Photography Blog
 Dun Scaich and the Cuillins (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma 150-500mm f/5.6-6.3 DG HSM IS lens at 150mm, 1/800 sec at f/8.0, ISO 400, handheld) Yesterday was such a beautiful day that it would have been inexcusable not to go out with the camera. In all honesty, the light was so bright and contrasty that it made photgraphing some scenes pretty challenging. The ND grad filters were in use for a lot of the landscape shots as a result. The above shot was taken from the Tocabhaig to Tarscabhaig road, looking towards the Cuiilins, with the ruins of Dun Scaich (pronounced "skee" apparently) in the foreground. There was no ND filter used for this one as I didn't have an adaptor to fit the lens with me. I don't use this big lens much, but it makes for some lovely shots when used at its minimum zoon, foreshortening the distances really nicely. The following shot was taken at Ord, again looking towards the Cuillins and Bla Bheinn, truly spectacular scenery.  The Cuillins & Bla Bheinn from Ord Beach (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 28mm, 1/250 sec at f/16, ISO 400, ND8 grad filter, tripod) I took a little detour into Tarscabhaig to search for old abandoned dwellings, for a project I am doing for my HNC in Photography. I found a few likely subjects worth another visit when the light is a bit more moody and dramatic. However, I also spotted an unusual sight these days, piles of grass being set aside for hay or silage. Normally, this is simply cut into rows and then baled and wrapped in black plastic. I am not sure how this was going to be baled, but perhaps into old fashioned square bales? Anyway, I could not resist taking a shot with Rum in the background.  Piles of Drying Hay, Tarscabhaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 80mm, 1/200 sec at f/16, ISO 400, filter, handheld) Tarscabhaing is a lovely, picturesque crofting tonwship located on the west side of the Sleat peninsula. Crofting is still pretty active there and the croft houses are spread around the sloping ground making for a great foreground against the backdrop of the Cuillins. You can just make out the moon in the top left corner of the image.  Tarscabhaig and the Cuillins & Bla Bheinn (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 40mm, 1/200 sec at f/16, ISO 400, ND8 grad filter, handheld) Earlier in the day, before heading over to Skye, I took a trip to Ardelve, then over Carr Brae for a view down Loch Duich. Many years previously I took some photos of an old thatched croft house and some other sheds in Ardelve. I was a bit saddend to see the poor condition of the thatched cottage, with rotten thatch and tufts of grass growing out of it. The walls poorly maintained and the property obviously unused. Anyway, I took a couple of shots of the windows and a nearby timber shed. Let's hope something is done to renovate the cottage before it is too late.  Window of Thatched Croft House, Ardelve (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/30 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)  Timber Shed, Ardelve (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 60mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld) The view from Carr Brae is wonderful when the light is good, as it was on Saturday morning. Looking into the sun posed some challenges but I managed to get a couple of shots that did not have too many sun flares on them. This one really shows how much of a fjord Loch Duich is.  Kintail & Loch Duich from Carr Brae (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 67mm, 1/250 sec at f/11, ISO 400, ND8 grad filter, handheld) I also succumbed to the familiar photo looking up Loch Alsh with Eilean Donan Castle in the foreground. It was really a beautiful morning, so that's my excuse.  Eilean Donan Castle & Loch Alsh from Carr Brae (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 24mm, 1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 400, ND8 grad filter, handheld) My final shots from the day are of the old boatman's house at Totaig on the opposite side of Loch Duich from Eilean Donan. The first shot shows the approach to the house and slipway where the ferry used to run to Dornie, while the second is another one of those window shots, which I like so much.  Totaig Boatman's House & Slipway (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 24mm, 1/200 sec at f/8, ISO 400, handheld)  Window, Totaig Boatman's House (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens at 82mm, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 400,handheld)
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 Little Spider Spining a Web on Heather (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-300mm f/5.6-6.3 DG Macro lens at 214mm with extension tubes, 1/80 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, handheld) This little guy was sitting on his web, between two shoots fo heather, waiting for some prey. I caught sight of it on a test image I had done with my new phone camera while out with the dogs, so popped back to the house and got my DSLR and macro lens. The position was about head height and my tripod would not allow me to get the right angle for the shot. So I had to opt for handheld. I took a few shots and this was the only one that came out reasonably sharp.
 Mushroom Cluster (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens, 1/25 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, tripod, focus stack of 13 images) This afternoon I spotted some interesting brown mushrooms/toadstools in the Lochalsh Woodland Walks. I am not sure what this species of fungi is called so if you know, please get back to me. I returned with my camera gear later on, to try out some macro shots, and specifically to try out focus stacking using Photoshop. I took a straight macro shot using my Sigma 105mm macro lens at f/16 to try and get as much of the fungi in focus as possible. This worked OK (see below), but the background was not as soft as I would have liked. This being the conundrum of using macro lenses, balancing depth of field to achieve a nice soft bokeh effect.  Mushrooms (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens, 1 sec at f/16, ISO 200, tripod) So, I took thirteen shots of the mushroom, focusing on different parts of the image as I went. The camera was set at f/2.8, my lens' widest aperture, taking care to avoid movement of the camera on the tripod, using my remote trigger to take the shots. The result is shown at the top of this post, and as you can see the whole of the mushroom is in focus but the background is beautifully soft. I tried another single larger mushroom nearby, this time with a stack of fourteen images. This one worked well too, as you can see below.  Mushroom (Canon OS 5D Mark II, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG lens, 1/25 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, tripod, focus stack of 14 images) |
AuthorI 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. SalesIf you like my photos and are interested in purchasing prints, whether framed, mounted or otherwise please click here.
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