Long Road in to the Glen
Winter in Glen Coe, Scotland
Winter in Glen Coe, Scotland
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Jun, 2020Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Spring 21 Award
People's Choice in The Sky Above Photo Contest
Peer Award
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Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
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Behind The Lens
Location
'The Long Road'. Part of the A82 Glasgow to Inverness trunk Road passes through one of the bleakest and remote parts of Scotland from Rannoch Moor to Glencoe. The mountain in the centre is Buachaille Etive Mhor, which is Gaelic for The Great Shepherd. The Buachaille, is one of the most photographed mountains in Scotland. A harsh winter snow fall had drawn me to the area for some photographs, and I wanted to capture the mountain from a different angle. I had to wait for traffic to clear and a suitable gap to allow me to stand in the middle of the road to capture the image I wanted.Time
I had started the day in the village of Luss, on the banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland and had worked north to Rannoch Moor then Glencoe for photographs. The sun had been shining for most of the day causing problems with the brightness on the snow. This photograph was taken on 8th January 2011, about 1440 in the afternoon. That time of day during January in Scotland, the hours of daylight are short and by 1440 the sun was starting to set. This gave greater scope with landscape photography, being able to control the brightness and reflection from the snow with greater accuracy, and also bringing more colour into the setting sky.Lighting
I wanted viewers to see the long straight road, leading to the mountain ranges of Glencoe. The light in the sky was important. The temperature was dropping fast, and the sun had started to set. Time was critical due to cloud closing in around the mountain ranges, but needed to capture the colours of the setting sun. A clear gap in the traffic was important to allow the unobstructed view of the road and the mountain.Equipment
This was taken on a Canon EoS 10D with a Sigma 18-125mm lens. ISO 100, F11 @ 1/20sec. Lens was fitted with a Cokin ND Grad and everything mounted on a tripod. Exposure and focus was set whilst standing at the side of the road waiting for traffic to clear. Once clear, I moved tripod into the middle of the road and used my Canon shutter release to fire off several images before having to jump back out the way on oncoming traffic. Took several attempts before getting something I was happy with.Inspiration
The mountain known as the Buachaille Etive Mhor in Glencoe is one of the most popular and most photographed mountains in Scotland. The popular shot is taken close to the base of the mountain, with a tree and river which feature prominently and gives a good photographic composition. So many photographs have been taken from there that a photographer just needs to go and put the tripod in the existing holes. You can take all the postcard and Shortbread pictures you want, but I wanted something different. I wanted to show the range of mountains, the empty road leading to the Glen, the ruggedness of the landscape and the colours of the sky. Some members from our Camera Club have taken the standard shots, me included, but the light at this time just called out for a different composition.Editing
Photo was processed in Adobe Camera RAW, with minor adjustments to Contrast, Exposure, Sharpness. Then taken into Photoshop and using Luminosity masking, adjustments were made to lift some of shadows, darkening of the road surface, the colour balance and the selective tonal range across the image and minor selective contrast adjustments.In my camera bag
At the moment, my Camera bag contains a Canon Eos50D and a Canon 24-105L MkII which is my goto kit at the moment. the 50D is not the most advanced camera but it does me fine, and still capable of producing good images. Also in the bag is a 70-300mm, a Lee Filter Kit, Camera Shutter release and all the assorted odds and ends that a photographer acquires over the years, 'just in case'. Most importantly, a pair of silk gloves. Very important. Can wear them under thick gloves which can be removed to take the image, but keep the silk gloves on as a protection layer whilst working. Then return to the thick gloves.Feedback
Scottish landscape photography is challenging. If you don't like the weather, then wait twenty minutes and the weather will most likely have changed. A lot of patience is required to get all the elements the way you want them at the time you want. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but you have to persevere. This shot was taken standing in the middle of the road. Fortunately, the good old Scottish weather had produced a heavy snow fall for the preceeding couple of days and being the 8th January and mid-afernoon, traffic was light. Standing in the middle of the road is not recommended if on your own taking photographs, and it pays to have a lookout with you. Don't take unnecessary risks just to capture the image. Try this shot in the middle of summer and there will not be a suitable gap in traffic to allow a tripod to be placed in the road and take an image at 1/20 of second.
