Rocks of Solitude
The river North Esk from the Rocks of Solitude.
The river North Esk from the Rocks of Solitude.
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Nov, 2015Views
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August 10, 2017
This is so beautiful and peaceful, My kind of picture--sit on a rock kind of day. The composition is magnificent
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on the North Esk River near Edzell in the east of Scotland at the wonderfully named "Rocks of Solitude" (and they were, there was only me). In order to take it, I was perched on the top of a 6-10 foot drop! I spend a lot of my time out in the Scottish countryside and had always wanted to take a long exposure shot here. I love how the water swirls.Time
This was taken at about 4pm on the 18th of October last year (2015). Autumn is a wonderful time to visit this particular river, the colours are beautiful. It isn't actually very near where I live, about an hour and a half away and I was child-free and passing so thought I'd take the opportunity. I'm very glad I did!Lighting
Honestly? The light is just ambient. Because it was late afternoon and cloudy, there was no harsh sunlight or shadows which is a bonus and the river is pretty well shadowed by overhanging trees. I'd love to clone out the bright patch in the middle but I've never tried. I don't think it would work.Equipment
This was shot on a Sony A6000 csc. I have a disability that makes handling dslr cameras very difficult. I used a 30mm sigma prime, a Hoya NDX400 filter and a velbon tripod.Inspiration
Fellow photographer Niall Benvie, who is from the area, suggested this place. A location to visit in a photography magazine and I fell in love the first time I was there. I had some family members with me then and couldn't spend much time on long exposures or scrambling round above big drops! I love water and photographing water so I always wanted to go back.Editing
I didn't do a whole lot of processing on this one to be honest. Probably tweaks to the levels but that was about it.In my camera bag
Oh it depends! On an average day, I have only my Sony A6000, the sigma 30mm prime and an ND filter. Recently, I have been experimenting with using Adapters to fit vintage lenses so sometimes, it is a vintage Vivitar 70-150mm. It's a lovely lens. I also collect sea glass and interesting rocks and bits and bobs so there's usually some of that in there too.Feedback
As a mum of two young boys who works full time and studies, my photography is very intuitive and spontaneous. I don't plan much so advising others will be hard! Firstly, make sure you have the correct equipment with you, both in terms of camera gear (nothing worse than getting set up and realising your card is at home!) but also in terms of protective equipment. If you are heading out to this place, or one like it, make sure you're wearing walking boots and are prepared to climb and scramble. Don't take risks! It is a place where if you got into trouble, you're scuppered and, like I say, it was taken above cliff which went a fair drop into the water. I also always take a map and make sure people know where I am. This was a 3.2 second exposure at f/18. I'd prefer to have that at about f/11 but there was still a lot of light about and I don't have/can't afford a big stopper! Most of all, have fun! Look around, change your perspective when taking pictures and enjoy doing it. I love this photo, partly because it turned out better than I'd hoped but mostly because it reminds me of a fantastic afternoon scrambling round on a river bank taking photos.
