Beach panoramas

Harris, day three
I discovered the panorama feature on my camera! The beautiful beach in the first shot is Tràigh Iar (where we went on our first afternoon). After we'd mooched about photographing Luskentyre beach (middle photo), we drove right round the estuary to the other side (third photo), past Seilebost where the tide had come in, and stopped for coffee at a brand new community enterprise centre, Talla na Mara, from where the top photo was taken. The centre is an exciting concept, designed to provide facilities for local residents, visitors and businesses. There is a restaurant, exhibition space, creative arts workshops and office space.

On the same site there were six new residential buildings, which appeared to have charging points for electric vehicles. I was a little surprised at that but perhaps I shouldn't be. Electricity is probably easier to access than vehicle fuel on Harris and the distances you'd need to drive are not huge on a small island. A lot of the older properties on Harris are functional, pebble-dashed bungalows, as well as many empty, derelict crofts. From what I can gather, the population plummeted by 50% since the 1950s and by 2007 35% of properties were holiday homes. It seems that there has been some fresh thinking and investment in the last ten years, resulting in an increase of 20% in the population of West Harris, and some very modern and innovative residential building projects. (See HERE for some examples, from the Skye-based design team that built the community centre).

And then there was another sunset, enjoyed from the dunes overlooking Seilebost:

Dunes

Harris, day three
The land edge of Luskentyre beach is a mass of sand dunes, held in place to some extent by marram grass. There were other plants too, like the pretty pinky mauve sea rocket (middle foreground of picture above). It's an interesting and challenging landscape to capture in photos. The shots I liked best were close-ups:

Some show interesting patterns in the sand. These are not the result of wet/dry patches or light/shadow but appeared to be produced by different tones of sand grains. Fascinating. 

I found a tiny toadstool too, which I think is a Dune Waxcap (Hygrocybe conicoides):

Maybe that is what gives the islanders the idea of putting bright orange corrugated iron roofs on their buildings. I'm glad they chose a blue front door here! 

Tarbert and Luskentyre

Harris, day three
I knew I needed to catch up on my sleep by this stage, so I stayed in bed whilst most of the others (younger, by and large!) went out on a pre-dawn shoot. Rested and refreshed, I had a little before-breakfast wander round the village of Tarbert where we were staying. It's a ferry port for Uig on Skye and also has a distillery, opened in 2015, where they make the seaweed-infused Isle of Harris Gin. I don't drink alcohol so I didn't try it but my fellow photographers enjoyed it in the hotel bar in the evenings. The sun was catching the heather on the bank opposite our hotel and the colours really reminded me of Harris tweed. It's easy to see where the inspiration comes from for the lovely subtle colours of the famous woollen cloth they weave there.

When I got down to the harbour, the air was very still, making for lovely reflections.

Our day out began at the famous Luskentyre beach (Tràigh Losgaintir), a shallow estuary where the tide ebbs and flows to create wonderful and ever-changing symphonies of turquoise water and silvery sand.

The sunset show, day two

Harris, day two
Tràigh na Cleabhaigh produced the most wonderful, dramatic twilight show. Here it could be enjoyed looking both west as the sun sank over the sea and east to the rosy-hued clouds. Slow shutter speeds seemed to bring out the colours rather beautifully.

Big skies and details

Harris, day two
Up to this point we'd not done much walking, just hopping out of the van and pottering on beaches and places of interest, so it was a welcome relief to stretch my legs with a walk to the spot chosen to enjoy the sunset. This was the beach Tràigh na Cleabhaig, under the hill called Ceapabhal on the north-western tip of Harris. It had a dual aspect, over to another beach called Tràigh an Taoibh Thuath. (These Gaelic names might arguably be easier to pronounce after a few glasses of Harris gin!)

We passed a sheep with magnificent horns, who was safely in a little fenced field and didn't seem fazed by a troop of photographers passing by.

There were details to enjoy: a fence made from old pallets and rope, its blue tones counterpointed by the scarlet rose-hips behind it. 

And of course, the marram grasses in the dunes behind the beach. These had created wonderful swirly patterns in the sand, where the wind had caught them.

The lochan

Harris, day two
We stopped for a couple of hours on the Golden Road near Scadabay, beside some lochans (apparently the correct name for a little Scottish loch, though some variations were suggested - lochlet being one). It was a very attractive spot, nestled among hills and rocks, and with several different varieties of reeds, bog bean and waterlilies to keep us photographers happy. Personally, I was happy not to fall in! The ground was boggy and peaty and several times proved not as stable as it looked!

My polarising filter got an outing here, darkening the water and reducing the reflections to provide a dramatic backdrop for the lily pads. I took quite a few photos of them, fascinated by the sinuous stems and placement of the leaves. This is one of my favourites:

The reeds made lovely squiggly patterns too. I had fun trying to find and isolate little groups of stems.

This scrubby little tree (an unusual sight in a landscape that is largely treeless) was clinging on improbably to the rock. Its few remaining leaves and berries, illuminated in the weak sunlight, transformed it into quite a thing of beauty.

The Golden Road

Harris, day two
Our second day on Harris included a tour of the Golden Road, a scenic route that winds its way around the east coast from just south of Tarbert to the village of Rodel, linking many tiny settlements at one time only accessible by boat. The coast is indented with sea lochs and studded with lakes, and affords some lovely vistas over rocky islets and gentle hills, with views across to the Isle of Skye on the horizon. 

The picture above is Loch Plocrapool. (The place names have many spellings, hovering somewhere between the traditional Gaelic and more anglicised versions.)

Below is a view over Manish. The building with the rusty, decaying roof is apparently an old post office that at one time held the only telephone in the area.

All the roads on Harris are narrow and winding, with passing places marked at regular intervals. Most drivers were very considerate, especially since we were travelling in a minivan that took up quite a lot of space! I was glad I wasn't driving. There was the added hazard of free-wandering sheep. Most of them looked very white and fluffy, almost as though they'd just been shampooed, so they were not too difficult to see, even in the dark. Perhaps it's all the rain that keeps them clean!

A gentle dawn

Harris, day two
Our pattern for the trip was to rise early, when it was still dark, and leave the hotel about 6.15 am for a dawn shoot. We'd then return about 9 am for a hearty and much appreciated breakfast. An hour or so 'recovery time' after breakfast gave us chance to regroup practically and mentally, then we'd be off again, exploring and taking photos until after sunset.

The first morning, we went to the beach at Tràigh Rosamol, just around the corner from the celebrated Luskentyre beach. I rarely see sunrise in these heady days of retirement, so it was pretty amazing to experience it there. The island of Taransay was again on the horizon. The light got gradually more blue as the sun came up behind us.

When the light got brighter, I was attracted to the patterns and textures on the beach. There was a stream flowing into the sea, creating some intricate motifs of dark and light sand. 

First Harris sunset

Harris, day one
We stayed on the beach at Tràigh Iar until after sunset, enjoying how the light and colours changed. It was just magical, and photos can only hint at the beauty. It was a delicate, cloudy sunset, subtle in its majesty.

Tràigh Iar

Harris, day one
Don't bother looking at my posts for a few days if you get bored of sky, sea, sand and rocks... because basically that is all there is to the Isle of Harris. Sky, sea, sand and rocks of the highest order though, one has to say. It's not an environment that I'm familiar with, living so far from the coast, and initially I felt rather frustrated at my lack of ability to 'see' photographic compositions beyond the most obvious. It was, however, exhilarating simply to be there and experience it - the clear air, the amazing colours, the sound of the waves. Harris is famed for its turquoise sea and light sand. You could be forgiven for thinking you were in the tropics, if only it were a little warmer. To my surprise, the sea even looked turquoise when the sky was dull, so it can't simply be to do with the light.

Our first afternoon was spent on the beach at Tràigh Iar, a pretty little crescent with views over to the Isle of Taransay.

I spent a bit of time experimenting with my ND filter to blur the movement of the water and also played around with some camera movement, both quite satisfying. The soft blur seems, perhaps paradoxically, to suit the scenery.

I've spent as long again trying out different ways of processing of my photos and that is very much a work in progress. Subtle alterations can really make a difference so I can see I'm going to keep going back and tweaking them.

Welcome to Harris

I've just had the most wonderful holiday (end of September), fulfilling a long-held dream to visit the island of Harris and Lewis (yes, it is all one land mass) in the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. It was a photography tour, run by Lizzie Shepherd and Alex Hare, both of whom are amazing and inspirational photographers with much experience of leading groups to this beautiful part of the British Isles.

I had a great time, though there were aspects that I found challenging, especially since my deafness makes interaction in a group somewhat tricky. The other folks on the tour were really lovely though, with some very experienced photographers among them. It was a delight and a privilege to spend time with them.

Over the next several days I shall post a few of my favourite photos from there, though I am still working through them. I know that it's best to let a bit of time elapse and then look again at the images, as sometimes I change my mind about the merits of them. When I've just got back from a trip, I can be a little too emotionally invested in my photos, whereas later I can approach them more dispassionately and make better judgments. On the flip side, I do want to write up a journal while I can still remember the details.

These first three pictures were all taken at a brief stop we made on the journey from Stornoway airport to our hotel in Tarbert, Harris, at a viewpoint at Loch Seaforth. We were delighted to find there was still some heather in bloom. (What is Scotland without the heather?) Not so delighted that it was threatening rain - but actually, compared to the weather they got back home the same week, we did extremely well and only got wet a handful of times.

An eye opener!

This isn't my eye... but it's here to illustrate the next little adventure I'm going to have in a day or two: cataract surgery. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, though no-one seems to think it's a big deal. It will be carried out at a nearby eye clinic under a local anaesthetic and I gather the operation only takes around half an hour. I shall be home in time for lunch!

I won't be able to drive for a while afterwards and it may take several weeks to settle down so that I can get a new prescription for glasses (assuming I still need them). I'm mainly concerned that I'll be bored, if I can't read very well and I can't play with my photos or post to my blog for a while. What will I do? Housework? Baking?

Fear not though... I've recently come back from holiday in Harris and Lewis so I'm about to start a blog series with photos that I took there. And then if I still need more, there are some local ones I've taken especially. Hopefully I will be back, taking photos and online, before too long. See you soon (and more clearly, I hope!)

Photo by Laitr Keiows, used unchanged under Creative Commons Licence. 
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

Puppy in the woods

I had a day over at my daughter's house, looking after my grandchildren - and (rather scarily!) my new grand-dog - as the girls were off school for half-term and their parents were both working. When my daughter got home, we took the puppy, Cookie, for a walk in the woods. That's a very new experience for me, as I've never had a dog, ever. They are training him and taking him to puppy classes, so he's beginning to learn how to behave. He is allowed off the lead a little now, though cautiously, as he's still a bit unpredictable. He responds quite well to his 'mum' and 'dad', though less well to me. I suppose he isn't used to my voice and I'm not used to him so I guess my anxiety is discernable. The woods around their house are beautiful and the view from their front windows, over the Calder valley, is currently stunning with all the autumn golds.

It's not often I get a photo of me these days. My daughter takes the credit for these two, taken on her phone and used with her permission.

Just with my phone

I finally treated myself to a new phone, after having a scare when my old one refused to charge up for a while. The renewed battery life alone has made it worth the expense! It has a much better camera than the old phone too, so I decided I'd leave my Fuji behind when I went for a walk recently and just use the phone. It's pretty good. Though some of the images don't look quite pin sharp to me, it renders colours well. It has a wider angle lens than my usual Fuji lens, so big views like the one above, of Roberts Park from the footbridge, are easier to take. There is lots to experiment with; I expect I'll get the hang of it eventually. 

It was a glorious autumn day. After several days of continual rain, the river was very full and the weirs were dramatic. 

Tree colour has come on a lot in the last week or so too. It all looked beautiful along the promenade, around the bandstand.

An unimportant object

The project for my online group in October was a bit of a challenge. The theme was 'an unimportant object, something that a burglar would probably leave behind but that to you is actually significant'. That in itself wasn't too hard. I chose a tiny snail shell, no bigger than my pinky fingernail. I find I am drawn to natural objects, so around the house I have a few small collections of water-smoothed pebbles gathered from various beaches, feathers I've picked up on my walks and some little shells like this one. Nothing of use to a burglar! I enjoyed the challenge of capturing the exquisite shell with my macro lens.

The second part of the brief was to render it in a manner inspired by a photographer called Ray Spence, whose work is definitely 'edgy'. (See HERE).  (I can't say I really like much of it, but that's just a personal view and I do like that he is doing something different and thoughtful.) He often uses the wet plate collodion technique, an early photographic methodology. Thankfully we weren't expected to do that! But we were invited to use a square format, monochrome and to capture something of the spirit of that technique in our photos.

I don't know if I succeeded... I did have fun playing, using a texture layer and a border to try to achieve the right feel to the image.