Bob at Noss Head
While working with antiquities in Scotland, we happened upon this spit of land featuring a castle ruins and a view of the sea....
Read more
While working with antiquities in Scotland, we happened upon this spit of land featuring a castle ruins and a view of the sea.
Read less
Read less
Jul, 2016Views
62
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
Member Selection Award
Summer Selection
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 30 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Categories
janfaul
December 08, 2016
It was a rainy afternoon near Wick, Scotland, it was low tide and the sea was flat. Fog hovered just over the water, so making pictures here a matter of keeping the cameras and myself dry.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
As one can see, it is foggy and drizzling, and this spit of land is not exactly anywhere near an actual road. We parked in a lot off a one-lane road, walked half a mile on a path across fields, climbed over a couple of fences on stiles, and walked out to see the ruins of a 10th century castle called Girnigoe which is not in this exposure but is off to the left. The entire scene is is about three miles from Wick. which already out in the middle of nowhere in Scotland.Time
It was late morning and I was in a bit of a rush as the eateries all close at 2pm. Although it could be any time of day due to the fog and drizzle. I prefer shooting scenes like this in inclement weather, as it adds to the mood.Lighting
The lighting was very flat - which I like because I like shooting in a drizzle as rocks look different when wet. This shot is a cropped-down panorama, and is part of a series on Scotland called 'Scots & Water'. I like working in winter too, as with sunny weather the shadows are longer. But at this location is deepest winter there is precious little light.Equipment
This is shot on film in a panorama camera called a Noblex, and of course on a tripod. It is my belief that if you're not shooting from a tripod, you're really shooting blur and grain and not getting the full impact of the exposure, whether or not it is made in drizzle. As I am sometimes working in the rain or drizzle, I carry a full array of rain hats for the cameras plus a number of small plastic shields for blowing rain. The Noblex is a panorama camera with the lens on a drum which rotates across 140º or so from left to right. My cameras get taped up for use in inclement weather and I only change film when out in rain by shielding myself with at least one umbrella. The film size is medium format, so my scanner can easily make a 200MB RGB file.Inspiration
I am a landscape photographer and am always exploring vistas and fields of view. This shot was made along the northeast coast of Scotland and I was on a month-long trip to work with what is a mix of Scottish wilderness and farmed rural areas. Cities are OK, but I'm more interested in topics surrounding the hand of man on the land. In this case, just outside the view of the camera, there are the ruins of a 10th century castle made of piled stones similar to the stone footing shown in this shot. After I made this exposure, I went over to the castle and shot a few rolls of Agfapan 100.Editing
It was made on Agfapan 100 and developed in Rodinal 1:50, put through a Creo scanner at 3300 dpi and that resulted in a 87MB b/w file. It of course needed spotting, which is laborious and time-consuming, to say nothing of exacting. For the uninitiated, spotting is done at 100% with a small brush with a hardness of about 80% for best results on an image like this.In my camera bag
The answer as "What do I have in my bags?" I travel with a PorterCase with a Noblex 150UX camera, as well as an XPan II with the 30mm f5.6 lens and finder fitted, a couple of Minolta light meters, a small flashlight or two, and some rain hats for the cameras. In another bag I have a Canon 5D-SR and a few favored lenses like the 16-35L, 28-80L, 100L macro, 135L f2, and extra batteries. But mostly the Canon stays in the bag, as the film cameras do all the heavy lifting. I carry a Leitz desktop tripod to handhold cameras when I need to by using the tripod on my chest as well as a couple of Gitzo carbon fiber tripods (one for still air and the other for wind), all carrying Manfrotto 410 geared heads. As long as I am plugging brands, I wear Ex Officio clothing as it dries quickly, contains bug repellent and doesn't leave me lurking around in wet jeans for the entire day. I wear a brimmed rain hat even when it is sunny, as in Scotland, you just never know. The joke is that last week it only rained twice - once for three days and once for four.Feedback
I guess my words of advice would be that owning a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer, it makes you a Nikon owner. When I go shooting, I need to stay in the zone as it were and that means turning off the phone and other disturbances and concentrating on where I am and what's in my environment. Most of us get all balled up with equipment or shoot with our ego rather than our mind, or get distracted by people. If you know how to open your mind by meditating or closing out thoughts of other things, do so. Most importantly - pay attention and don't rush.
