At the last minute, I decided to venture up to Glencoe for a one night camp. The weather looked fantastic with clear skies after sunset which would be perfect for some astro photos.
As this was a last minute thing, I did very little research on places to shoot and took a chance on new locations. My first location was an early morning visit to the three sisters to shoot the down the valley. I wanted a slightly elevated view to get a better perspective so I climbed the closest hill with a view to camping later that day. Now!, I'm sure this is a popular spot to shoot from but I loved the overall scene, I tried a further 100 meters further up the hill but was losing the right hand side of the valley. Back down to the original spot and took a couple of test shots hoping it would be a perfect spot to take in the night sky. Unfortunately, the wind speed was increasing more now and took the decision to find an alternative place to pitch up for the night. I will definitely be back to this spot but here is a shot of my time there.
When you struggle and come unprepared for the location, I tend to “go with what you know” and headed back to my beloved waterfalls.
Who would have thought it, Scotland has had a drought so early in the year!! Well, I should say, a massive lack of rainfall. The steams, waterfalls and valleys are desperately barrenwhich totally destroys any possible shot that I was looking for. As this was the afternoon, I had plenty of time to locate a sunset shot. I searched the area looking for anything with contrast, leading lines or beautiful foreground. Nothing!! or should I say, “nothing that appealed to me”. Never the less, I was too tired to drive anywhere else so I pitched the tent.
As I had set up camp in a hotspot area for photographers, I had the opportunity to meet some very nice people ( and one idiot). It really does amaze me why people think one brand of camera is better than other, obviously, the man has no sense and deluded to think it’s the camera that takes the photo!!
As the day drew to a close, I still hadn’t found a shot, even in the gorgeous surroundings. To be honest, I wasn't to bothered. I had a lovely chat with this young fellow who was hill walking during the day. Unfortunately, I never got his name but it was truly great to see a young lad out climbing hills himself.
I still had my camera set up for some sort of night shot and again, the uncontrollable weather intervened. A very strong haze never lifted all day and as it was a last minute dash, I never checked the position of the moon or its chart. Anyway, at about 1am I went out for some photos, the moon was right about the mountain taking away any chance I had at astro photos. I just had some fun with jumping in my shots.
After such a short night and 3 hours sleep, I went a couple of miles up the road to the small quaint cottage where the river flows towards the mountains. Apart from the lack of clouds, it was a beautiful morning, I waited for the sun to light up the tops of the hills and exposed a few shots. It was 5.30am and I was the only person there! the peacefulness and tranquility of that morning was honestly, one of the best I've ever had, truly stunning with the mist blowing through the valley and the tops of the mountains glowing a red colour. Unforgettable experience.
Finally, on the way home, I couldnt resist one last shot. It was still early and the sun was shining directly on Buachaille Etive Mor, I stopped off at the bridge and clambered down towards the river. There was no real foreground interest but I had a beautiful reflection, why not eh!
