A Fantastic Photography Day Out in Wester Ross

Slioch from Loch Maree (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM lens at 17mm, 1/100 sec at f/16, ISO 400, tripod)

I had a great day out with the camera yesterday, with Caz Austen.  We visited a few places around Loch Maree, the pinewoods of Beinn Eighe and Torridon on a wonderful sunny day with pristine blue skies.  The hills had a little dusting of snow on their tops, contrasting beautifully against the blue sky and the last of the autumn colours. 

The above shot was taken from the shore of Loch Maree looking towards Slioch.  The low angle does reduce the impact of the height of the mountain a little, but I like the composition with the rocks in the foreground leading the viewer into the frame.  The next shot better illustrates the steepness of the hillside on the north side of the loch.

Slioch (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/40 sec at f/16, ISO 100, handheld)

We arrived at Loch Maree relatively early, and the light on the trees on the north side produced an attractive image, captured in the following shot.  There was a bit of frost on the trees, creating a slightly muted colour palette.

Sunlight on Autumn Trees by Loch Maree (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 200mm, 1/40 sec at f/8, ISO 200, handheld)

Just back from the shore are some amzing pine trees and a truly odd birch tree.  The following two shots show, first the amazing roots of a large granny pine, right by the shore of the loch.  These roots must have been exposed by the waters of the loch and they create a marvellous pattern against the stones.  The second shot is of a twisted birch branch.  The branch is about 30cm in diameter and looks like it has been corkscrewed somehow.

Granny Pine Roots (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM lens at 22mm, 1/40 sec at f/11, ISO 800, tripod)

Twisted Birch Branch (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM lens at 17mm, 1/80 sec at f/11, ISO 400, handheld)

Further from the loch, moving uphill slightly, there is the pinewood proper, with a great array of old and young trees, offering occasional vistas across the loch towards the hills on the north side.  The first shot was taken looking through the trees towards Slioch again.  The second, looking slightly further east to a smaller knoll known as Beinn A' Mhuinidh.  The early light shining on patches of the woodland provided a lovely mix of light and shade, with some trees highlighted beautifully.

Slioch from the Pinewoods on Beinn Eighe (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 24mm, 1/160 sec at f/16, ISO 400, handheld)

Beinn A' Mhuinidh from the Beinn Eighe Pinewood (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 44mm, 1/80 sec at f/16, ISO 400, handheld)

On turning round from taking this shot to put my camera back in my backpack, I noticed some lovely frosted blaeberries growing out of purple sphagnum moss.  I decided to experiment with a little macro photography using my Sigma 105mm macro lens and a variety of combinations of extension tubes to try and get in really close.  These two shots are the best of the lot.  I love the frost crystals on the leaves.

Frosty Baleberry Plant (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens with three extension tubes, 0.6 sec at f/16, ISO 400, tripod)

Close Crop of Frosty Blaeberry Plant (same settings as the above but cropped in close in Photoshop)

By this time it was nearing luncthime so we decided to head to Torridon for some food.  On the way I decided to stop for a quick visit to Loch Clair to catch the views of Liathach and its reflection in what had to be a flat calm loch.  My guess was accurate and on arrival we were both stunned by the perfection of the view.  Quite a bit later we left for a late lunch with lots of shots and just about every angle covered.  These are a selection of my favourites, some in colour, others in balck & white.

Liathach from Loch Clair (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/125 sec at f/13, ISO 200, tripod)

Liathach from Loch Clair (B&W) (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, 1/80 sec at f/16, ISO 200, tripod)

Coulin Forest from Loch Clair (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 150mm, 1/320 sec at f/8, ISO 200, handheld)

Crags on Liathach and Pine Trees by Loch Clair (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 185mm, 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 200, handheld)

Piine Trees by Loch Clair (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 125mm, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Caz, Shooting in Manual Mode! (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 200mm, 1/200 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Getting Close (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 195mm, 1/800 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200, handheld)

After lunch we headed along the north side of Loch Torridon to Diagbaig.  By this time the light was getting pretty low, but it was still quite bright.  The low angle of the sun was producing wonderfully warm light and amazing colours.  It had been a long time since I was last in Diabaig, it wont be so long again as it is a fantastic place for photography.

Diabaig Pier (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 24mm, 1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 400, handheld)

Houses at Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 95mm, 1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 400, handheld)

Tin Shed, Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 110mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Phone Box, Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Sheds, Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/100 sec at f/11, ISO 400, handheld)

Old House, Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 115mm, 1/80 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Wreck, Diabaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)

Wreck, Diabaig (B&W) (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)