Slickrock and Shadow

Skyfall, the place Skyfall is a catchy name for a James Bond movie.  The actual location Skyfall is near Glencoe, Scotland.  When exploring around I couldn't resist the urge to see this place, to say I'd been to Skyfall myself. What's there?  Air, mountains, valleys, green growth, big skies. What's not there?  People, James Bond's home, civilization. This panorama is at the end of the road (it's a dead end) looking back over the terrain from Kings House to Skyfall.  Deer jump across the roads, clouds pass surprisingly quickly across the sky and times doesn't seem to matter.  I'd recommend a visit.

Buachaille Etive Mor with Tall Grass Buachaille Etive Mor is a spectacular landscape, an icon for the entire country of Scotland.  This particular mountain is so unique in its triangular shape as it stands over the Glencoe Valley.  There are few things that are more Scottish than this to a photographer.  The best views are from the South and East which means sunrise is the best time.  I woke up very early in order to visit the Black rock cottage first.  Then I had enough time to go into the fields around the mountain itself, getting a lot closer to it.  Beautiful tiny white flowers are visible in my second shot.  If you click on the shot and get a larger view, these are easier to see and I think they landed nice contrast to the massive mountain in the distance. Buachaille Etive Mor Triangular Shape Black Rock Cottage with Buachaille Etive Mor in background

Kilchurn Castle Ruins Kilchurn Castle is an impressive ruin in the Highlands of Scotland.  On the day of expeditions from Glencoe, I visited this Gothic site.  The building is free and easy.  A pleasant level pathway leads from the parking lot around a few trees, under a bridge and then across the field to the castle.  The castle itself is located on a lake.  Entry is not allowed and the castle was locked.  Nevertheless each face of the castle gave a different look or view to photograph and experience.  I was fortunate to visit on a beautiful day with lovely blue skies and gorgeous clouds. Photographically speaking the most technical shot I attempted was the Windows shot with the shadow of the wall allowing only a few squares of light onto the grass.  This was shot almost directly into the sunlight.  I made sure the lens of the camera was not being hit by the sunlight directly but this is clearly a high contrast feature.  I used L...

Black Rock Cottage with Buachaille Etive Mor and Sweeping Clouds I believe there is such a thing as luck and on my first sunrise in Scotland I received beginners luck.  It does take some effort to rise early in the summer at such a northern latitude.  My alarm clock went off at 3:30 AM.  Sunrise started developing around 4 AM.  On this day I did not regret losing any sleep because some wonderful clouds were filling the sky, sweeping from the south to the north. I expected the sunlight would color these purple or orange.  They also seemed to fill in the space between the distant mountains.  The one on the left is the famous Buachaille Etive Mor. This monolith plays a major role in this photograph.  The other players include the quaint Black Rock Cottage, the sky itself and an minor role is played by the foreground grasses.  Everything works together in this photograph to create a strong and beautiful image of Scotland.  The Highlands ...

Glencoe, Scotland at dawn My first morning and my first shot in Scotland is posted here.  I woke up early, so early at about 3:30 am so that I could actually see the sun rise at about 4 AM.  June in Scotland's highlands means really long days and short nights.  Catching sunrise feels like severe sleep deprivation here! Driving along the road through Glencoe Valley I searched for a good location.  This massive mountain and its' quaint cottage made me stop and shoot.  I wandered along the stream looking for the right height and location to capture this mountain reflection in the calm stream.  The cottage stands far enough away that it cannot be reflected.   Everything felt cool and quiet.  That's what I think of when I see this photo.