winter I found myself in my back garden setting up lights and reflectors for my first photo shoot. My great friend Roxy was needing some shots for her website blog and with her being a South African, we couldn't miss the opportunity of the snowy background. I normally photograph landscapes, cityscapes and interiors so a model shoot was an exciting and very nerve wracking task.

Fortunately the sun was working with us and was creating a soft glow around Roxy so all I needed to do was set the reflector and the strobe light to balance with the natural light.

Everything was going great and the only changes that were needing made were upping the strobe to keep up with the rising sun and repositioning myself so I was catching a sunburst and flare in the shot.

The sun was shining and both Roxy and i were having a great time.

Time for lunch break and a change of wardrobe for Roxy. When we got back out things had changed. The sun was high and harsh and balancing the strobe with the natural light was a constant task. The second half shots came out with a very different look with a bit more zing and less glow as every time I tried to get the flare it gave more of a harsh glare, taking over the photo and washing out any details.

THE LAST OF THE SUN FLARE

THE LAST OF THE SUN FLARE

I decided to flatten out the strobe and shoot tighter with less sky.

The whole experience was great fun and I really enjoyed this type of photography. Roxy was great and was a true professional even when standing, shivering inbetween strobe light and reflector adjustments.

Walking and photographing the West Highland Way

West Highland Way

 

It has been a month since we completed the West Highland Way (WHW) and I am still buzzing with the experience. What a journey and what a country to explore by foot. We were extremely lucky with the weather - not one drop of rain for the 7 day hike, unheard of - and because we chose late in the season to walk the WHW there were no annoying travel companions following our route…. I’m talking about the Scottish midge of course. Because of this I feel rather guilty. I hear others who had to endure wind, rain and fog during the hike, missing many of the stunning views that are on offer and then having to supply blood to the millions of midges that swarm camp each evening. My pitiful complaints consisted of bringing too many warm / waterproof clothes and that some days were a bit too warm for walking… The hardship… 

 

I gave myself a target of capturing one photograph that I was happy with each day. Some days this was easy and the opportunity presented itself without so much as a sideways glance. Other days were a bit more tricky. The endless blue sky didn’t help with landscape photography. It might be nice to look at but for photography having a big blue sky without clouds creating any drama and harsh light on the land makes for a very emotionless photograph. I enjoyed the challenge of photography the ever changing landscape and the hiking that was involved. 

 

I do and will continue to recommend the WHW to everyone. It was such a fantastic experience and really the best way to see that part of Scotland.

 

If you are interested in walking part or all of the WHW check out this link.

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.asp

 


The lake district

We have been driving South for several hours, it’s late on a Thursday night, passing only the odd lorry, we make good time. The destination is the South Lakes, England and the plan is to walk, hike, scramble the Fairfield Horseshoe which starts and finishes in Ambleside. It’s an early start on Friday morning to pack the backpack with camera gear (always pack too much) and lunch (can’t pack enough) we set off. The forecast’s promise of dry weather holds true which is quite something for the Lake District and we are soon taking our layers of windproof jackets and multi activity soft fleece jumpers off as we bake in the mid morning sun. Will it last...?

 

The purpose for this walk is to photograph Lake Windermere through the valley that leads to the town of Ambleside and on to Windermere. When we get to the middle ridge, just before the Fairfield summit we look south down Rydal Beck Valley for the photograph. In all the guide books and walking blogs of the route it’s THE view, regularly described as the best in the Lakes and a must for a clear day, it doesn’t disappoint. There were quite a few clouds forming by now making an ideal scene for some black and white photographs. The sun was occasionally breaking through and lighting the valley, this really created drama and needed for mid-day photography.

The view towards Ambleside and Windermere.

The view towards Ambleside and Windermere.

Hello to a blog.

.The very thought of writing is scary and doesn't come naturally to me. Spelling, grammar, flow, all these will be terrible and I apologise. It was only a couple of sentences ago that I though ‘in fact’ was one word… 

I am planning on keeping these very short and are really just an outpouring (and this is one word…not two..) of plans, thoughts and findings all based around my photography. I will blog about places I have been and places I plan on going, sharing what I am hoping to achieve and capture when I get there. I will discuss equipment and my set-up for the journey and shoot. I will also share some of my workflow which will vary drastically from shoot to shoot just so you get an insight to my technique/chaotic preparation. 

I am very aware that I don’t have a specific style, maybe because I am still learning about the photographic process or maybe because I like lots of different styles. Hopefully this blog will help explain and make clear, mainly to myself, why I choose various styles by capturing my thoughts and my feelings when out on a shoot. It might be that I am heavily influenced by other photographers or artists that I have viewed recently (Mirjam Appelhof). Maybe it is down to the music I’m listening to (Steve Reich - Phases), the book I’m reading (In America, Travels with John Steinbeck by Greet Mak) or something like the traffic whilst driving to a location. Who knows?

Lets see what happens.