A Stormy Day in South Skye

Spotlight on Dun Scaich, Tocavaig, Isle of Skye (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, OM M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 Pro lens at 150mm, 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 800, handheld)

The weather forecast for today was pretty abysmal with very strong westerly winds anticipated, along with periods of heavy rain - just lovely.  However, I had to take a trip to Sleat this morning, so took my camera and headed out into the storm to see what I could find to photograph.  In reality it was not nearly as bad as I expected, and I was lucky enough to get some small breaks in the cloud, with spots of bright sunshine, and some rainbows as well.  The above shot was taken from the shore at Tocavaig, on the west side of the Sleat peninsula, looking west towards the ruined castle of Dun Scaich.  Normally the Elgol peninsula is visible in the background on this shot, but at this point in time, between squalls, there was just dense, dark cloud and a short break overhead was spotlighting the little promontory with the remains of the castle really nicely.  I took a few shots at different zoom lengths, see below.

Spotlight on Dun Scaich, Tocavaig, Isle of Skye (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, OM M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 Pro lens at 97mm, 1/320 sec at f/8, ISO 800, handheld)

Spotlight on Dun Scaich, Tocavaig, Isle of Skye (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, OM M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 Pro lens at 49mm, 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 800, handheld)

On the other side of the peninsula, just north of the Clan Donald Centre, I stopped by the roadside to try and capture the light on the Sound of Sleat.  Looking south-east towards Mallaig was a bit challenging due to bright light shining through the overcast, but looking north, past Sabhal Mor Ostaig (the UHI's Gaelic College), provided just what I was looking for.  The clouds were quite oppresive, but the sea was relatively calm on this side of the peninsula.  A break in the cloud behind me was illuminating Sabhal Mor Ostaig really well, making it stand out against the darker background.  In the distance on the right, there is a hint of light on Beinn Sgritheall above Loch Hourn, and the pink bouy just adds a colourful point of interest in the sea as a counterpoint to the highlighted building of the college.  Sabhal Mor Ostaig must have one of the most spectacular views of any academic institution, anywhere in the world.

Sabhal Mor Ostaig and the ound of Sleat (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens at 35mm, 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, handheld)

I had planned to try and do a little macro photography, but with the windy conditions it proved to be really challenging to get sharp images, with everything blowing around so much.  The shot of this small variegated ivy leaf was the only one that I was really happy with. I like the overall softness in this shot, and while the colour version was good, I felt the contrasting tones of the leaf came out much better in monochrome.

Variegated Ivy Leaf (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, 1/100 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld)

Finally, another black & white image, taken above Tarskavaig, looking towards the Cuillins.  The light was pretty dark and the crofting township in the foreground was a bit gloomy.  With a neutral density filter effect applied in post-processing to darken the sky and balance the exposure, I feel I managed to capture something of the atmosphere.  The overall effect is quite dated, but I like it.

Murky Weather on the Cuillins from Tarskavaig (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, OM M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 Pro lens at 40mm, 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 800, handheld)