Isle of Skye Sunrise

SFTPhotography

SFTPhotography

Ranger Smith
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Steve
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These are all recrops and edits from what was probably my best ever trip to the Isle of Skye...ever....

Very First Light Hits Blaven

_DSC2189 - 4x3 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Intense golden morning light

_DSC2202 - Version 2 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Still nice

_DSC2210 - Version 3 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Went Square on a wider FL - to this day I regret not doing this earlier on in the shoot but this came to me in an inspired moment

_DSC2237 - Version 3 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Fast as hell drive up to Sligachan to check out reflections there but the light was gone...

_DSC2246 - Version 2 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr
 
Steelo said:
Was that the morning I was there with a client too? That was also a cracking morning if it wasn't this one :)
Click to expand...

This is a year on from that Easter mate. That trip had no snow on the tops and mine were angled differently....

Here's one mine from it but you had taken off at this point. My sunrise was further down at the reeds were at but have somehow lost those files....

_DSC0638 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Look how much the reeds gain in size over a month (Mid March to Mid April).

My plan is to get this done over the summer with the summer colour palate, reckon August is the one to get the sunrise angle the way it fell in April...
 
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SFTPhotography said:
This is a year on from that Easter mate. That trip had no snow on the tops and mine were angled differently....

Here's one mine from it but you had taken off at this point. My sunrise was further down at the reeds were at but have somehow lost those files....

_DSC0638 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Ah yeah fair point about the snow....I've shot it that many times I forget....rarely in these conditions though :) Lovely.
 
Steelo said:
Ah yeah fair point about the snow....I've shot it that many times I forget....rarely in these conditions though :) Lovely.
Click to expand...

Honestly...it was unreal that March 2018. Best Spring ever. Last years haul from back home was nothing like as good as 2018's....

Just a fortnight earlier.

_DSC2006 - Version 4 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Getting it still there in one month is hard enough, but twice. Unreal. Both times were so earily still that even during the longish exposure times none of the reeds even moved slightly...all these are tack sharp at 100% with no blurred folliage from movement at all. Totally ripple free mirror glass water these were the days mate. Vintage times. Then a few days later down the road

_DSC3107 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

If there was one Spring/Summer I could replay for the rest of my days in Scotland it would be 2018 and for Autumn here the Autumns of 2015 and 2016
 
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Looks like you had an epic morning Steve.

I like them all, particularly the soft processing with some lovely, gentle tones. The first 3 images, I feel I want to see more to the left, if there is more to the left. I've never been, so wouldn't know. Numbers 4+5 are the ones for me, the light on the reeds in 4 means they play a bigger part in the image and I think you still had some decent light for 5, which is probably my fave of the set.

The Buachaille shot is pretty neat too. (y)
 
Dale. said:
Looks like you had an epic morning Steve.

I like them all, particularly the soft processing with some lovely, gentle tones. The first 3 images, I feel I want to see more to the left, if there is more to the left. I've never been, so wouldn't know. Numbers 4+5 are the ones for me, the light on the reeds in 4 means they play a bigger part in the image and I think you still had some decent light for 5, which is probably my fave of the set.

The Buachaille shot is pretty neat too. (y)
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To the left is some distant pylons and further left a bit of road and cottage - they’ve been done very deliberately this way to portray only a natural as god made it landscape.
 
I love that last one of the Buachaille with the subtle light and the perfect crop. I'll be honest I'm not really sold on the Blaven ones - I don't think there's much or anything you can do about it but the mound in the midground blocks the view of the mountain and that's especially apparent when it's in full shadow. I think 4 is the best of those for the use of the light on the reeds which adds more depth to the shot. I agree about autumn '15 and '16 and spring '18. Lots of atmosphere with morning mists those autumns especially.
 
jerry12953 said:
Steve,

I know you're a stickler for detail but it looks to me as if 1,2, and 3 have sloping horizons - taking the far side of the loch as a reference. No 4 appears to be "horizontal". You might disagree but they do differ......
Click to expand...

Good spot - there could be maybe 0.1 degree in it. Damned in camera spirit level can sometimes get it wrong so I’ll recheck on the grid later.
 
Scirocco_09 said:
I love that last one of the Buachaille with the subtle light and the perfect crop. I'll be honest I'm not really sold on the Blaven ones - I don't think there's much or anything you can do about it but the mound in the midground blocks the view of the mountain and that's especially apparent when it's in full shadow. I think 4 is the best of those for the use of the light on the reeds which adds more depth to the shot. I agree about autumn '15 and '16 and spring '18. Lots of atmosphere with morning mists those autumns especially.
Click to expand...

The Buachaille trip was awesome - it just happened and I know this spot very well as I use it for “workshops” as it gives a different but interesting perspective to the usual front on one down at the famous falls.

Re Blaven - I’m ok with the mid position mound - behind it lies housing and the road road to Torrin - I like my landscapes to look as if they were made by the hand of god - this hides a multitude of sins like the road, cottages and road at the foot of the mountain as it cuts over towards Elgol. It is for that very reason I avoid shooting further down towards Torrin as you can get reflections at the right tide times of the mountain without anything in the way...but you introduce Pylons, Road, a few houses, probably some fencing and general man made scarring on the mountain. It doesn’t bother a lot but it intensely bothers me which is why I’ll never take a picture there or guide anyone in a workshop there either. I get your comments re the light on the Reeds - it was a very special moment but what does it for me is the cloud formations at that time. I never had it so good. Re the dark banks from the 1st 3- yes I could pull more shadows out but I quite like the contrast. In the big file it’s all clearly visible and there’s no crunchy/blocked details.

On a tangent it’s why I like Glencoe so much - not just because it’s handy but it’s possible - with a degree of care and thought - to compose pictures that are completely natural in appearance. Other than the time stamp you couldn’t tell if these scenes were yesterday or 600 years ago - and to me, in my work this is a very important thing.
 
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