Photo of the Month - January 2016

Omega

15th January 2016, Ben Ever, Ochil Hills, Clackmannanshire

The Ochil Hills are of moderate height in comparison to the Scottish Highlands.  Whilst there are no Munros or Corbetts, there are 10 summits over 2000ft (609m). The southern flanks rise very steeply above the plain of the River Forth with the south-flowing burns cutting deep ravines into the hillsides making for surprisingly challenging walking, at least until the undulating summit plateau is reached.  It is unusual for the Ochil Hills to receive much snow and when they do it tends not to last. But recent heavy snowfalls have blanketed the whole range in snow. Not the usual wet stuff either, this is soft powder snow, waist deep in places, making for slow going. Add a cold northerly wind and spin-drift is whipped into your face. I took this just below the summit of Ben Ever as the sun was setting on the horizon, the spindrift was moving down the slope and the River Forth snaked in a large meandering loop some 2000ft below.  Only 16 miles from home but when under snow it is another world.

  

Technical Info: 

Taken with a Fujifilm X-T1

Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens @ 32.6mm

EXIF: ISO-200 / f/11 / 0.6sec

Lee filters:0.6 GND Hard
RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9

 

Photo of the Month: December 2015

Anchored

 

8th December 2015, St Monans, East Neuk, Fife

After checking tide tables and the weather I set off for the East Neuk.  I had planned to photograph on the beach directly below St Monans Parish Church but the tide had already receded from here so I turned my attention to the rocks of Long Shanks further west. I have looked down on these rocks many times from the Fife Coastal Path without giving them a second thought. Today, from the beach, I was looking up at a raggedy skyline.  It was as if I had found a new location. The rocks were cut with deep channels of water being fed by the sea swell even though the tide was receding. As it receded further I was able to move within the rocks to reach a small beach. With the low winter sun providing some dramatic lighting and a storm sweeping over the Firth of Forth, the scene looked very foreboding. They are moments which are too infrequent in my opinion.  I was determined to make the most of it before the storm hit but with the air full of spray the most difficult task was keeping the filters dry using a small reflector as a shield.  Eventually the rain became too heavy and I had to pack everything away and retreat to the harbour but I had enough images on the card to make the trip worthwhile.  

Technical Info: 

Taken with a Fujifilm X-T1

Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R lens

EXIF: ISO-200 / f/11 / 1/10sec

Lee filters:
RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Other images from the same afternoon:

Photo of the Month: November 2015

Four of a Kind

3rd November 2015, Devilla Forest, Fife

Devilla, a productive forest managed by Forestry Commission Scotland, on the A985 between Dunfermline and Kincardine and only 5 miles from home. Much of the forest is native Scots Pine, planted in regimental fashion, but recent forestry activity has thinned areas of the forest allowing more light to penetrate.  Today was a foggy autumnal day and I went to Devilla specifically to photograph in the fog. I know where these trees are from previous explorations of the forest. They are not readily identifiable from the forest road, but by taking 10 paces 'off-road' all is revealed. I used the low vegetation to fill the foreground and frame the trees. The last of the leaves have lifted the foreground and the fog has created a lovely softness.

Technical Info:

Taken with a Fuji X-T1
Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens @ 34.5mm

EXIF: ISO-200 / 1/20sec / f/11
Lee filters: None
RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW Converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Photo of the Month: October 2015

 Mysterious Ways


7th October 2015, Thrunton Woods, Northumberland

Thrunton Wood, a Forestry Commission woodland in Northumberland 5 miles North of Rothbury and just off the A897. It is a commercial woodland covering 10sqkm with plenty of forests roads as well as two waymarked trails in the northern section of the forest. Fog and rain gave the woods an eerie atmosphere as we walked the Castle Hill Trail (5 miles). I had been searching for a suitable composition to photograph throughout the walk but nothing really grabbed me.  It wasn't until we were returning to the car park along Thrunton Crag that I saw what I was looking for. I was immediately taken by the recession along the track created by the fog, the branches over the track, the dark tree trunks on either edge of the frame and the earthy tones of early Autumn.


Technical Info:

Taken with a Fuji X-T1
Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens @ 18mm

EXIF: ISO-200 / 0.4 sec / f/11
Lee filters:

RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW Converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Photo of the Month: September 2015

Dead Calm

7th September 2015, Lochan nan Corp, Ben Ledi, Trossachs

My second wild camp of the year, this time on the Bealach nan Corp (Pass of the Dead) at a height of 670m/2200ft on the northern slopes of Ben Ledi. After pitching my tent at sunset I walked up to the summit of Ben Ledi (879m/2884ft) by torchlight following a line of old rusty fence posts all the way to the top. The sky was clear, the stars were out, as was the Milky Way.  It was quite something to see against a black sky. The following morning I was up at dawn (6a.m.) to photograph Lochan nan Corp (small loch of the dead). The dawn sky proved to be clear with the central plain of Scotland covered in a blanket of fog. Eventually the sun rose high enough to light the eastern slopes of Ben Ledi with golden light that lasted for a few minutes.  Lochan nan Corp was dead calm.  The vapour trails of two airliners were mirrored in the lochan to suggest the flag of St Andrews. By 8a.m. I had struck camp and ready to descend when the midges came out in force. Suddenly it was no place to hang around.  I was down at the car park for 10a.m. where the first walker of the day asked me what time I had started. 

As a footnote, there is nothing sinister in the names as the pass is an ancient coffin route through the mountains. However, some say that the pass and the lochan were named after a coffin party tragically met their deaths by falling through the frozen waters of the lochan one winter.  This is highly unlikely given the lochan is quite shallow.   

Technical Info:

Taken with a Fujifilm X-T1
Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R lens
EXIF: ISO-200 / f/11 / 1/10sec

Lee filters:
RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Photo of the Month: August 2015

Legoland

25th August 2015, St Monans, East Neuk

After finishing a commission in St Monans I spent the remainder of the afternoon in the East Neuk.  The late-summer sun was too strong and high for landscape photography so I concentrated on the harbours to see if they would yield an opportunity. I didn't have to go too far. This is Virgin Square just along from Mid Shore where I had been working. I have always been drawn to this scene for its angular look.  The architecture is typical of the East Neuk but today there were two other factors which made it stand out. The strong lighting has created deep shadows which has given the scene an almost 3D appearance and the lack of vehicles which are usually parked in a line on the street. My Canon tilt-shift lens was put to good use here.  It is a specialist lens that gives me the ability to keep vertical lines straight as opposed to creating a wigwam effect, where the vertical lines appear to be converging, which happens when a standard lens is used. Very little post processing was done too as I used one of my own Picture Styles created within the camera menu to give me the look I was wanting. 

  
Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mk II
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II tilt/shift lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / f/13 / 1/125 sec 
Lee filters: None 
Picture Style applied in camera: Landscape / Sharpening: +4 / Contrast: +3 / Highlight: +2 / Shadow: +1 / Tone: -1 / Saturation: -2

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP


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Photo of the Month: July 2015

Nights of Thunder

 3rd July 2015, Crombie, Fife

Another visit to my local fields to witness more sunset colour.  With thunderstorms forecast for the early hours the clear sky is starting to cloud over as the storms approach. The setting sun lights up the underside of the black clouds with fiery reds and oranges whilst clearer skies to the south change to deep blue.

 
Technical Info:

Taken with a Fujifilm X-T1
Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R lens
EXIF: ISO-200 / f/11 / 0.3sec

Lee filters: 0.6 GND Hard

RAW File converted to TIFF in Fuji RAW converter powered by Silkypix, developed in Adobe PSE9


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