Another quick trip to Glencoe as the weather forecast was looking pretty good.
I basically went up looking for one photograph that was worthy to put in my portfolio.
I arrived in Glencoe around noon to glorious sunshine, there were a few clouds in the sky to make ideal photographic conditions.
I stopped of at my usual place of Rannoch Moor, just to have a quick look around the area for something a bit different. I walked further in to the moor than I have done in the past with the hope of finding that elusive composition. I eventually came across a scene very similar to prior shots but with a completely different foreground element. As I set up the camera, clouds swept in blocking all light from the scene leaving it very flat. I packed up without clicking the shutter once and headed for some lunch.
I opted for the healthy choice 😁, Bacon and Black pudding roll cooked on my little Jet boil portable gas stove. With cooking underway, I looked over some possible scenes I had taken with my phone when the frying pan slipped ( I forgot to put the stand on the bottom). First things first, save the bacon!! With reactions fast as lighting, I grabbed the pan mid air to my great delight, congratulating myself whilst placing it on the icy path. I noticed that the pan connection had came away from the top of the stove. Hungry for lunch “Il just put it back on” lifting it without a care in the world, forgetting that it had just been boiling for 5 minutes. Honestly, the words coming out my mouth, I could never repeat, my finger almost stuck to the red hot steel ring. I gave myself a right good talking to whilst nursing my blisters 😒 😀.
Patched up, I returned to Rannoch Moor as the sun was lower in the sky and the clouds were not blocking the all of the light. There were lots of little piles of hay or straw which is what attracted me to the scene, the sun was coming through illuminating the whole foreground. I wanted an etherial feel so I put on a 10 stop filter to move the clouds whilst giving the straw a much softer look unlike the reality of harsh needle like objects. The photo turned out ok, just something a bit different.
As I wasn’t really prepared for this trip, I had no plans for a sunset shot. I made a quick stop to one of my usual spots to check how the reflections were but, sadly, not to be. I snapped a few shots here before heading further down the road to the waterfall.
I visit here every time I’m in Glencoe. You may think that might be mad, but all weather conditions unveil a completely new photograph. I stayed here for sunset knowing that this wasn’t going to to the photo I was hoping for. With 45 minuses to go until sunset and not another car in sight, I was looking forward to a peaceful end to the day. Out of nowhere, a packed car pulls up unloading 5 photographers! A tour no less. Hopes for tranquility disappeared whilst standing in a line like queuing for a bus. This is certainly not my ideal ideal ending to the day, but everyone has got a right to be there.
I took a few shots and chose a vertical composition for variety, as the scene was leading that way with beautiful colour in the sky.
I did plan on doing doing some astro photography but conditions weren’t quite right with a haze in the air. Time to get back for a quick ale before the next mornings adventure.
I kept debating with myself on where to go the following morning! I have been here so many times but there is always one photo that eluded me that I really wanted. I have seen it in articles in magazines but never ventured there. The photo is of Buachaille Etive Mor taken from Beinn a’Chrulaiste. As a inexperienced hill walker, the thought of going up 3000 feet in the dark was a bit risky, especially in winter. I have been up mountains but not in the darkness of night. Common sense didn’t prevail as I made my way up. Head torch on as well as my high powered torch I set a route. To be honest, It made no difference what route I set, as I ventured off the route almost as soon as I started. To get the photo I wanted, I had to near the cliffs edge as I didn’t want any distractions in the foreground. At around 800 feet, I put on the crampons as I had already been on my bum twice, soaking and cold, I really didn't fancy sledging down the mountain on my ass. The snow was getting deeper or should I say “ice” as I don’t think it had snowed in a few days. The wind was on the rise with big gusts flowing through the glen which made conditions for the tripod very tricky indeed. Never the less, my first shot I set up was at around the 700 feet. It was still well before sunrise but the colours were gorgeous with magenta overwhelming the morning sky.
No time to stop as I had to gain more elevation for the shot I wanted. As I approached the 3000 feet barrier, just below the summit, there was enough of a ridge to block some of the wind enabling me to shoot a couple of long exposures. To do this, I had to open my jacket and shield the camera for about 30 seconds. This was as hard as walking up the hill as my jacket was like a sail, every bit of energy I had was spent on keeping my feet on the ground. I was thinking “ one big gust and ill be on that mountain Im trying to photograph” but all ended well and very pleased with the results.
As I don't come up to this altitude very often, I hung around for the colours to change. A similar result but a bit more drama in the sky and a much shorter exposure time. Carrying all that gear up a mountain was very tough but totally worth it. I will make more of an effort in the future! The view of a mountain from an elevated point is fantastic.
For one last image, I thought I would do a panorama which is something that I don't usually do. The perspective on the mountains change dramatically but with post processing tools, its much easier to correct the distortion. This is a stitched 7 shot vertical pano taken from the same place as the above photo. You can see the mountains appear further away.
