Road trip: To Glen Etive and beyond

4:30 a.m. and the radio alarm sprung to life.  It was a bit of a shock but the previous evenings weather forecast had said that it was to be a clear night over the western Highlands followed by a sunny day so I had decided to get up early, drive, see the sunrise, do some exploring, maybe even climb a mountain and catch the sunset before heading home.  With the autumn equinox being little over a week ago, daylight lasts just under 12 hours.  I had packed a rucksack and camera gear the previous evening.
 

5:10 a.m. Reversed out of the drive, engaged 1st gear and headed for the Trossachs.  With sunrise due at 7:20 a.m. I had 2 hours to get to Rannoch Moor, 80 miles away. 

6:00 a.m.  Tesco Express opens in Callander.  I would usually stop, but not today.  Headed west through the Pass of Leny and then north beside Loch Lubnaig leaving the Trossachs behind.  The sky to the east was turning dark blue.  Next was Strathyre then Lochearnhead before the climb up through Glen Ogle.  The profile of the Tarmachan Ridge above Glen Lochay was visible by dawns early light on the decent into the forested Glen Dochart before heading west again for Crianlarich.  All the time the sky was coming out of night.

6:45 a.m. and I was through Crianlarich and 10 minutes later was past the Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum.  By now I could see the change in the sky as the colours of the sunrise approached so decided I had to stop somewhere or I would miss all the action.

7 a.m. Pulled over at the start of a forest road which gave a view down Gleann Ach'-innis Chailean with Beinn Dorain and Beinn a' Chaisteil flanking.  Got my camera set up on the roadside just as the fiery reds of the sunrise lit the sky above the mountains creating a dramatic scene.

7:15 a.m.  It was now daytime as I continued north crossing the bridge over the R. Tulla and onto Rannoch Moor stopping at the car park just after the big hairpin bend.  The rising sun was back-lighting the clouds that were hugging the rim of the Wall of Rannoch (a line of 3 Munros that mark its southern edge).

7:40 a.m. Another very short drive before stopping again north of Lochan na h'Achlaise.  The sun had risen high enough to spill its light over The Black Mount on the western edge of Rannoch Moor.

8:10 a.m. The sun was higher now as I continued north towards Glen Etive with Buachaille Etive Mor standing as if proud of its station at the head of Glen's Etive and Coe. Its summit was shrouded in cloud.  I turned onto the minor road into Glen Etive and on reaching the bridge over the River Etive decided it was still too busy with photographers eying up Buachaille Etive Mor so continued along the road before pulling over and heading down to the River Etive where I had the river bank to myself.

      

9:30 a.m.  Returned to the bridge over the River Etive where by now there were only a handful of people so I took up station to get the obligatory Buachaille Etive Mor shot which took an hour as I had to wait for the sun to reappear through some banks of cloud.

10:45 a.m. Re-joined the main A82 road and drove around Buachaille Etive Mor and down into Glen Coe which was mobbed with tourists.  All the car parks were overflowing as was the big lay-by at Alltnafeadh so I returned to Glen Etive, going right down the glen this time before parking up at a clearing near Invercharnan.

1:00 p.m. Brewed some coffee and chilled out for a couple of hours. 

3:00 p.m. Back to it with a short drive along to the 'Shed of Etive' which has a bicycle chained to the door.  The shed is deteriorating due to winter storms but the weathered wood, pitched roof and bicycle are very photogenic.  Eventually it might disappear completely to be replaced by something new.  I hope not.  It just needs a bit of TLC.  In a very rough and boggy clearing on the opposite side of the road to the shed was a very autumnal view back along the glen. 

4:00 p.m.  Started heading back up the glen towards Glen Coe.  On the way down I had seen some rowan trees on the far bank of the river near one of only two bridges I know about that cross the river.  Both are private.  The bridge near Coileitir can take 4WD vehicles and the other at Alltchaorunn has a gate across it that is usually padlocked.  But not today as I saw someone crossing it.  So I parked up and used the bridge to get to the rowan trees which were covered in berries.  

5:15 p.m.  Reached the A82 and turned west into Glen Coe.  Most of the day-trippers had gone.  Only a few cars were left and was able to park on the north side of the road below the Aonach Eagach.  The landscape on the south side of the glen is dominated by the highest and grandest mountain in Argyll, Bidean Nam Bian [peak of the mountains]  with its three imposing buttresses called The Three Sisters. It's one of the finest sights in The Highlands.  The sun was getting low casting shadows so climbed above the road to a vantage point higher up to admire the view.

 6:40 p.m.  It was now a race against time to return to Rannoch Moor for the sunset at 7 p.m.  I didn't quite make it and was kicking myself for spending too long in Glen Coe.  I didn't have to kick myself too hard though as I found a great location about 10 minutes walk from the car to photograph as the gloaming light was fading.   

7:30 p.m.  The sky was heading for complete darkness as I switched the car lights on and headed south, homeward bound, after a great day. 

________

With this area being a major tourist destination it is served well with cafes, hotels and pubs providing drinks, light snacks and main meals.  I usually stop at one or more of the following when I am in the area:
   
The Clachaig Inn, Glen Coe 
Kings House Hotel, Glencoe
Glencoe Mountain Resort & cafe, Glencoe     

The Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum
Bridge of Orchy Hotel, Bridge of Orchy
Ben More Lodge Hotel, Crianlarich
The Rod and Reel Pub, Crianlarich

Satellite map showing Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive and Glen Coe is given below

Photo of the Month: August 2013

Innominate, Perthshire

2nd August 2013, Innominate, Perthshire

I like to wait around until well after sunset, especially in the summer months when the light lingers. Sometimes unexpected and magical things happen.  The sun had set 40 minutes prior to taking this image. A gap in the clouds allowed light to spill and be reflected on the surface of the innominate lochan high up on a hill road in Perthshire.  The painted corrugated iron hut has window shutters of bare metal. The gloaming light has created a Saturnine atmosphere. Innominate means 'un-named' and both lochan and hut are un-named on OS Maps.  I hope it stays this way.

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-100 / 25 sec / f/10
Lee filters: 0.6 Hard GND

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

Website  /  Profile

Editor's Choice - FifeWeather.co.uk "what I like is the fact that it's far removed from the 'picture postcard' type of landscape... it's dark, moody and quite foreboding - the small, forgotten, remote corners of the country under dark skies, where you almost feel like you're the only person left on the planet." Dec 2014

How I control Depth of Field in my landscape photography

For the overwhelming majority of landscape photographers knowing how to control Depth of Field is one of the fundamental requirements to improving our images.

The point where you a lens is focused is called the plane of critical focus and this will be the sharpest part of the picture. In front of and behind the plane of critical focus, the image becomes increasingly blurred, and the points at which it becomes unacceptably out of focus mark the limits of the depth of field.  So as a definition, Depth of Field (DoF) is the zone on either side of the plane of critical focus in which the image is acceptable sharp.

In Landscape photography, if I want the horizon line (which will be at infinity [∞] ) to be constantly in focus but also require as much DoF as possible so that objects in the foreground are also in focus then I focus the lens so that Infinity just lies at the farthest limit of the DoF.  When the lens is focused this way the point of critical focus is called the Hyperfocal Distance.  

The hyperfocal distance varies with the following:

• Focal length of lens used.  The greater the focal length, the less DoF. 
• Aperture.  DoF increases when a smaller aperture is used. 
• Lighting.  Because sharp focus is very subjective there are certain lighting conditions which will give an apparent increase in the DoF like fog or low cloud/rain.
• Distance between the lens and the nearest object within the scene that requires to be in focus.  The greater the distance the easier it is to control DoF.
• The size of the sensor in the camera.  As far as DoF is concerned, generally speaking, the smaller the sensor the greater the depth of field.

For now it is safe to say that the maths involved in working out hyperfocal distances has been done by "Top Men", which has made it easy for me to produce my own hyperfocal distance charts which I laminate and keep in my bag for referring to when on location.  

Below are copies for cameras with Full Frame sensors, Canon's APS-C sized sensors and Nikon's DX-Format sensors covering the most popular focal lengths for landscape photographers in their chosen format.   Click to view each table at a larger size.

For those who would like to download a PDF version of each chart please click on the appropriate link below.  Once downloaded the charts can be read by a .pdf file reader or loaded into Photoshop for conversion to another format.  Once printed the table(s) can be cut out and laminated (it will be a handy A6 size) for keeping in your bag.  Full instructions are given on each table.

DoF Guide for Full Frame Sensors.  f/2.8 to f/5.6                   DOWNLOAD

DoF Guide for Full Frame Sensors.  f/8 to f/16                       DOWNLOAD

DoF Guide for 1.6x Crop Frame Sensors.  f/2.8 to f/5.6          DOWNLOAD

DoF Guide for 1.6x Crop Frame Sensors.  f/8 to f/16              DOWNLOAD

DoF Guide for 1.5x Crop Frame Sensors.  f/2.8 to f/5.6          DOWNLOAD

DoF Guide for 1.5x Crop Frame Sensors.  f/8 to f/16              DOWNLOAD

Photo of the Month: July 2013

Telegraph Road, Culross, Fife

1st July 2013, Gallows Loan, above Culross

 

I have been visiting this field above Culross since the Spring when the crop was merely a few inches high.  Each visit sees new growth and a change in colour.  My last visit was 3-weeks ago.  Now it is thigh deep, the sun has ripened the ears and I expect it will soon be harvested.  With the sun setting at about 10pm there is luminosity in the sky for a long time afterwards.  I took this image 25 minutes after sunset in the gloaming light.  The trees were all silhouettes against the sky whilst the tram lines in the crop helped create a sense of depth with their dark shadows.     

Technical Info:

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

EXIF: ISO-100 / 13 sec / f/16
Lee filters: 0.9 Hard GND

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

Website  /  Profile

 

Go Ochils: Lower Glendevon Reservoir, Perthshire

I took a drive up into Glen Devon tonight to search out potential locations at both Upper and Lower Glendevon Reservoirs.  There is parking at the roadside where the private road signed for Frandy Farm leaves the main A823 road through Glen Devon.  Alternatively, drive 2km along the private road to Frandy Fishery (seasonal) and seek permission to park at the lodge. The track can be rough in places and livestock is allowed to roam freely.  From the fishery I made my way to where the road ends at Upper Glendevon Reservoir.  There wasn't really much potential here unless your forte is for concrete dams, walkways and overflow channels.  It was all a bit bleak.  

Returning to Frandy I noticed the outflow tower on the other side of the lower reservoir so once I was below Frandy Farm I pulled over and went for a look.  The evening was very warm, humid and quite still.  Ideal conditions for the scourge of every landscape photographer in Scotland; the midge, or little b*stards as they are mostly known by.  Once I reached the reservoir they descended on me, the camera, the lens and the filters.  I was fighting a losing battle.  At least I kept the fishermen amused with my constant blowing across the filters to stop the buggers from landing and waving my arms about like a mad man with a hood up and hat on.  The conditions were far from ideal too with the sun due to set too far to the north west for this location in July.  The outlet tower makes a good subject though with some interesting stone architecture and ironwork, although the final section of the bridge to the tower is out of bounds due to gates and locks, etc.  I will return in the autumn when the sun has moved around and the midges are no more.

A satellite map of Glen Devon and Glen Eagles is below.  Auchterarder is the nearest town, 5 miles to the north, and has B&B's, pubs, cafes, banks and shops.  For those burdened with heavy bags of money, fear not because The Gleneagles Hotel is there to help you lighten the load. 

     

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

Website  /  Profile

 

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.