Photo Diary from the Isle of Canna - includes all 15 sets of images
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It seems that I can't take afternoon drinking any more; I was zonked. I also know how hard it is to catch back up when I fall behind with grading my images. So here are yesterday's images quickly put up before heading out to take more.
I decided to go for a proper walk along the granite cliffs flanking the north side of Canna. I took all the camera gear but left the tripod at home which was probably a good decision as I took a tumble down a hillside after slipping on frozen turf and the tripod would have bruised me badly - luckily at that time all the gear was stowed in my Lowepro Slinghot and survived intact.
I had another scare too - I was taking photos of Skye (image 3) and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck rapidly followed by a loud noise I couldn't understand followed by a feeling of shock once I realised I had been seriously buzzed by a Peregrine Falcon. The git had dived from a huge height, skimmed over my head with massive speed and pinged back up to considerable altitude. There ware no alarm calls before or after the dive; but I had been well and truly warned!
1) Firstly, an image taken on New Year's Eve. A lunar eclipse of a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve only happens only 11 times per millennium, rare by anybodies standards! I'm quite pleased with this shot taken at the long end of my 200mm and severely cropping the result.
2) Freaky lighting over Canna, Sanday and Rhum while climbing up to the north coast.
3) Chocolate Box landscape shot of the Black Cuillin of Skye. The details in this is amazing; I can identify climbs I have previously done on the main ridge. I may make a massive enlargement of this once I've given it a PP dusting of magic.
4) How weird is that sky!!!!! Unfortunately it got thicker and thicker leaving the island in darkness until sunset; it was spectacular and I can't really complain....
5) An 'I was here' shot showing the terrain and the horizon ringed by mountains on the Scottish mainland. There is no sense of scale, the cliffs are about 600ft high and standing this close to the edge was quite intimidating.
I decided to go for a proper walk along the granite cliffs flanking the north side of Canna. I took all the camera gear but left the tripod at home which was probably a good decision as I took a tumble down a hillside after slipping on frozen turf and the tripod would have bruised me badly - luckily at that time all the gear was stowed in my Lowepro Slinghot and survived intact.
I had another scare too - I was taking photos of Skye (image 3) and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck rapidly followed by a loud noise I couldn't understand followed by a feeling of shock once I realised I had been seriously buzzed by a Peregrine Falcon. The git had dived from a huge height, skimmed over my head with massive speed and pinged back up to considerable altitude. There ware no alarm calls before or after the dive; but I had been well and truly warned!
1) Firstly, an image taken on New Year's Eve. A lunar eclipse of a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve only happens only 11 times per millennium, rare by anybodies standards! I'm quite pleased with this shot taken at the long end of my 200mm and severely cropping the result.
2) Freaky lighting over Canna, Sanday and Rhum while climbing up to the north coast.
3) Chocolate Box landscape shot of the Black Cuillin of Skye. The details in this is amazing; I can identify climbs I have previously done on the main ridge. I may make a massive enlargement of this once I've given it a PP dusting of magic.
4) How weird is that sky!!!!! Unfortunately it got thicker and thicker leaving the island in darkness until sunset; it was spectacular and I can't really complain....
5) An 'I was here' shot showing the terrain and the horizon ringed by mountains on the Scottish mainland. There is no sense of scale, the cliffs are about 600ft high and standing this close to the edge was quite intimidating.
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6) Another 'I was here' shot showing the horizon ringed by mountains in the Outer Hebrides. The peninsula in the foreground has a longboat shaped grave known as the King of Norway's Grave or the Viking's Grave. It's a very special place, even by Canna standards.
7) The sun reappeared late in the day. Imagine walking home through this wonderful landscape. It's nearly an hour's walk from here and it was dark by the time I got back, but it was brilliant.
8) This is the bay I watched the Otter in. I had got much closer and the Otter was directly below me.
9) The sunsets were fitting climax to a good day's walk.
10) I can't make up my mind which of these two I like best - so I put them both up
7) The sun reappeared late in the day. Imagine walking home through this wonderful landscape. It's nearly an hour's walk from here and it was dark by the time I got back, but it was brilliant.
8) This is the bay I watched the Otter in. I had got much closer and the Otter was directly below me.
9) The sunsets were fitting climax to a good day's walk.
10) I can't make up my mind which of these two I like best - so I put them both up
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Today illustrates why I'm not a professional photographer....
I thought I'd head back to Corrigan and try some more long exposure wave shots.
However, near gale force easterly winds straight from the Arctic mainland were not helpful, but the biggest problem was the tide was so far out the waves were in a bed of Kelp and not anywhere near any rocks worth photographing.
Rather than hunt for a better subject I let the cold get to me and after snapping a few landscapes headed back to the warm.
Deep down I know that pro would have got the money shots.....
1) Awesome backdrop to the beach at Corrigan
2) Cloud formation over the Cuillins of Skye. Seems to be a trip with weird skies, the cloud appreciation society would love a holiday up here!
3) Columnar basalt on the stack which the ruined tower sits on top of. I love basalt!
4) On the right is Sgurr Alasdaire, highest peak on the Cuillin Ridge - scene of an epic adventure I had back in my mountaineering days - my recently retired Uni-Loc tripod still bears the scars. The ridge is unbelievably hard going; even in good weather it needs full-on climbing skills and traversing the ridge takes most people two full days. When I say most people.... there are not too many people who have done the whole ridge and if you meet one they deserve utter respect.
I thought I'd head back to Corrigan and try some more long exposure wave shots.
However, near gale force easterly winds straight from the Arctic mainland were not helpful, but the biggest problem was the tide was so far out the waves were in a bed of Kelp and not anywhere near any rocks worth photographing.
Rather than hunt for a better subject I let the cold get to me and after snapping a few landscapes headed back to the warm.
Deep down I know that pro would have got the money shots.....
1) Awesome backdrop to the beach at Corrigan
2) Cloud formation over the Cuillins of Skye. Seems to be a trip with weird skies, the cloud appreciation society would love a holiday up here!
3) Columnar basalt on the stack which the ruined tower sits on top of. I love basalt!
4) On the right is Sgurr Alasdaire, highest peak on the Cuillin Ridge - scene of an epic adventure I had back in my mountaineering days - my recently retired Uni-Loc tripod still bears the scars. The ridge is unbelievably hard going; even in good weather it needs full-on climbing skills and traversing the ridge takes most people two full days. When I say most people.... there are not too many people who have done the whole ridge and if you meet one they deserve utter respect.
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5) Canna is unusual in having trees. They may only be in one sheltered spot on the island, but the wild west coast of Scotland is so barren that it is really quite a treat.
6) The green shed is the Canna Post Office. I don't think it has opened while I've been here, but it's got the sign, so it must be..... The satellite dish is part of a revolution that hit Canna last year - broadband!!!!!! The uplink goes via the phone line and the downlink is via satellite. Throughput is not too bad as long as there isn't a storm cloud in line of sight with the satellite. The only downside is a ping time between 1 and 4 seconds which makes using the web 'interesting', but I'm not complaining as being connected in any form is utter luxury!
7) St Edwards with Rhum in the background, one of the absolute classic images from Canna.
8) Canna eradicated the rat population a few years ago and now the rabbits have no predators apart from the Golden and Sea Eagles. The rabbits are getting to plague proportions. They are trapped, gutted and bartered with other islands like Eigg which have no rabbits. They are also used to feed the cat, dog and human population here on Canna; for me Rabbit is a luxury but the locals are pretty fed up with Rabbit stew, Rabbit pie, braised Rabbit, etc, etc.
6) The green shed is the Canna Post Office. I don't think it has opened while I've been here, but it's got the sign, so it must be..... The satellite dish is part of a revolution that hit Canna last year - broadband!!!!!! The uplink goes via the phone line and the downlink is via satellite. Throughput is not too bad as long as there isn't a storm cloud in line of sight with the satellite. The only downside is a ping time between 1 and 4 seconds which makes using the web 'interesting', but I'm not complaining as being connected in any form is utter luxury!
7) St Edwards with Rhum in the background, one of the absolute classic images from Canna.
8) Canna eradicated the rat population a few years ago and now the rabbits have no predators apart from the Golden and Sea Eagles. The rabbits are getting to plague proportions. They are trapped, gutted and bartered with other islands like Eigg which have no rabbits. They are also used to feed the cat, dog and human population here on Canna; for me Rabbit is a luxury but the locals are pretty fed up with Rabbit stew, Rabbit pie, braised Rabbit, etc, etc.
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They get better and better! The moon shot amazing! AND I loved the close up of the basalt - and those mountains on Skye! Magic! AND a Happy New Year up there! to you and your Mum. From H and me
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AND - I think you ought to turn this photo diary into a BOOK!!! It would be PERFECT - with all your comments INCLUDING the bit about New Year's over the top imbibing! I have downloaded Blurb - when completed you can sell the book through Blurb.
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I haven't posted here for a long time but after following the thread would like to say how much I have been enjoying your images. They are very inspiring and I'd be very tempted to visit myself if I hadn't got such an aversion to the cold! So many thanks for posting them - it's the only way I'm going to get to see such beauty.
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Maybe old bean and maybe not.
You certainly did though. So, you couldn't shoot the images you'd planed on getting but you've hardly turned and wasted the day there.
I agree about the book idea too. Even if you don't want to do it to shift units, you thoughts and images deserve to exist in a hand holdable, tangible form.
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Hmm - a book!
It would be a lovely memento for me and my Mum, and I'm sure the person whose house we are borrowing would love a copy - cheers for that suggestion!
Also, thanks for so much positive feedback - I've got a lovely warm feeling inside - and it's not just the generous helping of Laphroaig.
Today's forecast was to be overcast, so I decided to head down early to Corrigan to get the pebbles on the receding tide. Could have been perfect except that the wind dropped so much that despite yesterdays strong wind and rough seas today the waves were not even breaking on the shore. Mutter Mutter; I'll keep trying...
1) This may look like sunrise, but it is 10am!!!!!!! This far North the Sun creeps over the horizon and stays low right throughout the day. It's not far off giving the 'golden hour' all day long. It's great if you like a lie-in!
2) St Edwards lit by the low sun.
3) Corrigan pebbles showing what can be done even when you have to wait quite a long time for a wave to break.
4) I found these two Sea Urchins; they were such different colours I had to photograph them. I seem to have accidentally created a person; Freud would probably have a field day with me!
5) I was heading for a region I know has colourful rock. The pink banding really is this bright.
It would be a lovely memento for me and my Mum, and I'm sure the person whose house we are borrowing would love a copy - cheers for that suggestion!
Also, thanks for so much positive feedback - I've got a lovely warm feeling inside - and it's not just the generous helping of Laphroaig.
Today's forecast was to be overcast, so I decided to head down early to Corrigan to get the pebbles on the receding tide. Could have been perfect except that the wind dropped so much that despite yesterdays strong wind and rough seas today the waves were not even breaking on the shore. Mutter Mutter; I'll keep trying...
1) This may look like sunrise, but it is 10am!!!!!!! This far North the Sun creeps over the horizon and stays low right throughout the day. It's not far off giving the 'golden hour' all day long. It's great if you like a lie-in!
2) St Edwards lit by the low sun.
3) Corrigan pebbles showing what can be done even when you have to wait quite a long time for a wave to break.
4) I found these two Sea Urchins; they were such different colours I had to photograph them. I seem to have accidentally created a person; Freud would probably have a field day with me!
5) I was heading for a region I know has colourful rock. The pink banding really is this bright.
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6) The subject is about the size of a sheet of A4 and it really is that colour!!!! I took loads but wont play with them till I get back to my proper monitor; this is just a taster.
7) It doesn't look real - but it is. There are some very freaky rock formations and colours on this shore. I think it's because it is directly below Compass Hill, named because it makes ships compasses swing 90 degrees when sail past Canna.
8) I know I've posted this panorama already, but I love the whole image here - the clouds, shoreline, colours, mountains - everything.
9) This is the wall at the back of peir. IKt is covered in graffiti. There is a tradition that fishing boats sheltering from storms add the name of their boat and sometimes the year. I found some dated from the 1950's.
10) Finally, a lovely blonde horse currently grazing the track outside the house. My Mum does not like horses and is taking a VERY long way round the horses to feed the cats in Canna house. This horse is just so cute!
7) It doesn't look real - but it is. There are some very freaky rock formations and colours on this shore. I think it's because it is directly below Compass Hill, named because it makes ships compasses swing 90 degrees when sail past Canna.
8) I know I've posted this panorama already, but I love the whole image here - the clouds, shoreline, colours, mountains - everything.
9) This is the wall at the back of peir. IKt is covered in graffiti. There is a tradition that fishing boats sheltering from storms add the name of their boat and sometimes the year. I found some dated from the 1950's.
10) Finally, a lovely blonde horse currently grazing the track outside the house. My Mum does not like horses and is taking a VERY long way round the horses to feed the cats in Canna house. This horse is just so cute!
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Evening Dudie !
So far I've managed to miss all the UK snowfall - which is total rubbish :thumbsdown:
So you can imagine how jealous I am of your recent Snowdonia piccies.
The piccie of your Missus on Glyder Fach reminds me of a similar conditions I once had up there except for just a light wind. We were having lunch at the top of Bristly ridge when someone in a group walking past shouted "MY HATS SINGING !!!!", picked me sarnie up and went over to have a look. I've never seen anything like it, but the rocks and our hats were all sizzling and humming. Then I discovered if I held my arm up it crackled and squealed loudly. Pretty soon we were all dancing like loons making music by raising our arms. We got different noises depending on where we stood. With hindsight, it probably wasn't very clever; but it never occurred to us at the time that we were prime candidates for a Darwin Award.
So far I've managed to miss all the UK snowfall - which is total rubbish :thumbsdown:
So you can imagine how jealous I am of your recent Snowdonia piccies.
The piccie of your Missus on Glyder Fach reminds me of a similar conditions I once had up there except for just a light wind. We were having lunch at the top of Bristly ridge when someone in a group walking past shouted "MY HATS SINGING !!!!", picked me sarnie up and went over to have a look. I've never seen anything like it, but the rocks and our hats were all sizzling and humming. Then I discovered if I held my arm up it crackled and squealed loudly. Pretty soon we were all dancing like loons making music by raising our arms. We got different noises depending on where we stood. With hindsight, it probably wasn't very clever; but it never occurred to us at the time that we were prime candidates for a Darwin Award.
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Today my Mum and I decided on one of the toughest days out on Canna - the inaccessible fortress of Dun Channa.
Weather was borderline crap but perfect for a good stomp, so I abandoned the photographic gear, just taking the little LX3 which coped well with the abysmal light.
1) The far north coast of Canna has one of the most impressive settlement locations I know of. An excellent boat beach, intensively drained and cultivated farm land and impressive tracks threading up the cliffs to moorland grazing. Little remains after the highland clearances - which is a real shame.
2) Here's our destination - Dun Channa. Probably the most defendable ancient fort in the British Isles. There is no way to land a boat here, it would be crushed on the basalt shoreline. It lies below towering basalt cliffs, the only access is along tiny slippy treacherous ledges high above the breakers. Having got to Dun Channa it cannot be accessed except by an expect climber. The 'small' wall at the front of the causeway is 10ft of slightly overhung granite which drops away badly on each side. And that only gets you to the grass, which is perilously steep and if you look closely you can see man-made fortifications all around it. Access would probably have been by ladder pulled up after them and it would have been easy to defend.
3) If you are wondering whether it might be easier at the back of the fort - errr no......
It's all overhanging columnar balsalt which is almost deep enough to call a sea-cave.
4) I mentioned the treacherous access along tiny ledges - because it was the lowest point of an unusually large tide we took the 'better' option of the slippery basalt shoreline. My Mum wasn't impressed, she preferred the precipitous ledges. That's Dun Channa in the distance, it's bigger than my earlier photos convey.
Weather was borderline crap but perfect for a good stomp, so I abandoned the photographic gear, just taking the little LX3 which coped well with the abysmal light.
1) The far north coast of Canna has one of the most impressive settlement locations I know of. An excellent boat beach, intensively drained and cultivated farm land and impressive tracks threading up the cliffs to moorland grazing. Little remains after the highland clearances - which is a real shame.
2) Here's our destination - Dun Channa. Probably the most defendable ancient fort in the British Isles. There is no way to land a boat here, it would be crushed on the basalt shoreline. It lies below towering basalt cliffs, the only access is along tiny slippy treacherous ledges high above the breakers. Having got to Dun Channa it cannot be accessed except by an expect climber. The 'small' wall at the front of the causeway is 10ft of slightly overhung granite which drops away badly on each side. And that only gets you to the grass, which is perilously steep and if you look closely you can see man-made fortifications all around it. Access would probably have been by ladder pulled up after them and it would have been easy to defend.
3) If you are wondering whether it might be easier at the back of the fort - errr no......
It's all overhanging columnar balsalt which is almost deep enough to call a sea-cave.
4) I mentioned the treacherous access along tiny ledges - because it was the lowest point of an unusually large tide we took the 'better' option of the slippery basalt shoreline. My Mum wasn't impressed, she preferred the precipitous ledges. That's Dun Channa in the distance, it's bigger than my earlier photos convey.
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5) First, note the steep slippery grassy ledges above the cliffs on the left. Second, note the horrendous shoreline; no way to land a boat. Thirdly, there are towering cliffs above us preventing direct access from the rest of island. Finally, note the departing sleet shower which made everything even more slippery for us trying to get out.
6) This is a 'decent' sheep track. although it is still over over a pretty scary drop, this is nothing compared to the grassy ledges needed to access Dun Channa.
7) My Mum is not keen on large four legged animals - she gave this one a very wide berth.
8) There was 20 minutes of good light as we stomped back home across the moors. You can see the Black Cuillin of Skye in the distance.
6) This is a 'decent' sheep track. although it is still over over a pretty scary drop, this is nothing compared to the grassy ledges needed to access Dun Channa.
7) My Mum is not keen on large four legged animals - she gave this one a very wide berth.
8) There was 20 minutes of good light as we stomped back home across the moors. You can see the Black Cuillin of Skye in the distance.
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well, sorry, I have to say, rather you than me!! Those "paths" would give me the screaming habjabs! But then "each to his own". I loved the cow(?) the placement of the horns against the rock inlet behind perfect! A real Scottish image - which will do very well if you cannot find a stag at bay
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LOved 5 and 6 from yesterday. 6 like an abstract painting
Duncan, this is such an interesting thread. Does the Isle of Canna Tourist Board (if there is one) know about this thread as I should imagine you have probably stirred the imagination of some people, to visit this place. Does it have a mossy/fly problem in the summer.
Post 56, photo No 6, the red rocks one. As soon as I saw it I knew what it was. You say the photo was taken below Compass Hill, so called as it plays havoc with compasses.
The rock is that red colour as its iron bearing (haematite) rock. You could probably see rusty marks or stains as well in places. This rock crushed up is also where the Red Ochre pigment comes from.
Interesting as well that you mention the Viking Longboat burial site. If the Vikings spent any amount of time there, they would have known how to process the iron bearing rock and made weapons and tools from the ore.
Mick,
Post 56, photo No 6, the red rocks one. As soon as I saw it I knew what it was. You say the photo was taken below Compass Hill, so called as it plays havoc with compasses.
The rock is that red colour as its iron bearing (haematite) rock. You could probably see rusty marks or stains as well in places. This rock crushed up is also where the Red Ochre pigment comes from.
Interesting as well that you mention the Viking Longboat burial site. If the Vikings spent any amount of time there, they would have known how to process the iron bearing rock and made weapons and tools from the ore.
Mick,
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Mick, really good questions!
Canna really needs a single point of reference but as far as I know it doesn't have one. There is the Primary School Website and Tighard Guest House Website, but these don't mention the cottages available through the Scottish National Trust or the superb rough camping facilities. I'd be happy to let the island use my images for the good of the island, but as far as I can work out there is no-one with oversight to join all the bits together. As for the Scottish National Trust; I've kind of been put off that approach given the numerous recent threads regarding images and the English National Trust - I'd love someone to tell me I'm wrong!
It may seem slightly daunting to come here to Canna without your car, no shop and no phone. But actually this place is one of the few truly wild places you can still get to by public transport. The Tighard link contains lots of useful information about the logistics, just bear in mind there are other options than the guest house.......... The Tighard gallery and a lot of the words are mine; I got trapped here last year by a major storm and swapped creating their website for food and booze; they got a good deal but I'm very proud of that website.
At the end of the day, the basic challenge of staying on Canna will mean that it will remain wild and untainted. It's impossible to visit for the day and there are precious few options for staying overnight. I'd like for the local enterprises like the guest house and holiday lets to be made full use of; but Canna is most unlikely to become spoilt.
LOL - the whole of Scotland has a mossie problem in the Summer. That's why it's so wonderful out here in the winter; no tourists and no mossies. I do wonder if there is a correlation between the tourist influx and the tenacity of the mossies
There are lots of amazing coloured rocks in Scotland. The patch below Compass Hill measures only about 20x20 feet and the other ones I know of elsewhere are also well off the beaten track. My reference and inspiration in this matter is Simon Nicholas White. If you like my images then his website will leave you truly wanting to go out and explore the coast.
I live in Priddy, which was mined continuously from the Bronze Age though to early Victorian times; so although I like to think I can spot old workings I haven't spotted anything here. I'll ask the locals when we gather for the arrival of the ferry tomorrow; it's a big social event when Canna's connection with the outside world only happens three times a week.
Thanks for such thought provoking questions - Duncan
Canna really needs a single point of reference but as far as I know it doesn't have one. There is the Primary School Website and Tighard Guest House Website, but these don't mention the cottages available through the Scottish National Trust or the superb rough camping facilities. I'd be happy to let the island use my images for the good of the island, but as far as I can work out there is no-one with oversight to join all the bits together. As for the Scottish National Trust; I've kind of been put off that approach given the numerous recent threads regarding images and the English National Trust - I'd love someone to tell me I'm wrong!
It may seem slightly daunting to come here to Canna without your car, no shop and no phone. But actually this place is one of the few truly wild places you can still get to by public transport. The Tighard link contains lots of useful information about the logistics, just bear in mind there are other options than the guest house.......... The Tighard gallery and a lot of the words are mine; I got trapped here last year by a major storm and swapped creating their website for food and booze; they got a good deal but I'm very proud of that website.
At the end of the day, the basic challenge of staying on Canna will mean that it will remain wild and untainted. It's impossible to visit for the day and there are precious few options for staying overnight. I'd like for the local enterprises like the guest house and holiday lets to be made full use of; but Canna is most unlikely to become spoilt.
LOL - the whole of Scotland has a mossie problem in the Summer. That's why it's so wonderful out here in the winter; no tourists and no mossies. I do wonder if there is a correlation between the tourist influx and the tenacity of the mossies
There are lots of amazing coloured rocks in Scotland. The patch below Compass Hill measures only about 20x20 feet and the other ones I know of elsewhere are also well off the beaten track. My reference and inspiration in this matter is Simon Nicholas White. If you like my images then his website will leave you truly wanting to go out and explore the coast.
I live in Priddy, which was mined continuously from the Bronze Age though to early Victorian times; so although I like to think I can spot old workings I haven't spotted anything here. I'll ask the locals when we gather for the arrival of the ferry tomorrow; it's a big social event when Canna's connection with the outside world only happens three times a week.
Thanks for such thought provoking questions - Duncan
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No need to go looking for inspiration today - Mother Nature delivered in spades.
Note: The colours were so strong that the LX3 was at one point spoofed into thinking I was under Tungsten; hence in PP I set all the white balances to Direct Sunlight.
1) 4:50 am and it snowed on Canna. One of the locals was telling me this is the first time he has seen snow on Canna, he's been on the island for 15 years! This panorama is made up from eight shots taken with the Nifty Fifty resting on the bedroom window sill - ISO 3200, f1.8, 1.3s!!!
There are stars in the cloudless bit of sky, but compression has killed them.
2) Pre-dawn standing hand held with the LX3 - ISO 200, f4, 1/2sec - the IS in that LX3 is astonishingly good. This is the house I'm staying in and the next three shots are taken out of either a front or back window while some nasty weather passed through.
3) Astonishing colours as an arriving snowstorm gets lit by the sunrise. Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
4) Definitely the best sunrise this week; really spectacular! Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
5) Snowstorm sweeping over the top of the hill lit by a very low sun. Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
6) The highlight is way blown out; but I still like this shot a lot.
Note: The colours were so strong that the LX3 was at one point spoofed into thinking I was under Tungsten; hence in PP I set all the white balances to Direct Sunlight.
1) 4:50 am and it snowed on Canna. One of the locals was telling me this is the first time he has seen snow on Canna, he's been on the island for 15 years! This panorama is made up from eight shots taken with the Nifty Fifty resting on the bedroom window sill - ISO 3200, f1.8, 1.3s!!!
There are stars in the cloudless bit of sky, but compression has killed them.
2) Pre-dawn standing hand held with the LX3 - ISO 200, f4, 1/2sec - the IS in that LX3 is astonishingly good. This is the house I'm staying in and the next three shots are taken out of either a front or back window while some nasty weather passed through.
3) Astonishing colours as an arriving snowstorm gets lit by the sunrise. Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
4) Definitely the best sunrise this week; really spectacular! Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
5) Snowstorm sweeping over the top of the hill lit by a very low sun. Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
6) The highlight is way blown out; but I still like this shot a lot.
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7) Lit by a weak low sun backed by a retreating monster of a snowstorm. Unmolested apart from forcing the white balance back to Direct Sunlight.
8) I decided to head up the hill for sunset. This shot shows where I am staying with the remains of Lazy Beds in the foreground. My Mum was complaining that her camera was not working properly, so I took it with me and used it instead of the LX3. It's a vintage Fuji F30 used on full automatic. The screen looked like all the highlights were going to be blown but the image quality is tremendous; it's easy to see why the F30 was the compact camera benchmark for so many years.
9) The Isle of Sanday with Rhum in the background. Very subtle evening light as the sun set into a bank of cloud. The inevitable question when seeing this image is what an astonishing location St Edwards was built in!
10) Last rays of light hit the Black Cuillin of Skye
11) Last rays of light hit the Cuillins of Rhum. The detail on that summit is really wonderful; this would enlarge extremely well.
8) I decided to head up the hill for sunset. This shot shows where I am staying with the remains of Lazy Beds in the foreground. My Mum was complaining that her camera was not working properly, so I took it with me and used it instead of the LX3. It's a vintage Fuji F30 used on full automatic. The screen looked like all the highlights were going to be blown but the image quality is tremendous; it's easy to see why the F30 was the compact camera benchmark for so many years.
9) The Isle of Sanday with Rhum in the background. Very subtle evening light as the sun set into a bank of cloud. The inevitable question when seeing this image is what an astonishing location St Edwards was built in!
10) Last rays of light hit the Black Cuillin of Skye
11) Last rays of light hit the Cuillins of Rhum. The detail on that summit is really wonderful; this would enlarge extremely well.
grumpybadger
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Duncan. This thread is fantastic. You have a great eye for landscapes and this thread delivers in spades. I particularly love the abstract patterns in the sand on the beach...
Paul
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On a previous day I went looking for Eagles and spotted an Otter - good binocular viewing but not close enough for a decent piccy.
Today I went looking for the Otter and stumbled on some Eagles - make hay while the sun shines, etc, etc.
1) Lots of these Buzzards - their flap rate is similar to a hoody, so they are easy to dismiss. However, it is still an impressive looking raptor.
2) A pair of mature Sea eagles. I was once told that if you think it is a Sea Eagle, then it is not a Sea Eagle; when you see a Sea Eagle then you KNOW it is a Sea Eagle. They are so huge they seem to implausibly hang in the air like a Jumbo Jet. This pair lumbered over the horizon like a pair of Lancaster bombers - left horizon to right horizon and gone with barely a flap.
3) This is the track to Tarbert and these cliffs are full of Buzzards and Eagles. It is a challenge scanning both the skies and shores in case something exotic decides to pass show its head.
4) A frozen rock-pool. The blue is reflected from the sky and it looks like clouds overlaid with an ice texture. For some reason I keep coming back to this and it is growing on me!
5) Having given up on the Otter I thought I'd have another go at the columnar basalt.
Today I went looking for the Otter and stumbled on some Eagles - make hay while the sun shines, etc, etc.
1) Lots of these Buzzards - their flap rate is similar to a hoody, so they are easy to dismiss. However, it is still an impressive looking raptor.
2) A pair of mature Sea eagles. I was once told that if you think it is a Sea Eagle, then it is not a Sea Eagle; when you see a Sea Eagle then you KNOW it is a Sea Eagle. They are so huge they seem to implausibly hang in the air like a Jumbo Jet. This pair lumbered over the horizon like a pair of Lancaster bombers - left horizon to right horizon and gone with barely a flap.
3) This is the track to Tarbert and these cliffs are full of Buzzards and Eagles. It is a challenge scanning both the skies and shores in case something exotic decides to pass show its head.
4) A frozen rock-pool. The blue is reflected from the sky and it looks like clouds overlaid with an ice texture. For some reason I keep coming back to this and it is growing on me!
5) Having given up on the Otter I thought I'd have another go at the columnar basalt.
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6) These two inlets are joined at a fascinating waterfall. The patterns on the water were never the same second to second and it was mesmerising.
7) This is an experiment with the 2x Teleconverter on the 24mm TS-E. It seems to work very well indeed!
8) As seems to be customary at the moment, the sun set into a snow storm giving a dramatic sky. The lighthouse in the distance is Hyskeir 10 miles away guarding the flanks of The Minch.
9) Sunrises and Sunsets seem to last forever because the sun never rises very high. Plenty of opportunity for dramatic lighting like this.
10) Brightness from the setting sun was visible under the snowstorm. I've got other images where this is more pronounced, but the clouds forming on the West End of Canna are extraordinary and make the image.
7) This is an experiment with the 2x Teleconverter on the 24mm TS-E. It seems to work very well indeed!
8) As seems to be customary at the moment, the sun set into a snow storm giving a dramatic sky. The lighthouse in the distance is Hyskeir 10 miles away guarding the flanks of The Minch.
9) Sunrises and Sunsets seem to last forever because the sun never rises very high. Plenty of opportunity for dramatic lighting like this.
10) Brightness from the setting sun was visible under the snowstorm. I've got other images where this is more pronounced, but the clouds forming on the West End of Canna are extraordinary and make the image.
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Wasn't sure what was going to happen today. The ferry was due at lunchtime and I wanted to be there. I'd also promised to do some DIY and there are only two full days left on Canna. So despite the lovely weather I decided to DIY in the morning and photograph in the afternoon.
The sunrise was stunning, see the first three images.
But after DIYing all morning and not getting any where near finished I decided to go for a good stomp rather than take photographs. I went to Sanday which is kind of like an extension to Canna. In my mind it's much smaller than Canna and a doddle; but actually it is further then I thought and the going was tough; my back is aching with the effort. However, I'm quite pleased with the piccies, especially considering they were taken on a stomp rather than a photo session.
1) This is one of the animals my Mum is looking after, a West Highland Terrier called Patchoo - he's watching for the farm dogs going to work across the bridge to Sanday, but I noticed behind him that the sunrise looks very promising. There are no curtains; the ornate wooden shutter is swung over the window which keeps out draughts as well as light.
2) I rushed to a front window and took this amazing sunrise.
3) Sunrises around here seem to come of two waves. Image 2 was the first wave where the high cloud turns pink, then about ten minutes later when you think it is all over the lower clouds on the mountains start to go pink. These pink rimmed monsters over the Cuillins of Rhum looked very spectacular.
4) My stomp on Sanday headed for the stacks where the puffins live. Puffins are seasonal and they are elsewhere during the Winter. Please imagine what this image would be like with thousands of Puffins wheeling around it....
5) The Black Cuillins of Skye are still looking very impressive. Here is the Sanday lighthouse with Skye as a backdrop.
The sunrise was stunning, see the first three images.
But after DIYing all morning and not getting any where near finished I decided to go for a good stomp rather than take photographs. I went to Sanday which is kind of like an extension to Canna. In my mind it's much smaller than Canna and a doddle; but actually it is further then I thought and the going was tough; my back is aching with the effort. However, I'm quite pleased with the piccies, especially considering they were taken on a stomp rather than a photo session.
1) This is one of the animals my Mum is looking after, a West Highland Terrier called Patchoo - he's watching for the farm dogs going to work across the bridge to Sanday, but I noticed behind him that the sunrise looks very promising. There are no curtains; the ornate wooden shutter is swung over the window which keeps out draughts as well as light.
2) I rushed to a front window and took this amazing sunrise.
3) Sunrises around here seem to come of two waves. Image 2 was the first wave where the high cloud turns pink, then about ten minutes later when you think it is all over the lower clouds on the mountains start to go pink. These pink rimmed monsters over the Cuillins of Rhum looked very spectacular.
4) My stomp on Sanday headed for the stacks where the puffins live. Puffins are seasonal and they are elsewhere during the Winter. Please imagine what this image would be like with thousands of Puffins wheeling around it....
5) The Black Cuillins of Skye are still looking very impressive. Here is the Sanday lighthouse with Skye as a backdrop.
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6) Even more impressive is the same lighthouse taken from a different direction. This time the ice clad northern face of the Cuillins of Rhum as a backdrop.
7) At sunset the Isle of Skye tuned pink against a steel grey sky. Regardless of how well this turns out on the computer it was magical to be there.
8) Once the sun sank below the horizon the mountains went a cold blue colour leaving the high altitude atmosphere to show the tint of pink. Once again, I feel the image does not do it justice but it shows the sequence quite well.
9) Everything is now in soft blue under full twilight. This is the edge of Compass Hill and Corrigan with the Cuillins of Skye as a backdrop viewed from the settlement on Sanday when most of the Canna residents live.
10) Despite the cold colours in the previous images, this was taken only minutes later but west towards the already set sun instead of east. you can just make out the light in the lighthouse; it looks great at full size!
7) At sunset the Isle of Skye tuned pink against a steel grey sky. Regardless of how well this turns out on the computer it was magical to be there.
8) Once the sun sank below the horizon the mountains went a cold blue colour leaving the high altitude atmosphere to show the tint of pink. Once again, I feel the image does not do it justice but it shows the sequence quite well.
9) Everything is now in soft blue under full twilight. This is the edge of Compass Hill and Corrigan with the Cuillins of Skye as a backdrop viewed from the settlement on Sanday when most of the Canna residents live.
10) Despite the cold colours in the previous images, this was taken only minutes later but west towards the already set sun instead of east. you can just make out the light in the lighthouse; it looks great at full size!