Photo of the Month: June 2013

The long and winding road, Ochil Hills

 

28th June 2013, Above Path of Condie, Ochil Hills

The hill country west of the M90 motorway and east of the A823 through Glen Devon.   Geographically part of the Ochil Hills and encompassing the old boundary between Kinross-shire and Perthshire, this is a lonely area off the beaten track.  Just hills, farms, forestry and winding roads.  From the centre of Milnathort a road heads north, over the M90 motorway towards Glenfarg.  After 2 1/2 miles a sign read 'Path of Condie'  4 1/2 miles so I turned left to see where it would lead. 1 1/2 miles further along the road snaked and dipped between two rolling hills so I pulled off the road to have a closer look.  As sunset approached the sky was still blue with thin, wispy clouds radiating outwards from where the sun would be setting, which, one week after the summer solstice, would be in the north west around 10 o'clock.  Even after the sun finally set the luminosity in the sky lingered and the pink hues of the gloaming light were absolutely astonishing.  

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-125 / 5 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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Go local: Fields at Crombie, Fife

The field is a few minutes’ drive from my home in Cairneyhill.  Not only is it planted with wheat, which provides the foreground interest, but it’s advantage over other local fields is that it’s on a small hill and gives views across to the north-west where the sun sets at this time of the year.  It’s a place I can get to if the sky suddenly develops some colour around sunset. A lay-by at the entrance to the field provided easy parking.  The channels created by the tractors make natural lead-in lines and break up the continuous swathes of green whilst adding shadow areas too.  Tonight I left the house at 9:35pm, got parked up at 9:40pm, was set up in the field by 9:50pm, spent 30 mins photographing the sunset and gloaming light following sunset and was back home for 10:35pm.  Pretty good mini-session I'd say. 

Photo of the Month: May 2013

After sunset, Elie Ness Lighthouse, East Neuk

6th May 2013, Elie Ness Lighthouse, East Neuk 

After a day in St Andrews, supper at The Fish Inn, Elie, and a very short drive to Ruby Bay I made my way around to the lighthouse and waited for sunset.  Sunset proved to be better further along the coast but in the blue hour the lamps of Elie Ness lighthouse were lit and Ruby Bay reflects the last of the sunset colour. On a Spring high tide Elie Ness can become a very temporary island, hence the bridge which takes the path across a very narrow inlet.  

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-125 / 20 sec / f/11
Lee filters: 0.6 Soft GND

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

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Photo of the Month: April 2013

Buoy Racers, Aberdour Boat Club, Fife

30th April 2013, Aberdour Boat Club, Fife. 

The tide was retreating rapidly when I arrived.  Being a Spring low-tide it more or less drained the harbour of water as I wandered amongst the small craft.  The tidal range is quite significant.  I was quite a distance from the rear of the harbour when I took this, with the majority of small craft being behind me.  I waited for the sun to set, for the sky to 'cool' down and used the reflections off the stony harbour basin to create a very contrasty scene with deep hues and dark shadows.  The yellow buoy and the snaking cable lead the eye perfectly.  

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-100 / 3 sec / f/13
Lee filters: 0.6 Soft GND

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

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Vicky's 'Degree Show' photo shoot at The Haining, Selkirk.

 

As part of Vicky's honour's degree, the undergraduates put on a 'Degree Show' which is really an exhibition of their final years work.  This year the show ran from 25th May for a week, with a private viewing for family, friends, etc on 24th May.  Vicky wanted some photographs of her Collection of hand-woven fabrics with matching trims to be done in a room in a building that is showing signs of decay so she approached the trustee's of The Haining in Selkirk and got permission to use one of the rooms.  They were very helpful and accomodating during our visit and we had a tour of the site too which is currently undergoing extensive remedial / renovation work.   

Here is a gallery showing a selection of Vicky's great work.

Please click on the link for more information on The Haining.  A map of it's location in Selkirk is below (The Haining is on the north side of Haining Loch)

                                                                                                        

 

Photo of the Month: March 2013

Point of Impact, Loch Glow, Cleish Hills

12th March 2013, above Loch Glow, Cleish Hills.

I've visited Loch Glow a few times over the winter months to study the lie of the land including a circuit of the loch itself.  It is approx. 2 miles / 3.2 km's around with the far side, Tipperton Moss, being a poorly drained marsh, making for extremely tough going.  The northern side is flanked by forestry and the craggy Cleish Hills which rise to over 350m /1150ft.  The Loch is a fishery run by Rosyth Angling Club and out of season there  are few visitors.  This evening I had the loch to myself. It was very windy and cold with sunset due at 6:10pm. The day had been overcast and the sky was dull and grey as I climbed the hill on the north side of the loch. After setting up my tripod and camera it was a case of waiting to see what, if anything, would happen. And happen, it did. Big bands of thick black cloud started moving in from the NW on strong winds.  The cloud was so black that even the weather forecasters on BBC Reporting Scotland mentioned it on the early evening broadcast.  The sun appeared, disappeared and then re-appeared as an intense orange ball as it set in the little dip in the hills. It lit up huge sections of black cloud with red light making one section of the sky look almost apocalyptic as if there had been an explosion.  Eventually the fiery sky subsided to dusky pinks and blues before settling down for the night but I had captured the moment perfectly which is why it is my photo of the month.

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-100 / 4 sec / f/13

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

The changing sky at sunset

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Go Fife: Seafield, Kirkcaldy

Seafield beach, Kirkcaldy on a Thursday afternoon in late March.  I arrived with about an hour to go before low tide (due at 4pm) to see the waves rolling in and a bit of colour in the heavy sky so stayed for about 2 hours.  Was absolutely baltic but you tend to forget the cold when you absorb yourself in rocks and waves and cleaning filters and watching for rogue waves (above).  

An Inukshuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by the Inuit and other peoples of the Arctic regions of North America. The Inukshuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps or hunting grounds as well as other uses.  Today I decided to build my own version of an Inukshuk using big boulders next to the sea.  As the tide was due to come back in it would be temporary only but would serve as a prop.  The stormy weather migrated westward and was replaced by a brief interval of blue sky before more overcast conditions signalled an end to the best light at which time I called it a day.

Seafield beach is on the south side of Kirkcaldy.  Accessed from Seafield Road, off Kinghorn Road (A921).  The gate to the car park is automatically controlled to open at 6:30am and close at 10:30pm.  There is a height restriction for cars only.