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Trotternish Ridge

Aug15
2016
Written by Stephen Street

The Trotternish Ridge first made its mark on my psyche many, many years ago when I read about it in a mountaineering magazine.  I think that it was a combination of surreal views and surreal names of its various rock features that caught my imagination.  Names such as The Needle and The Prison in the Quiraing area (a fantastic, almost other-worldly, imagination-inspiring landscape of rock formations near the northern end of the ridge) and the Old Man of Storr in the south.

As well as being a surreal place it must not be forgotten that it is also a relatively remote and rugged area, being tucked away on the northern half of the Isle of Skye.  Something that I became fully aware of after reading about a couple that set off to traverse the complete ridge, only to disappear in bad weather. *  When the opportunity came along for me to visit this ridge with a camera in my hand, there was no way that I was going to turn it down.

After following the usual landscape photographers’ ritual of getting up while it is still dark and heading out while still partially asleep, I was on location before sunrise.  A bank of thick cloud on the eastern horizon meant that very little sunrise could be seen (i.e. none), but I was there so I was going to take some photographs regardless of the conditions.  And I did.  And I kept on shooting until my perseverance was rewarded with beams of light squeezing though breaking clouds.  I took a series of shots of each of my compositions set for different exposure, simply so that I could render a little more detail in my final, manually-merged picture.  An alternative approach would have been to use graduated neutral density filters, but I didn’t have any with me.

Of the final results there are two that I particularly like.  One that I processed from raw files that reminds me of the sense of surrealism that I felt.  The other, also processed from raw files, to capture the sense of drama that I felt.  This one has been worked up as a black and white photograph as I found colour to be too distracting in this instance.

To have come away with only a few photographs that I thought to be worth keeping, after such a long wait to visit the Trotternish Ridge, could be considered a failure.  However, I really like what I have, so for me the visit was a definite success.

*Their bodies were found several months later.  It was suggested that they had simply walked off the edge of the ridge in poor visibility, but no-one really knows what happened.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged b+w, bad weather, daybreak, Isle of Skye, moody, morning, mountain, scenic, Scotland, weather

A Moment of Reflection

Apr17
2016
Written by Stephen Street

It hadn’t been a particularly good day.  First there was the low, ominous cloud that soaked up all of the light, then there were the frequent squally showers that ripped by in a frenzy and finally, I was cold and wet.

However, the wonderful thing about Scotland and its weather is how unpredictable it is.  Conditions can turn on a sixpence.  My first view of Loch Garten on this particular day was one of a grey and choppy mass of water, but as the road I was driving on took me closer I could see some potential for sheltered areas along the loch edge.  After parking up I went exploring.

It wasn’t as good as I thought it might be.  Everywhere I looked the loch surface was broken up and reflecting nothing but the grey sky.  And then it happened, a sixpence rolled by.  In seconds the water’s surface went flat and a line of tree reflections appeared as if from nowhere.  I’ve seen this happen before, particularly towards the end of a day, but never as quickly as this or as pronounced.  I didn’t hang around and speedily took a few photographs, while thinking how wonderful it is when something special like this comes together out of apparently nothing.  I suppose you could say that I was reflecting on reflections.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged Cairngorms, lake, loch, reflection, Scotland, tree, woodland

How Much Colour?

Mar16
2016
Written by Stephen Street

How much colour does a photograph need to have?

I enjoy looking at other people’s photographs, especially when they are better than my own (which is most of the time). 500px.com is probably the most well-known of many websites I used to check out frequently, particularly for landscape photography.  Now – not so much.  What’s changed?

For a long time there has been a tendency towards bolder and brighter colours in landscape photography. The late Galen Rowell led the way when he developed graduated neutral density filters and made the most of films like Fuji Velvia.  People complained even back then about how this was a grotesque misrepresentation of nature.  However, when I look through his seminal book Mountain Light, I note that the colours look rich but tame compared to today’s average landscape offerings, (although I think that his photographs have now been further ‘enhanced’ for digital presentation).

While Rowell tinkered with filters and film choice, today, as digital photographers, we merely click and drag a computer mouse towards the right.  And how far you drag a saturation slider is entirely up to you.  I know that, and accept that it’s a personal thing, but for me far too many photographs are tweaked too much.  Taking them beyond the realm of interesting and awe-inspiring, and into the land of hideous and grotesque.  As a kickback to this, sometimes I will revel in an opportunity to play around with muted colours.

One thing I particularly like about photographs with subtle lighting and subdued colours is the way that they invite exploration.  I can spend a lot longer looking at a photograph like the one above compared to one with bright colours and high contrasts.  They are so much easier on the eye, and I don’t feel a need to quickly move on and look at something else before my retina melts.

Photography is a broad church and there is room for many different styles of presentation.  I just think that when it comes to saturation adjustment, the old adage of “less is more” is still worthy of serious consideration.  Particularly by many users of 500px.com and such like.

Posted in Just thinkin' - Tagged abstract, autumn, bad weather, colour, lake, loch, mist, moody, personal approach, reflection, texture, tree

Mist

Aug28
2015
Written by Stephen Street

The chill caught me by surprise.  Dressed in cycling shorts and jersey I stepped outside.  It was just after sunrise on a gloriously clear morning.  As I wheeled my bike across the drive, about to set off for a 36 miles ride, the crisp air quickly covered my arms and legs with goose bumps.  Where did that come from?  It’s summer!

August has been a turbulent month for weather.  With the Jet Stream unpredictably wandering all over the place like a drunken Dalek, we don’t seem to have had anything like our normal late summer weather.  Sometimes it’s been very wet, yet very dry at others.  Sometimes it’s been very warm, yet surprisingly cool at others, as it was on the morning mentioned above.

I had been warned.  The weather forecast mentioned typical early autumn weather for a couple of days.  What does that mean?  It means warm by day; cool by night with occasional early morning mist patches.

As I set off riding I could see that the forecast had been spot-on.  Lying low in the dale was a thin mist.  Not much I’ll admit, probably not enough to make a picture of, but enough to get me excited.  Summer is a slow time for me when it comes to photography.  It’s when my camera has a holiday and takes it easy.  But at the first sign of mist it gets dusted down and woken from its slumber.

I love mist.  Here is something that has so little substance that I can’t even get hold of it, yet it gives a photograph real presence.  Used correctly it takes a two dimensional object and gives it the illusion of depth – a third dimension.  Oh yes, I love mist.  It excites me!  Yet it’s strange to think that as heather on my local moors is in its spectacular summery best, I’m beginning to think of autumn mists.  I guess that’s photographers for you, always looking for the next opportunity.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged autumn, daybreak, dusk, mist, moody, scenic, weather

When Things Go Bad

Jul02
2015
Written by Stephen Street

What do you think of when you think of a summer holiday?  For most people it usually includes bright skies, warm sunshine and lovely weather.  That may be what most people dream of and chase that dream as best they can.  However, living in the UK I know that when it comes to weather, nothing can be guaranteed, particularly in hilly and mountainous areas, even when on holiday.

And so it came as no surprise to me when visiting the Vercors Nature Park, located on the western fringes of the arc of mountains we call The Alps when I awoke one morning to find the usual and expected glorious weather had been replaced with heavy rain.

While bad weather may be a disaster for the average holiday goer, it isn’t for the landscape photographer.  In fact, some landscape photographers despair at the very thought of blue skies and sunny days, even when on holiday (although I suspect their wives may be of a different opinion).  Bad weather usually brings with it changeable conditions and dramatic light.  Both are things that can be made the most of with exposure and colour balance control.

In this case there was still hope as I could see cracks in the clouds, giving me something to play with.  I made the most of what sunlight managed to force its way through, creating opportunities for dramatic photographs rather than pretty pictures.  All that I really needed to do was add two thing to my standard photo kit: waterproof trousers and a waterproof jacket.  And then it was playtime.

But, if conditions go really bad and you are faced with a low blanket of cloud and never-ending heavy rain I think it’s best to admit defeat, find an indoor pool somewhere, lie back, chill out and enjoy your holiday.  Or if you are really in a holiday mood, take your wife shopping.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged bad weather, France, moody, mountain, rain, scenic, storm

A Mountain and a Meadow

Apr13
2015
Written by Stephen Street

From the moment that I first saw it I knew that I would be photographing it.  It was no more than a glimpse out of the window after a long day travelling towards our hotel, but it made a lasting impression. ‘It’ was a tractor.  Standing in a wildflower meadow and overlooked by a towering blade of limestone, the Mont Aiguille, this humble orange tractor anchored a scene that was crying out to be photographed.

The Vercors is a very lovely area of south-east France, but one that is often overlooked.  Most people flash by without a second thought, rushing to keep an appointment with sunshine and Mediterranean beaches.  I’ll admit I’ve done that myself in the past, but not this time.  This time my wife and I were looking forward to enjoying a less-travelled part of rural France.  This particular piece of countryside is popular with hikers and known for its wild flowers, featuring in ‘Wildflower Wonders of the World’ by Bob Gibbons.

As for me and the tractor; I tip-toed out of my hotel at the crack of dawn and enjoyed an early morning walk back towards the meadow.  Unfortunately there was hardly any cloud, so instead of trying for a dramatic photograph I had to settle for a pretty one.  But pretty is fine, sometimes we photographers forget that mean and moody isn’t everyone’s idea of a good picture.  I spent a while watching the light change and took a variety of pictures.  Some worked better than others, but overall I had a few of this unique setting that I quite liked.

As I was finishing, a car came along the narrow road that bordered this meadow.  Slowing as it approached the car drew to a halt alongside me.  After greeting me in English (not French, clearly I look very English) the driver said “Everyone photographs that tractor”.  “I can see why” I said while smiling “it’s a very pretty scene.” He cheerfully drove on to work and left me thinking that perhaps my photographs won’t be quite as unique as I had thought.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged flowers, France, meadow, morning, mountain, scenic, spring, tractor
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