The Kelpies
The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures by artist Andy Scott depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), standing next to a new extension to t...
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The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures by artist Andy Scott depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron, in The Helix, a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area, Scotland.
This image was taken just as the sun was rising around 06.30 in the morning but didn't quite give me as good sunrise as I was hoping for but I was still quite happy with the overall
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This image was taken just as the sun was rising around 06.30 in the morning but didn't quite give me as good sunrise as I was hoping for but I was still quite happy with the overall
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Mar, 2020Views
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2020 Choice Award
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Behind The Lens
Location
The Kelpies can be found at the Helix visitors Centre near Falkirk, Scotland, these huge creatures are the creation of Andy Scott who specialises in figurative art sculptures. The Kelpies are both 30 metres high and can easily be seen from the M9 motorway as you are driving along, something of a surprise for a lot of commuters if they have not passed by that way before as they suddenly rise out of the countryside. The Kelpies are situated by the Forth and Clyde canal and are incorporated into a turning circle for barges who can sail right up to them before turning around and back onto the canal. Because of their scale I set up my camera a fair bit back from them to try and also capture an element of the surrounding countryside and the turning circle in the image.Time
The Kelpies are located around 30 miles from where I live and I wanted to get an early sunrise shot if possible conditions depending, so I left early and arrived on location around 6.30AM for expected sunrise just after 7AM. On arrival I wandered around the location looking for the best angle before setting the shot up that you see here, fortunately there were no other photographers around at that point so I did not have the problem of others in the shot. As it happen the sunrise was somewhat disappointing with just a little colour in the sky and not a full blown sunrise I was looking for, at any rate I was there and there was still scope for a nice image.Lighting
Obviously this was natural lighting and due to the early morning light a tripod and slow shutter speed was essential.Equipment
Nikon D7100, Sigma 10-20mm lens, manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
I had passed the Kelpies a few times in the car and they always amazed me, not only the sheer size but also the beauty of 2 huge horse sculptures in a fairly rural location, I am a keen follower of Andy Scott as an artist as he has created many amazing animals in his metal sculptures.Editing
I cropped image a little bit tighter, adjusted black, highlight and added a little bit of clarity.In my camera bag
I mostly go for landscape images so generally carry my D7100 body, 10-20 Sigma lens and a 18-300 Nikon lens, of course I also carry various ND and graduated filters, cable release, tripod etc.Feedback
The Kelpies are a very popular visitor location so there is absolutely no point in turning up during the day because there will be too many people to get in the way of a good shot, besides sunrise or sunset are by far the better times for that special light, so always go for one of those times. In fact one of my bucket list things to do is capture the Kelpies both at sunrise and sunset on the same day, one for after lockdown though! I think the also Kelpies look great when taken as a long exposure image when there is decent amount of cloud movement going on, this can really make your image stand out. Alternatively, the Kelpies do light up at night with varying beautiful colours so that may be another option for you, they do look very impressive when internally lit up in one colour or another.
