Photo of the Month: December 2014

Gloaming light, Ben A'an

23rd December 2014, Ben A'an, The Trossachs

This was my fourth visit of the year to the summit of Ben A'an, this time a few days after the winter solstice.  I was motivated by my article on Ben A'an which has just been published in Outdoor Photography magazine - Issue 187.  I arrived to find both the Ben A'an car park and footpath closed due to forest operations on the lower slopes of Ben A'an.  Fortunately, work has ceased until Monday 5th January 2015 so restrictions have been eased until this date and both the car park and footpath have been re-opened for the holiday period. It took 45-mins to reach the top where, once again, I had the summit all to myself.  As on my last visit the sky was relatively clear, with the sun now setting in the south-west.  I used the summit rocks to fill the foreground.  The best light was the gloaming light, which lingered for 40 minutes after sunset.  The resultant image, whilst dark and moody still shows some of the lingering light.  I descended by torchlight.

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 4 sec / f/11
Lee filters: 0.6 Hard GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe PSE9

Outdoor Photography Magazine - Low Light Landscapes Challenge / runners-up - Issue 192 / June 2015

Shortlisted image - 'Light on the Land' category - Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2015

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Photo of the Month: September 2014

Ben A'an sunset

11th September 2014, Ben A'an, The Trossachs

Ben A'an lies in the heart of The Trossachs within Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.  It translates as 'small rocky peak' which is very apt because from the viewpoint on the Dukes Pass, which carries the A821 over to Aberfoyle, it does look like a miniature mountain with a craggy cone-shaped summit, cliffs and steep slopes that descend west to Loch Katrine.  It has two summits; at 461m its east summit is higher, but it is the rockier west summit, at 451m, which gets the visitors for the view it commands over The Trossachs to Ben Venue and westwards along Loch Katrine towards the Arrochar Alps. I climbed up for the sunset and, like earlier in the year, had the summit to myself. At this time of the year the sun sets at the far end of Loch Katrine and lit up the summit rocks as it did so.

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 1/6 sec / f/16
Lee filters: 0.6 Hard GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe PSE9

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