Coigach Holiday

Sunset and Loch a' Chaorainn, Achnahaird (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/5L IS USM lens at 40mm, 1/40 sec at f/8.0, ISO 1600, handheld panorama of 5 images)

During a week-long trip to the Achiltibuie area the week before last I managed to get a few worthwhile shots despite mostly poor weather.  We had a couple of really excellent evenings with spectacular sunsets and two really sunny hot days but otherwise it was rain and very low cloud/mist.  The above shot was taken on our first night looking north-west from the roadside above Achanhaird, across Loch a' Chaorainn.  The colours were fantastic with blues, pinks and yellow/orange blending wonderfully and reflected in the loch.

The following image was taken almost one hour later at 11:22 pm, looking across a small lochan known as Dubh-Lochan (black loch) towards the hills above Achnaihaird.  The reflected sunset highlights the stones and reeds in the loch.  I really love the soft tones in this one, and it was worth putting up with the midges to get it right.

Sunset on Dubh-Lochan near Loch Osgaig (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/5L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1.6 sec at f/16, ISO 400, tripod)

The next image was taken on the hot sunny day and I resorted to looking at close-up shots of flowers and the like, since the landscape was just to contrasty and the sky not very exciting for good landscape shots.  This one is of Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum,) one of my favourite bog/moorland plants which almost looks like it should be in the orchid family.  "The Latin name of Bog Asphodel, ossifragum, literally translates as 'bone-breaker'. This unassuming plant acquired this violent name because it was believed that the livestock that grazed on it got brittle bones. However, it was actually the calcium-poor pastures that caused the problem" (The Wildlife Trusts).

Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum) (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma DG 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens, 1/30 sec at f/16, ISO 200, tripod)

Towards the end of the week, after several days of very low cloud and rain, we were treated to another lovely evening and I got the following shots across the Summer Isles and at the harbour at Old Dornie.

Evening Light, The Summer Isles (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sigma DG 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Macro lens at 238mm, 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100 handheld)

Sunset, Old Dornie, Coigach (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at 82mm, 1/4 sec at f/16, ISO 100, tripod)

Sunset, Old Dornie, Coigach (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at 58mm, 1/100 sec at f/8.0, ISO 400, tripod)