IAIN TURNBULL PHOTOGRAPHY
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Landscape
    • Black & White
    • Buildings & Architecture
    • Birds
    • Macro
    • Miscellaneous
    • Photo Painting
  • Sales
  • Photography Blog
  • Contact
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Landscape
    • Black & White
    • Buildings & Architecture
    • Birds
    • Macro
    • Miscellaneous
    • Photo Painting
  • Sales
  • Photography Blog
  • Contact
Picture

Photography Blog

A few days in the far north-west

22/6/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Suilven and Old House at Elphin (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 35mm, 1/80 sec at f/16, ISO 400, Zomei ND 0.9 HD Glass Grad Filter, tripod)
I got back yesterday evening from a couple of days farther north in Coigach, Assynt and Durness, with a detour home via Altnaharra and Lairg, and have spent a few hours today processing images.  Despite lots of driving I had plenty of opportunity to get my camera gear out and enjoyed it very much.  The above shot is one of my favourites from the tirp, although I have shot this old building before I think I prefer this angle and the clouds and mixed light on Suilven in the background make for a compelling composition.  It looks good in desaturated colour as well although, personally, I prefer the monochrome version.  I also had my Intrepid 5x4" film camera with me so I exposed a few sheets of film at this location as well.  I now have 12 sheets of film ready for development, so a spell in the darkrom is required soon.  Watch out for a post with the results.
Picture
Suilven and Old House at Elphin - Desaturated (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 35mm, 1/80 sec at f/16, ISO 400, Zomei ND 0.9 HD Glass Grad Filter, tripod)
The above shot is one of three that I took of old abandoned dwellings during my trip.  This part of Scotland is of course well-known for the part it played in the story of the Highland Clearances so it is perhaps not too surprising that there is plenty of evidence of older habitation, often in some incredibly remote spots.  It is, I think, somewhat ironic that so much of the north-west is not only denuded of people but also of trees and its natural vegetation, as a result of the extensive sheep farming that prevails there.  So, as you will see in these three images, there is not a lot of woodland, and there is lots of empty space.
Picture
Solmar, Durness (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 50mm, 1/125 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, Zomei ND 0.6 HD Glass Grad Filter, handheld)
Solmar is a small collection of old structures located on the headland beyond the old church and the golf course at Balnakeil Bay in Durness.  Just beyond the ruins it is possible to make out the ancient field patterns of what would once have been croft land which would have been cultivated.  Beyond that are the amazing sands and torquoise waters of the Kyle of Durness with Fashven in the background.   This image also works well in monochrome but in this case I prefer the colour version as the ruins stand out more clearly and the contrasting colours of the sand and the sea make it special, although the field patterns do stand out better in black & white.
Picture
Solmar, Durness (B&W) (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 50mm, 1/125 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, Zomei ND 0.6 HD Glass Grad Filter, handheld)
The last of the three old buildings is located at Alnabad, above Strathmore, close by the minor road from Hope to Altnaharra.  This is a slightly more recent structure than those at Solmar but has none-the-less been long abandoned, and given its location in the middle of nowhere it is not at all surprising.  This shot was taken from beside the road, looking west towards the empty lands of the Reay Forest (an ironic name if ever there was one as there are virtually no natural trees here at all, only some ill-conceived forestry plantations).  The clouds were looming over the hills but there was some light getting through in patches, helping to illustrate the landforms.  The overall perception was one of desolation.  It must have been a pretty unappealing place on a bad winter's night.
Picture
Abandoned Dwelling at Alnabad, Strath Hope (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 47mm, 1/80 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, Zomei ND 0.6 HD Glass Grad Filter, handheld)
This one also works well in black & white.
Picture
Abandoned Dwelling at Alnabad, Strath Hope (B&W) (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 47mm, 1/80 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, Zomei ND 0.6 HD Glass Grad Filter, handheld)
The following shot is my other favourite from the trip.  I really love the light that you get at Durness, and particularly on the Kyle of Durness with its amazing sands when the tide is out.  On this occasion the tide was well out and, while it was pretty overcast, there were gaps in the clouds which were providing amazing shifting light on the sands and the many channels by which the River Dionard reaches the sea.  I managed to time this shot to capture one of those shifting patches of light falling on the house at Altanan.  The contrasting colours and light and shade make this a really dramatic exposure and one that I am sure I will print so I can have it somewhere on the wall.
Picture
Shifting Light on Altanan and the Sands of the Kyle of Durness (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/400 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, handheld)
At Achnahaird Bay the Sea Thrift was in full flower on the saltmarsh at the head of the beach.  It was a truly impressive dislay of soft pink flowers, visible from the road.  I made my way down to the beach specifically to try and capture some shots of this colourful feature, set against the rugged landscape of Coigach.  These three are my favourites.
Picture
Sea Thrift at Achnahaird Bay (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/50 sec at f/16, ISO 100, handheld)
Picture
Sea Thrift and Coul Mor, Stac Pollaidh & Coul Beag in the background from Achnahaird Bay (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/50 sec at f/16, ISO 100, handheld)
Picture
Sea Thrift at Achnahaird Bay with the Wester Ross hills in the background (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/60 sec at f/16, ISO 100, handheld)
The following images are a few of the others I captured during the trip.  Some of these work well and others perhaps less so, but if you don't try things out you never really improve.  The black & white shots of the trees and the drystone wall didn't really come together as I had hoped, but I quite like them all the same.
Picture
Birch Stems, Lochinver (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 50mm, 1/160 sec at f/4.0, ISO 400, handheld)
Picture
Drystone Wall and Birch Stem, Lochinver (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 50mm, 1/320 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, handheld)
Picture
Birch Trees, Lochinver (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 24mm, 1/20 sec at f/11, ISO 200, handheld)
Picture
Wood Sorrel, Lochinver (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/320 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, handheld)
Picture
Bluebells, Lochinver (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, handheld)
Picture
Quinaig and Loch Nedd (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 41mm, 1/60 sec at f/11, ISO 100, Zomei ND 0.6 HD galss Grad Filter, handheld)
Picture
Stac Pollaidh (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 70mm, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, handheld)
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    I am an amateur photographer who is also a Chartered Geographer with his own part-time consultancy business and I work as an estate manager for a national conservation charity in Scotland.  I am based in Lochalsh, Wester Ross, Scotland, just next to the Isle of Skye.

    Sales

    If you like my photos and are interested in purchasing prints, whether framed, mounted or otherwise please click here.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    January 2025
    August 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly