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Posts tagged ‘Alan Frost’

Tree reflections in Loch Maree

Loch Maree in the region of Wester Ross in the North West Highlands is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland, being some 12 miles long and a maximum width of about 2.5 miles. Arguably it’s also one of the prettiest lochs too, playing host to over sixty islands both large and small. Some of the Scots pine trees on these islands are estimated to be over 350 years old.

This particular image was taken from the shore near Slattadale forest and in the far distance the mountain of Slioch is clearly visible.

I did have to wait some time for the wind to drop and the ripples in the water to subside, to capture the reflections at their best; but if you have to watch and wait, then it’s no great hardship in such a beautiful location.

Evening light over the Applecross Peninsular

There are times when I am out and about when a scene unfolds before me and stops me in my tracks. This happened a few days ago in Wester Ross in Scotland. The early evening sunlight came through breaks in the clouds to create glorious shafts of light and illuminated the middle ground. One problem; no camera on me to capture the beauty of the light. A cardinal sin for any photographer.

Fortunately I was only five minutes walk from the cottage where we had been staying. I rushed back, picked up my camera and some graduated neutral density filters. I knew I would need them to hold back the strong light above the mountain ridge; I just hoped that by the time I returned to a good viewpoint the ‘light show’ was still being played. It was, and I combined the 3 stop and a 2 stop graduated ND filter to balance the exposure. Even then the image required some careful processing to create the result you see here.

For the record I am looking towards Beinn Bhan, the highest mountain on the Applecross Peninsular in Wester Ross, Scotland.

Do click on the picture to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Ardalanish Weavers on the Isle of Mull

In the past couple of weeks my wife and I have enjoyed a wonderful time exploring the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland. During our stay in a cottage near Bunessan on the Ross of Mull, we had the good fortune to visit the Weavers at Ardalanish farm, which overlooks a beautiful sandy bay (see the last image). We received a very warm welcome from Kathy followed by an interesting tour of the mill, prior of course to visiting and buying a couple of items in their well stocked shop. They use rich black wool from the Hebridean sheep which are kept on the farm and this is mixed with wool from Shetland and Manx Loaghtan sheep. The mill itself is powered by wind turbines also sited on the farm.

I know very little about the art of weaving but the mill was of great interest; the traditional looms and other machinery, the tools that lay around and the whole process of making such fine woolen cloth, which is then used to make a wide variety of clothing and homeware. Taken from their website I quote “Weaving is a fascinating mix of mechanics, maths, hard work, inspiration, creativity, trial and error and a little dose of magic”. Having seen them at work I can believe every word.

I asked permission to take a few images and I hope they capture something of the process and the place. If you can’t visit personally then do take a look at their website to find out more about the Weavers at Ardalanish.

…. and here are the results of all their hard work –

The weavers work in a glorious location (when the sun shines and the sky and sea are blue) – Ardalanish Bay on the Isle of Mull, and yes the sea really was that colour! This beautiful sandy bay looks out towards the Isle of Colonsay with the Paps of Jura in the far distance. Footprints other than our own were hard to find. I can’t think of a more peaceful, special and simply beautiful place.

Just a taster image of more photographs to come following our trip to Scotland, and in particular the Isle of Mull.

St Davids Cathedral – capturing the light

There are many reasons why I enjoy being in a church or cathedral. Making photographs which capture the light inside these special places is just one reason – it gives me a great deal of pleasure.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I can spend many an hour waiting for the right light. There are also occasions when little or no waiting is required and a sixth sense just tells me I should be inside even when the sun is shining outside. Photographing St Davids Cathedral on the first afternoon of my visit to Pembrokeshire turned out to be one such occasion.

I had driven the best part of 300 miles that day and had arranged to meet Andy Beel FRPS and the three other photographers in our group at 4pm. The light was good and St Davids Cathedral was only a short walk from our small hotel where we would be spending the next few days.

Bathed in the late afternoon light the Cathedral and grounds looked lovely but as soon as we arrived I instinctively knew that I should be inside and not outside. I just had a feeling that the lighting conditions could be working their magic and so it was.

The combination of the strong low sunlight and the shadows that were being cast only lasted about half an hour but it was more than enough time for me to capture the five images that make up this post.

During the course of the week we did return to St Davids Cathedral at different times of the day, but the light was never quite as good as that brief encounter on the first afternoon. I am sure my fellow workshop participants captured some good shots outside, but I don’t regret my decision to have acted differently and I hope they have forgiven me for disappearing so quickly after our first meeting.

I will be posting more entries and photographs of this Cathedral in the near future.

Whitesands Bay – late in the day

Whitesands

Taken on the first evening during my recent visit to Pembrokeshire, this shot was taken late in the day as the sun started to set. There were only a handful of other people about, all pleased to be at this rather lovely sandy bay.

It’s a location which is popular with surfers but on this occasion there was only one person with a board, but I like the separation and variety of the other characters in the picture. The man walking his dog, the young child running towards his or her mother who is looking out to sea. We do not know if there is a connection between this group of people. It doesn’t really matter, for they were doubtless enjoying their time there, just as much as I enjoyed the scene and taking a few frames.