Scots Pines
Apr, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on Loch Assynt (the area of Assynt (Scotland) is considered the last wilderness in the UK) a few weeks ago. The loch has several islands which are populated with old Scots Pines and these islands and their trees have become the iconic image of Assynt. Sadly a lot of the trees are now dying as you can see from my photograph.Time
I took it in the early afternoon. It was what the Scots people call a 'dreich' day (low cloud and drizzle) and there wasn't much wind which produced these lovely reflections. But these weather conditions enabled me to produce this simple and tranquil scene.Lighting
The image was just as taken - there was no harsh light from the sun, so I took advantage of the rather flat lighting conditions.Equipment
I used my Canon 6D with an EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. No filters, no tripod.Inspiration
As I mentioned earlier, these islands and Scots Pines are icons in Assynt. I visit Assynt at least once a year and am always on the look out for an opportunity to photograph them. This day provided me with the perfect atmosphere - when I saw them that day I could envisage a Japanese-style picture and I hope that's what I've managed to achieve.Editing
I took the image in RAW and did some basics in Lightroom (a small crop and a bit of exposure adjustment) before using Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert it to black and white.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 6D, my EF28-135mm f/3.5/5.6 IS USM and EF70-200 f/4 with me. I'm a bit of a generalist when it comes to taking photographs, so I have to have an idea on the day of what I'm going to be taking. If I'm out in the car, I can pack everything in, including a spare 60D body, a tripod, and my small range of filters - and one or two other Canon lenses for good measure.Feedback
The weather in the north west of Scotland where I took this image is incredibly changeable - from bright sunlight one minute to rain, wind, hail and even snow the next. I am not your normal landscape photographer, so I didn't spend hours sitting here waiting for the moment. However, I did take advantage of weather conditions that a photographer might not normally consider - low cloud, drizzly rain and flat light. Keep an open mind, don't always wait for the 'perfect' light at either end of the day, experiment and see what happens.
