Critique Skye Trips from last week: Surise, seascapes, waterfalls, reflections

SFTPhotography

SFTPhotography

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Something for everyone here. I took two morning trips up to Skye last week. The 1st was to Elgol.

The sunrise came lighting up the view.

_DSC3318 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

The tide was working its way out so I found a different spot a bit later

_DSC3334 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

On the way home I spotted some reflections (and as we all know I love reflective landscapes). Quick stop and I took this scene of Blaven

_DSC9476 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Then swapped lenses out as I saw a cottage I wanted to include for scale and I imagine it is just a wonderful place to live. I cannot decided which of these two I prefer.

_DSC9479 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

What I do know is that once these reeds have gone I will back for more images of this view, especially once the snow comes.

Yesterday I took another run up. Looking at Google Maps there is a nice little Lochan not too far from the road up Glen Sligachan as you turn off the A87 at the Sligachan junction. Maybe a mile up or there is a big layby and from there its maybe a 5min walk. Being a passanger in a friends car when I was "off the road" it was pointed out to me. It looked quite sheltered so despite 5mph winds I thought I'd give it a go and worse case, I would retreat to some falls if the wind picked up. I left the house around 2am and was there for 630am. I wanted to scout the location out and scope it out. I also wanted retreat time in case the winds came. Sadly, true to form, they came with a vengence so what was still became a ripply mess.

I retreated back to the car and drove down to the Sligachan hotel and tried to scope out some falls. Waterfalls bore the life out of me compared to reflections so they were a real second choice photo. To make it worse the river level was low but a 370mile road trip deserves some images...right. So I shot the sequence through from 1st light to the end of Golden hour then drove home

_DSC3374 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

_DSC3380 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

_DSC3395 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr
 
Some beautiful shots well done!
 
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The standout shot for me Steve is no.5, by far. Light is sublime, as is the processing.
 
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#4 for me Steve, I like the broader view and reflection and I think the reeds work better in this one :)
 
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A crack pair (of sets) there Steve.

I know you are perhaps not keen on the reeds interfering with the shot but No.3 in the first set is stunning. Cant put my finger on what I love about it but I find it plays havoc with my eyes (in a good way) :D(y)
 
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Nice set, realy like them all and your quest for light paid off. I prefer the light on the hills of the 1st image to the 2nd. It's just a little too much for me in number 2 but that's not to knock the image, that's just my taste and seeing it against number 1, number 1 gets it.

4 is sublime! (y)

I like the developing story of the light on the hills in the last 3 and the falls make a good foreground interest. You've timed the water just right.

:)
 
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3&5 are smashing Steve where the light is at its best, with preferring the comp of 3 over 4 just as it compresses the layers of colour a bit better. That cottage would have been nice to accommodate but it's a bit too small/far left in that one for me. The seascapes are nice enough with the light but conditions looks a bit on the calm side to get any dynamism in the water which always helps.
 
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Funny you say that I prefer 3 to 4 and with the 1st you've outed the big difficulty I had shooting. These are the only two frames with any whites in them from moving water. The tide was slow and there wasn't enough wind to chop up the water. You've confirmed my worry, they're a bit too calm to have real drama but they have a restful mood to them. I tend to prefer a more restful scene to a high drama one. It's probably why I'm drawn to reflections. Emotions of calm and peace to me are something much more keen to impart than "danger, risk, foreboding" etc

In retrospect I'd have been better doing Elgol on the second trip and Sligachan on the first for ultimate quality of photography though
 
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Cracking shots, Steve.

Difficult to choose between some of them. The golden light on the hills in No2 is excellent but I really like the flecks of dark red light on the distant peaks of the Cullins in No1 and also like the darker tones in general.

I agree the cottage in No4 adds to shot but I find the reflection of the blue sky a bit distracting and prefer the reflection in No3

Can't decide which of the remaining three is, in my mind, "the best" - they are all good ones.

Dave
 
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3 is great and shows you don't have to only shoot at sunrise or sunset.

Out of the last 3 I think the middle one has the most interest.

Unfortunately the 1st 2 whilst nice, are not jumping off the screen. I prefer the balance of the foreground in the first though.
 
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Thanks @Craig_85

3 is my favourite. It's also as a photographer the sort of scene I relish and enjoy shooting the most.

Seascapes just aren't my thing. There's loads of togs out there that do them better than me. When it comes to reflections that list isn't so long.

The problem was the lack of tide movement to give them real drama. A tog like @Steelo who shoots this sort of thing far better than me would probably have picked a different day to do it. It hasn't crossed my mind, I just thought f*uck it I want to go to Elgol.

With reflective landscapes a lot of planning goes in to pick the moment to get it still. Although 3 was just a fluke as it was on the way back but I found composing it and shooting it so natural, so right in a way I just don't with seascapes. But then lakes and mountains is what I truly love seeing and being in
 
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Its a nice set, 1st 2 don't do much for me, this sort of shot with these shutter speeds require more movement IMO, while the light is nice they just feel a bit lifeless. 3 is the standout for me, mainly because of the way the reflections fall and come out of the frame, giving a bit more interest than normal 50/50 mountain reflections. The 5th is the best of the last 3 shots, with the light more appealing IMO.
 
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ST4 said:
Thanks @Craig_85

3 is my favourite. It's also as a photographer the sort of scene I relish and enjoy shooting the most.

Seascapes just aren't my thing. There's loads of togs out there that do them better than me. When it comes to reflections that list isn't so long.

The problem was the lack of tide movement to give them real drama. A tog like @Steelo who shoots this sort of thing far better than me would probably have picked a different day to do it. It hasn't crossed my mind, I just thought f*uck it I want to go to Elgol.

With reflective landscapes a lot of planning goes in to pick the moment to get it still. Although 3 was just a fluke as it was on the way back but I found composing it and shooting it so natural, so right in a way I just don't with seascapes. But then lakes and mountains is what I truly love seeing and being in
Click to expand...

You should have been up Sunday at Loch Fada ;)

To be fair, Loch Scavaig has been flat calm all last week, we were there for sunset on Tuesday and it was rubbish then too, and then across Friday at sunrise which never happened and was flat calm too before we went across to Loch Coruisk.

A cracking set though, the Blaven ones are great.

We got reflections on the wee lochan you mention on the day you were at Elgol, but nothing special. The rivers, especially the Slig and Allt Dearg mor were REALLY low, which scuppers quite a few great waterfall shots along there too.
 
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Lovely images of Elgol and Blahven. It is so spectacular all the way round from Broadford, and you have done these glimpses of the landscape full justice.
 
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Loch Fada @Steelo when I saw yours on Facebook I knew I made a terrible mistake not going to Skye. The forecast over estimated the wind speeds. To get such a good reflection on what is a large body of water is not the work of a minute. It won't happen that often and combined with great light I imagine on an exposed part of Skye maybe only a few times a year

I've not seen the rivers so low. It greyed over and I toyed with the fairy pools but doubted they'rd be enough flow to pull it off.
 
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