Picture of the month | May 2011

I had been looking forward to May for a while mainly due to a planned return to the Scottish Highlands to capture images of the splendour of the Cairngorms National Park for a forthcoming book to be published by Halsgrove.  The weather at the start of the month was simply fantastic so imagine my dismay when the forecast for my planned visit was simply horrific.  Unfortunately work and home commitments meant that I was unable to reschedule the trip so there was only one decision to make - To cancel the trip or go ahead and hope for the best.

It can be so easy to get disillusioned with a trip when you find yourself sitting in a tent with rain battering on the canvas.  OK, modern technology like my newly purchased iPad means that I can continue to work but when you are in a location like the Cairngorms it seems an almost criminal action to do. I was there to make images and although poor weather can really hamper the image making process, it can also provide some outstanding natural lighting that can simply not be found at any other time.

In between hiding behind bushes to shelter from the wind and constant wiping of the front element of my lens to remove raindrops, I managed to create some memorable images that I feel convey the emotion of trip perfectly.

Typically is was on the drive home to Northumberland when the weather began to improve. Consistent sunny spells with occasional light showers created the perfect environment for rainbows to appear.  Unfortunately I was driving down the A1 through the Scottish Borders when the rainbow pictured here magically appeared.  At first it was a perfect ark above the border landscape yet however hard I looked I could not find a suitable viewpoint to do it justice.  I continued to drive and as the last rays of the setting sun started to paint the clouds a magical orange glow, I managed to reach the small village of Burnmouth.

Time was running out. I had followed this rainbow for nearly 20 miles but by now the sun had nearly disappeared below the horizon. I had little choice other than to fit my 70-200mm zoom lens and create a composition around the rainbow itself.  I decided to keep a slim slither of the North Sea mainly to enable a sense of belonging and place for the rainbow.  I took this shot and then it was over. The rainbow disappeared in front of my eyes.  But I had the shot of the trip.

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Highlands Revisited

It has been nearly a year since Lynette and myself braved the wet Scottish weather to walk the West Highland Way. We vowed to never visit the West Highlands during the autumn months again… but you know what they say - Never say never!

So we have just returned from a family trip to the Isle of Skye and the Western Highlands, and for once the weather was on our side! As I was actually up in the highlands for a holiday, I had no intention of shooting loads of images. I did however religiously check the weather forecast and when the conditions were looking good, guess who was out of bed and up in the hills way before sunrise?

I have waited years to get a good shot of Rannoch Moor. My own requirements were quite high - I needed a good viewpoint, an interesting sky and fantastic light. Not a small order when you consider that it seems to rain whenever I visit the highlands!

But here it is. One of my favourite shots from a sunrise session last week. To be honest I was greeted by rain when I first arrived at Lochan an Stainge on Rannoch but I waited just in case. Then I started to see a break in the clouds and a sudden flash of light on the infamous Black Mount. What followed was a typical race against time to capture the image before the light disappeared. My 5D was already on the tripod with the filter holder in place on my 17-40mm Lens so it was simply a case of creating a composition which made the most of the light, placing a 3-stop hard grad in the holder, checking the focus, locking the mirror and then taking the shot.

The light lasted just 5 minutes before returning to the kind of weather I have grown to expect from the Scottish HIghlands!

The Wet Highland Way

I have just returned from nine days north of the border with my wife, Lynette, in bonnie Scotland. The plan was to capture some autumnal images whilst walking the West Highland Way - An official UK long distance walking track covering some 95 miles from Milngavie in Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands. I had it all planned... early morning photography sessions photographing picturesque Scottish landscapes on crisp, sunny autumn days.

If only this had been the case!

Anybody living in the north-west of England or western Scotland will tell you that the weather last week was horrendous, in fact even dangerous. We were greeted at Milngavie by high winds which quickly became rain. After two days of this we had a brief interlude (just to lull me into a false sense of security) before the rain started again with even stronger, gale force winds. There was snow on the peaks surrounding us on the walk, incredibly picturesque - just a shame that the winds were strong enough to blow both Lynette and myself over! 95 miles carrying a camera and tripod for a handful of shots is incredibly frustrating.

I managed a few shots at Loch Lomond before the storms arrived and a couple more during the period of the calm before the next storm! The West Highland Way images can be viewed by clicking here.

There is an upside to everything though. At least the Midges were not causing us any problems!