Explore & Discover South Wales - A fotoVUE Guidebook by Drew Buckley - On My Bookshelf S05E04
A great guidebook can transform your time in an area from random chaos to an efficient voyage of discovery and exploration. Explore & Discover South Wales by Drew Buckley and published by fotoVUE aims to do that for everyone from the casual explorer with a phone camera to the serious landscape photographer.
Exploring South Wales with a fotoVUE Guidebook
You may remember that I recently published a blog post and video about my experience of using a fotoVUE guidebook to explore an area of the Lake District that I hadn’t previously visited. I had a fantastic day and much of the success of the day was due to the advanced planning I was able to do using the information in that book.
When I had the opportunity to make a flying visit to the Brecon Beacons, I decided I’d like to do the same for fotoVUE’s recently rebranded Explore & Discover South Wales (previously Photographing South Wales). However, I was short on time, and what time I was going to have in South Wales I wanted to fill with walking and photography. It’s not that I don’t like to plan and research my photography locations, it’s just sometimes I don’t have the time. For me, this is one of the best reasons for a guidebook. You can benefit from the knowledge and experience of the author.
In the video below I’ll take you with me on my Brecon Beacons walk. I’ll tell you all about Explore & Discover South Wales, why and how I use it, and of course take some landscape photographs, Enjoy!
Buy Explore & Discover South Wales
*** Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at fotovue.com ***
If you want to add Explore and Discover South Wales to your bookshelf, you can purchase it directly from fotoVUE here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-south-wales/
Landscape Photographs from the Walk
My FREE Landscape Photography Locations Map
What will your next landscape photography location be? Are you looking for a little bit of inspiration for your next adventure? In this video, I share with you my FREE landscape photography locations map.
A Map of My Blog
When I started this blog back in 2016, I committed myself to publishing regular posts of my photography adventures. I’m proud to say that I have kept that commitment and now my blog is packed full of stories, adventures, photographs, and videos.
With so much content for even me to navigate I decided to create a custom Google Map with pins in all the locations I have photographed and written about. Once it was complete it occurred to me that it would a wonderful thing to share with the people that regularly visit my website!
In the video below I talk more about my map of landscape photography locations and how to use it. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know where to shoot on Dartmoor, or you are just looking for some photography inspiration I hope you will find the map useful.
Subscribe and Get Access
As I said in the video it’s really easy to get access to my locations map. All I ask that you do is subscribe to my newsletter. As soon as you confirm your subscription you will receive a link to the map in your email.
Thanks for your support, it is very much appreciated.
The Photographer's Guide Series by Ellen Bowness (Long Valley Books) - On My Bookshelf S03E08
Looking for new locations to inspire your landscape photography? Visiting a new area? Want to get the most out your photography trip? Location guidebooks can help answer these questions. In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I'm looking at The Photographer's Guide series of books.
On My Bookshelf on Location in Cornwall
Over the three years that I’ve been producing episodes of On My Bookshelf (OMBS) I’ve covered a wide range of photography books. While I shoot most episodes in the comfort of my home with a nice cup of coffee, there are some books that require a slightly different approach. One such category of book is the photography location guidebook.
When I decided to look at The Photographer’s Guide series of books, I knew that the video would need to include a segment filmed on location. Fortunately for me one of the titles in the series is called The Photographers Guide to Cornwall and the book had several locations I’d never been to. As much as I’d like to have visited one of the locations in the Iceland book, I’m afraid the OMBS budget doesn’t stretch that far!
In this episode of OMBS not only do I talk about the series of books, but I also visit one of the locations in the Cornwall book. There is no better way to test the quality of the information in a location guidebook than to visit the location!
I hope you enjoyed this on location episode of OMBS. I’ve included the photographs I captured on my visit to Rough Tor below, and if you want to pick any of the books in The Photographer’s Guide series of books then just click here.
Rough Tor Sunrise #1, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/11, 1/3rd sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters ND Grad.
Rough Tor Sunrise #2, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/16, 1/13th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters ND Grad, two image exposure blend, custom crop ratio.
Rough Tor Sunrise #3, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/3rd sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters ND Grad.
Mountain Landscape Photography - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Ben Cruachan
The ascent of a Munro is a rare treat for me these days so I was really excited when I recently got the chance to walk up Ben Cruachan to do some mountain landscape photography in the Scottish Highlands.
Hill Walking in Scotland
It’s rare for me to have the opportunity to walk up a Munro these days. I live hundreds of miles away from the nearest one, and when I am in Scotland it’s usually for a family holiday and so disappearing for a day in the mountains can be a little tricky.
I almost managed an ascent of a 3000+ ft Scottish mountain last year but some unexpected snowfall put all of the Munros out of reach due to my lack in snowy mountain skills. So when I planned a return visit to Scotland over Easter, I was eager try and squeeze in an ascent.
As is the way with family holidays though, my time was squeezed, so I had to select a mountain that I could do in a few hours!
Photography from the Summit of Ben Cruachan
When selecting which mountain I was going to walk up I need only have looked out the window from where I was holidaying. Ben Cruachan, standing at 1126 m high, it definitely qualifies as a Munro, and I could make a quick ascent and still be back down before it got too dark.
In order to get up to the summit in time for sunset I need to strip my backpack down to essential camera gear. So I just took my Nikon D850, my Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8, my tripod, and a few filters. I had considered taking the drone but the wind was too strong. (Though it was very still at the summit….how annoying!)
I also decided to take my vlogging camera because I thought my little mountain adventure would make for a great 5 Minute Photo Adventure. So if you want to see how I got on, then check out my video below:
It was unfortunate that the conditions weren’t a little better. The sun really fizzled out in the haze along the horizon so I didn’t get much in the way of light on the mountains. However, just watching that dramatic sky from such an amazing location was reward enough for me.
Do you ever get the chance to combine landscape photography with hill walking? What’s your favourite hill or mountain? Let me know in the comments below.
Landscape Photographs from Ben Cruachan
Before I go here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video.
Drochaid Ghlas from Ben Cruachan, Argyll, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 24, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.
Stob Dearg from Ben Cruachan, Argyll, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 24mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.
Feeling the Pressure of Landscape Photography
In the blog this week I head up to Belstone Common on Dartmoor to capture some landscape photographs. I also discuss some of the pressure I feel while out with my camera.
Is Landscape Photography Stressful?
Is landscape photography stressful? For me at least, no. Being outdoors with my camera is one of the most relaxing and sometimes exciting things I get to do. However, I do sometimes put myself under a bit of pressure. My time out with the camera is limited, so I always want to make the most of the time I do have.
The pressure really comes from trying to make the right decision on where to go. Sometimes the answer is clear and the location to go obvious. Other times, it can be a real headache. I probably spend too much time worrying about where to go if I’m honest.
When I’m out though, all that pressure goes. I’m outdoors, I’ve got my camera, and I’m having fun. Even if the photography is rubbish, I’m still outside enjoying the great outdoors!
While I was up on Dartmoor the other day, I decided to put these thoughts to camera while I was out capturing some dawn images of Belstone Common.
I hope you enjoyed the video. Do you put yourself under pressure for your photography? Is being outdoors generally more important than the photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Belstone Common, Dartmoor
Here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
First Light at Belstone, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 16 mm, f/13, 3 secs @ ISO 64.
Dawn on Belstone Common, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 16 mm, f/13, 5 secs @ ISO 64.
Belstone Tor and Belstone Common at Dawn, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 26 mm, f/13, 3 secs @ ISO 64.
Who Left All These Rocks Here, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 17 mm, f/5.6, 1/13 secs @ ISO 64, focus stacked image.
Photographing The Snowdonia Mountains | A fotoVUE Guidebook by Nick Livesey - On My Bookshelf S02E02
In the blog this week, join me and Nick Livesey as we spend the day photographing Snowdonia National Park, talking about his book Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains, and generally having a bit of a laugh. What better way to review a guidebook like this by heading out into the wilderness with the author himself!
Discovering The Work of Nick Livesey
Every now and again I find the work of a photographer and wonder why it's taken me so no long to discover them. They could be working professionals with many years of experience, but for some reason, I only just find out about them. Maybe it's more difficult these days with the noise from social media. With so many images out there on social media, it can be easy to miss something important as you whiz through Instagram during your morning coffee.
Every now and again though a photograph or video really catches my eye. This is how I discovered Nick Livesey. Though I can't exactly remember how I found his video, My Mountain Healing, it really struck a chord with me. If you haven't seen it, give it a watch below:
It's a short video, but it was genuine and funny, and you could see that Nick had a real eye for photographing the mountains. After watching the video a couple of times I decided I wanted to know more about Nick and his work. After a little bit of internet research, I discovered that not only did he have a solid body of work, but he was also well known in the climbing and hill walking community, and that his character and whit are almost as well-known as his photographs!
Though I did wonder how I hadn't heard of Nick before one thing was for sure and that was he seemed like the kind of person I would like to go out shooting with.
Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains
As regular readers of my blog will know, I have a series of videos called On My Bookshelf in which I share my thoughts on some of the photography books that I've purchased. For a while now I've been wanting to do an episode of On My Bookshelf on a Fotovue guidebook. These photography location guidebooks have a been a great source of information to me and I've built up a bit of a collection of them.
When I heard that Nick was publishing his very own Fotovue book, Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains, not only was I going to pick up a copy, but I also hoped that this would be the Fotovue book that would feature in On My Bookshelf.
Most of the episodes of On My Bookshelf are filmed at home in front of my bookshelf, but for a Fotovue location guidebook, this didn't seem appropriate. What better way to review a book like this than by heading out to one of the locations in the book. Then I had another thought. What if I can get the author himself to show me in person some of those locations?
Well, guess what? That's exactly what Nick agreed to do! So I'm very proud to share with you this very special episode of On My Bookshelf, filmed on location in Snowdonia National Park, and with Nick Livesey. Enjoy!
I don’t know if you could tell in the video, but that was one of the best days I’ve had out with the camera! I’ve always enjoyed the hills, but heading out with Nick was a real pleasure. It was absolutely fantastic spending the day in those hills and mountains. The conditions were often windy and snowy, and always very cold, but I loved it.
Nick has a genuine passion for his local area. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person so absolutely content to be outdoors, walking the hills. The look of wonder on his face as if it was the very first time he’d walked up a mountain. Being able to spend the day with Nick and to share in his passion was a real privilege.
On Your Bookshelf
If you did enjoy this video, then please do consider picking up a copy of Nick's excellent Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains. Even if you don't think you'd ever visit Snowdonia, the book is packed full of inspiring photographs and lots of useful information about photographing in the outdoors. You can pick up a copy of the book directly from Nick's website:
https://nicklivesey.co.uk/product/photographing-snowdonia-mountains/
Are you planning on getting a copy, or do you already have one? Do you have any of the other Fotovue titles? Do you have a favourite location in Snowdonia? Let me know in the comments below.
My Snowdonia Photographs
No blog post of mine would be complete without a landscape photograph! Here are some of my favourite images that I captured while out with Nick.
Snowdon from Clogwyn Mawr, Capel Curig, Snowdonia National Park - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 36 mm, f/11, 1/2 sec at ISO 64, polariser and ND grad.
Yr Aran, Craig Wen and Moel Hebog from Bwlch Maesgwm, Snowdonia National Park - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 34 mm, f/11, 1/60th sec at ISO 64, polariser and ND grad.
Snowdon and Moel Cynghorion from Moel Eilio, Snowdonia National Park - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 52 mm, f/11, 1/40th sec at ISO 64, polariser and ND grad.
Snowdonia National Park Panorama from Moel Eilio, Snowdonia National Park - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 38 mm, f/11, 1/6th sec at ISO 64, polariser. 7 image panoramic stitch.
Colin Prior’s Scotland’s Finest Landscapes & Alex Nail’s Northwest – On My Bookshelf S02E01
Colin Prior or Alex Nail? In this special episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Colin Prior's Scotland's Finest Landscapes and Alex Nail's Northwest. Which one, if any, should you buy?
Landscape Photography Books
I love a good photography book. Over the years they have inspired and influenced my photography in no small way. As I become a better photographer I actually find myself buying more photography books. This is particularly true during the winter months when I can't get out with the camera as much as I'd possibly like.
Last month, as the festive period approached, the discussion around what I'd like for Christmas came up in conversation. While options such as a new Nikon Z7 or a two week photography holiday to the Faroe Islands were quickly dismissed, a more sensible option of getting a good landscape photography book was decided.
Colin Prior or Alex Nail
There were two books high up on my list to get. These were Colin Prior's Scotland's Finest Landscapes, and Alex Nail's Northwest. Given that Colin's book was originally selling for £100, I decided that asking for Alex's book at £36 would be much more sensible.
With that all sorted I just needed to wait for Santa to deliver my copy of Northwest. During the run up to Christmas though I spotted a post on Facebook by Colin Prior who was doing a Black Friday sale and that his book Scotland's Finest Landscapes was on sale for £50. This is still a lot of money for a book, but I've wanted to own a copy of this book for some time now, so I decided to treat myself!
On My Bookshelf
As regular readers of this blog know I have series of videos on my YouTube channel called On My Bookshelf. After reading Colin and Alex's books over the festive period I thought I would share my thoughts on both books. However, rather than do separate videos for each book, I thought I would produce one episode of On My Bookshelf that looked at both books.
Both titles are on similar themes and areas of landscape photography, and neither title is inexpensive, so I thought it would be useful to look at them both in the same episode. So which one should be on your bookshelf? Let's find out.
I really hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf. Both these books are some of the finest books on Scottish landscape photography I have and it was a joy being able to read both of them.
Do you own either of these titles? Will you now buy either of these books? Let me know in the comments below.
Wengen, Switzerland - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I’m in Wengen in Switerzland doing a little bit of landscape photography in the snow!
Why Wengen, Switzerland?
If you are a regular reader of my blog or viewer of my YouTube channel, you will know that most of my adventures are based in the south west of England or occasionally in the wider parts of the UK. It’s rare that I’m on some epic international photography expedition!
My visit to Wengen in Switzerland over the festive period actually had nothing to do with landscape photography. I was actually there on a family holiday. A time to relax, eat too much food, drink a lot of glühwein, and maybe hit the slopes for a bit of skiing and snowboarding. This holiday was definitely not a photography trip.
I’ll Take a Camera Just in Case
No matter where I go, or who with, I normally have some sort of camera with me. It could be my current phone, the OnePlus 6, or my trusty old Sony RX100 M4, but it’s rare that I take my D850 with me on a family holiday. On a family holiday I generally don’t have enough time to spare to dedicate to landscape photography, and besides, sometimes you really do need to take a break from all that serious photography stuff!
When I booked the holiday though, I remembered watching a video from Mads Peter Iversen in which he photographed the Lauterbrunnen valley from Wengen. After watching his wonderful video again, I was inspired to photograph that location myself. Where Mads photographed it when it was all green and lush, I could photograph it in the snow.
Hopefully, I would find a spare hour during my holiday so I could get the shot.
On Location
When we arrived in Wengen there was a distinct lack of snow. This wasn’t a problem for my skiing aspirations as the slopes were quite a bit further up the mountain on a cable car or train, but down in the village, the snow cover was sparse. There was some snow cover, but it was patchy and it looked like I would not get any joy with the photography.
Then one morning it snowed and (mostly) covered the ground with a fresh blanket of snow. With no other snowfall forecast for the week, I knew this was my best opportunity to get a photo. Fortunately, I was able to get away that afternoon, capture an image and make another one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos.
Here it is:
And here is the photograph that I took:
Cloud and Snow Along The Lauterbrunnen Valley, Wengen, Switzerland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 VR at 35mm, f/13, 1/20th sec at ISO 64.
Challenges
It was actually a challenging shoot. As you saw in the video, a layer of cloud enveloped me at one point, there wasn’t quite enough snow to cover the ground completely, and I didn’t get much in the way of light in the valley or sky. However, I did anticipate the challenges of light on the valley and mountains thanks to some early analysis on The Photographer’s Ephemeris.
Despite all the challenges, I’m pretty happy with the photo. It was my first time at the location, I was really limited with what time I did have, and I was trying to video the whole experience! And besides, I had a lot of fun doing it all, and isn’t that the point?
I do hope you enjoyed this (slightly shorter than) 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Switzerland. Have you ever photographed Wengen or Switzerland? What Europeans countries have you photographed, and do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
Creating a Landscape Photography Gallery at Home
In the blog this week, I show you how I created my very own home gallery of images from Harris & Lewis using some fantastic papers from Fotospeed.
Printing Landscape Photographs at Home
If you’ve been reading my blog or watching my YouTube channel for a while you know I’m a big fan of printing! For me it’s an exciting part of the photographic process as I take a digital image and make it a physical photograph.
Regular readers/viewers will also know that last year I was lucky enough to photograph one of my bucket list locations, the Isle of Harris and the Isle of Lewis. I managed to capture some wonderful images but after sharing them on this blog, and social media, I knew I was going to not only have to print one image but a whole gallery of them!
I thought this would make for an interesting video, so I’m very pleased to share with you this video on how I went about creating my very own landscape photography gallery at home.
My Landscape Photography Adventure to the Outer Hebrides
As I mentioned in the video I created a video of my adventure to the Outer Hebrides, so if you are interested in seeing how some of the photographs I used in this printing video were created, you can see it here:
Products Used in Video
In the video I also said I would list out some of the products and equipment I used to create the gallery:
Fotospeed papers:
FYI - You can find the Fotospeed Tips and Tricks Facebook page here.
Printed using a Canon Pixma Pro-10S
Picture frames from Picture Frames Express
Those white cotton gloves I use to handle the paper
My Other Printing and Processing Videos
I also mentioned in the video that I would share with you all my other videos on printing and processing:
There’s Always Something to Print
I do hope you enjoyed my video on creating your own landscape photography gallery, and hopefully it has inspired you to print a little more. I highly recommend it!
Do you print at home? Do you have somewhere to create your own gallery? Is there another video on printing you would like to see me produce? Let me know in the comments below.
3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations on Dartmoor
What are the best locations on Dartmoor for landscape photography? In this blog article, I'm going to show you 3 GREAT landscape photography locations on Dartmoor that I think will inspire you to photograph Dartmoor!
Landscape Photography on Dartmoor
Dartmoor National Park covers over 950 km2 so you can be forgiven for being a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of landscape photography locations to choose from. Fear not though! I’m here to help.
After the positive feedback I received for my video 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall, I decided to produce for Dartmoor locations. Guess what I called it? Yes, that’s right 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations on Dartmoor! The locations I visit in the video aren’t necessarily a top 3 or best 3, just 3 great locations that I think will inspire your landscape photography.
After many hours of being frozen and blown about, I’m very happy to share with you the video, 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Location on Dartmoor.
A Bonus 4th Location
I’m also very happy to share with you a bonus 4th location. Wistman’s Wood is a popular Dartmoor location for landscape photographers and for good reason. Unfortunately the day I visited there was very little wind and so the midges were out and that made capturing images and video very difficult. Despite the challenges of the day though, I still managed to create a video that I hope you will enjoy.
More Information on Those Locations
If you want a bit more information on these amazing locations or the images from the video, then I've already published blog posts on the featured locations:
You can also see my 5 Minute Photo Adventure video of Belstone Common (where I shot the intro to the video), right here.
All Those Landscape Photographs
Here all the images you saw in both videos:
What Next?
As with the Cornwall video, the Dartmoor video required a significant amount of effort to produce. However, despite the work required I would like to create more videos like this. If there are other locations in the south-west that you would like to me to make a video on then let me know in the comments below.
GREAT Landscape Photography Locations on Harris and Lewis
Looking for a new bucket list location for your landscape photography? In the blog this week, I share with you some of the amazing locations I discovered while photographing two of the Outer Hebrides most famous locations, Harris and Lewis.
Harris and Lewis - Photography Bucket List Locations
I can’t remember when the Isle of Harris and the Isle of Lewis made it onto my bucket list of landscape photography locations. I’m not entirely sure what inspired me to want to go there. Maybe it was a Thomas Heaton video from Harris or seeing some holiday photographs from my sister.
Maybe it wasn’t just one thing, but rather it came through a gradual consumption of media and photographs from this most stunning Scottish location. No matter how it made it on to my list, I had decided that early on in 2018 that I was committed to making the long journey back into my homeland and onwards to the Outer Hebrides.
Immersing Myself in Photography
Time is precious and the amount of time I can normally commit to just doing landscape photography is limited. Things would be different on this trip though. Where my longest landscape photography adventures had normally been limited to a long weekend, this trip would see me commit 9 days. Nine whole days of landscape photography!
Actually, it was going to be nearer to 5 days. From Devon, it’s a two-day drive there and a two day drive back. It is over 650 miles one way, and you also need to get a ferry for part of the journey. That aside, 5 days is way more than I normally get to allocate to my passion. Besides, the journey wouldn’t be so long as I had a mate coming long with me. Plenty of time to catch up and chat.
I also set myself some clear priorities. This trip was going to be all about my photography. The weather gods hadn’t been kind to me in 2018 and I felt I wasn’t taking the images I knew I could. This trip was going to change that and I was going immerse myself in landscape photography.
With the decision to immerse myself in stills photography, I also made the decision not to make creating content for my YouTube channel a priority. The stills photography would be the top priority. My goal for the trip was to capture great landscape images. However, I do love creating content for my YouTube channel so I wasn’t going to go all the way to Harris and Lewis and not film anything.
The Journey Up
Our plan was to get as far as Glencoe on the first day. With a bit of luck, we’d get there before sunset and grab some shots. Fortunately for us, we did and you can see the results in the blog post Glencoe - One Location, 3 Compositions.
Our luck the next day soon ran out though. Not only was the weather not suitable for any sort of landscape photography, but the winds had picked up to gale force and it looked like the ferry crossing would be cancelled. Well, it appeared as if the captain of the boat wasn’t going to let a thing like the wind stop him from sailing, so we eventually left Uig at 9 pm. There wasn’t going to be a sunset shoot on Harris that day, but we were at least going to be making the crossing that evening.
Now the Story Really Starts
It was dark when we arrived in Tarbert, and it was dark when the alarm went off the next day for the first of our sunrise shoots. Having seen nothing of Harris so far we set off in the dark and headed to Luskentyre beach. This is the point where I move the storytelling from the blog to the vlog.
Photographs, Locations and Information
You will have noticed in the video that I didn’t talk about some of the locations we visited. I only showed the photographs. As I said earlier though, I really wanted this trip to be about immersing myself in my photography and not having to worry about talking to the camera.
So you have a more complete picture (excuse the pun) of my trip to Harris and Lewis, the next few sections of this blog post will feature all the images you saw in the video, along with the camera settings, and where they were taken. I hope you will find this information useful and the photographs inspiring.
If you are looking for a bit more inspiration, and more details on some of the locations I visited, be sure to check out Dougie Cunningham's excellent book Photographing Scotland.
Luskentyre Beach #1
No visit to Harris would be complete without going to Luskentyre. I found the photography here so inspiring that I photographed it almost every day.
North Harris from Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 19 mm, f/13, 3 seconds at ISO 200, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Pull of the Tide at Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 19 mm, f/13, 2 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Dunes of Luskentyre Beach #2, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 20 mm, f/13, 1/5th second at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Northton Saltings
This interesting location is easy to access as it is right beside the road. Take some wellies though!
Stormy Saltings, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16 mm, f/13, 15 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, IRND and ND Grad.
The S in Saltings, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 35 mm, f/13, 15 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, IRND and ND Grad.
Northon Saltings from Above, Isle of Harris - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/100th second at ISO 126, 26 mm at f/2.2.
Traigh Mheilein
Not the easiest beach to get to, but worth the walk.
Traigh Mheilein, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 32 mm, f/13, 62 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, IRND and ND Grad.
Stac a' Phris
A spectacular coastline made even more impressive with the Stac a' Phris sea arch.
Turbulent Water at Stac a' Phris, Isle of Lewis - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/11, 1 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Stac a' Phris, Isle of Lewis - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 20 mm, f/11, 2 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Sunset at Stac a' Phris, Isle of Lewis - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 21 mm, f/11, 5 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Luskentyre Beach #2
The 2nd visit proved even more amazing than the first!
Sunrise at Luskentyre Dunes, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 1 second at ISO 100, Lee Filters Circular ND Grad.
Sky Fire at Luskentyre, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 0.6 seconds at ISO 100, Lee Filters Circular ND Grad, single image crop at 6:17.
Mangurstadh Stacks
Another dramatic coastal location on the Isle of Lewis.
Mangurstadh Stacks, Isle of Lewis - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 52 mm, f/11, 119 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, IRND and ND Grad.
Tràigh Scarasta
There are so many beaches to photograph on Harris, but if you like patterns in your sand this one is well worth a visit.
Tràigh Scarasta, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 19 mm, f/13, 69 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Tràigh Scarasta (ICM), Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 24 mm, f/22, 1/4 second at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Tràigh Sheileboist
I know it’s another beach, but even in the wildest of conditions it’s possible to get an image at one of the many golden beaches on Harris.
Tràigh Sheileboist, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 26 mm, f/13, 30 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad. Single image crop at 6:17
Luskentyre Beach #3
Last of the Luskentyre images…promise! (It was such an amazing location!)
Tranquility at Luskentyre, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 19 mm, f/13, 3 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND and ND Grad.
Sand, Wind and Time, Luskentyre, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 25 mm, f/13, 25 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND and ND Grad.
The Pastel Shades of Luskentyre, Luskentyre, Isle of Harris - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 144 seconds at ISO 400, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND and ND Grad.
Luskentyre Beach Panorama, Isle of Harris - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/50th second at ISO 161, 26 mm at f/2.2, 9 image stitch cropped at 6:17.
A Tearful Goodbye
After 5 whole days of photography, it was sadly time to go home. We were really rather lucky with the conditions we got. The Outer Hebrides aren’t exactly known for settled weather but we managed to make it out every day with the camera. Some days were definitely more challenging than others, but even in wild conditions this magical place had something to offer.
As for the trip home ,that was similar to the trip up. The ferry was delayed due to bad weather so no chance of a sunset shoot back on the mainland, and the conditions the following morning were flat grey and overcast. As we headed down the M6 past the Lake District I didn’t even feel bad for passing it by as I had memory cards full of amazing images and video.
I do hope this blog post and video has given you a sense of not only what my adventure was like, but also what it is like to photograph Harris and Lewis. It truly is one of the most amazing landscapes I’ve ever photographed. From its dramatic coastal locations, grand mountains and open moorland, it never failed to surprise me. There was a real sense of awe. I grew up in the highlands of Scotland and now live in Devon so I know a good landscape, but Harris and Lewis were something special.
Are you planning a trip to the Outer Hebrides? Which photograph or locations was your favourite? What locations are on your bucket list? Let me know in the comments.
Glencoe - One Location, 3 Compositions
It’s almost impossible to drive through Glencoe and not want to stop to take some landscape photographs. In the blog this week I make an unscheduled stop in Glencoe and take 3 photographs from one location.
Glencoe
There are some locations for landscape photographers that are virtually impossible to drive through without stopping to take a photograph. In my mind, Glencoe is one such location. It is stunningly beautiful and impressive no matter the weather. I still have many happy memories of my last visit.
Check out this video of my last visit to Glencoe.
A few weeks ago I was heading up to Harris & Lewis for a week-long photography trip. With such an amazing destination one could be forgiven for trying to get there as soon as possible. However, when your route takes you through the heart of Glencoe there was no way I wasn’t going to take at least one photograph.
Fortunately for me, my journey from Devon would allow me to arrive in Glencoe for around sunset. With so many locations to pick from in Glencoe, what would I photograph?
Stob nan Cabar and Lochan na Fola
I first discovered the beauty of this location on a workshop I attended last year. Despite its grandeur, it’s not that well photographed and can be easily missed despite its roadside location. As I photographed it at dawn last time, I thought I would try it at dusk this time.
I wasn’t feeling any pressure to take an image so I spent a little more time experimenting with my composition. While I would normally only post one image from a location, I thought it would be interesting to show you the three variations I have.
Stob nan Cabar from Lochan na Fola (Vertical), Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16 mm, 0.8 seconds at ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND Grad.
Stob nan Cabar from Lochan na Fola (Landscape), Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, 1.0 seconds at ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND Grad.
Stob nan Cabar from Lochan na Fola (Panoramic), Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16 mm, 0.8 seconds at ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters Circular Polariser. 8 Image panoramic stitch, cropped to 6:17.
All three images benefit from the beautiful autumnal colours of the ground, and just the right amount of cloud cover to get some light reflected from the setting sun. While I do like all three, I think it is perhaps the first image I prefer the most. Though this scene would typically be shot in landscape orientation, the portrait orientation of the first image works well.
There are a couple of things I like about the first image. First of all the reflection is larger, and clearer giving it more impact. I also like all the triangles in the image. There is, of course, the mountain and its reflection, but also from the cloud in the top right of the image which leads you back to the mountain.
It was a long drive from Devon to get to Glencoe so I only had time to shoot this one location, but what a location. It was unfortunately dark when I drove back through Glencoe, but even this brief opportunity to photograph it again means its right up near the top of my list of locations to photograph again.
So which image composition did you like best? What is your favourite Glencoe location to photograph? Let me know in the comments below.
P.S. Harris & Lewis
Oh, that Harris & Lewis trip I mentioned at the start of this blog…well…I hope to have a blog and video posted right here in a couple of weeks time.
3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall
What are the best locations in Cornwall for landscape photography? In this blog article, I'm going to show you 3 GREAT landscape photography locations in Cornwall that I think will inspire you to photograph Cornwall.
Landscape Photography in Cornwall
When it comes to landscape photography in Cornwall, where do you start? With so many amazing and inspiring locations to pick from it can be a challenge selecting locations to visit. So a few months ago I decided to put together a video of 3 locations that I think you should visit. It's not a top 3 or best 3, but just 3 great locations that I think will inspire your landscape photography.
After driving hundreds of miles, dealing with challenging weather, and hours of editing I'm delighted to be able to share with you my video, 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall.
A Bonus 4th Location
Gurnard's Head was probably one of the most challenging locations I visited while creating this video. It was so windy that it made shooting video and taking images very difficult. However, I thought it was a great location and worth sharing as your bonus 4th location.
More Information on Those Locations
If you want a bit more information on these amazing locations or the images from the video, then I've already published blog posts on the featured locations:
Sandymouth Beach - this blog post was written before I shot the video, but it still has location information in it plus a couple of photographs to inspire you to visit.
All Those Landscape Photographs
For your viewing pleasure here are all the photographs from all 4 locations:
Even More Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall
If those 4 great Cornish locations weren't enough for you, I've also compiled a playlist of all my other videos that I've made from locations in Cornwall. Enjoy!
What Next?
Though the creation of this video was quite the effort I would like to do more videos like this. I'm already planning one for Dartmoor, but are there any other others in the south-west you would like me to do a similar video on? Or where there any locations in Cornwall that you think I should visit? Let me know in the comments below.