Well, what a year it has been!
In Dec 2007 I decided that landscape was the route I wanted to take. Kit-wise this meant bye bye to the flash and portrait/macro lenses and I invested (heavily!) in a set of Lee Filters.
Looking back this was probably the best thing I could have done. I began to think differently when photographing a scene, being more meticulous about the composition, focusing, exposure, and actually taking
less shots than before.
Today I have been looking through my images from the last 12 months and I have put together a selection of my personal favourites. They may not be my 'best' work, and they may not be perceived as being any good at all! They do however hold a sentimental attachment, mainly due to the emotional experience behind the shot itself. And it is experiences like these that have me completely hooked on this pastime.
The year didn't exactly start off with much momentum, January was a very quiet month however I did manage a few sunrises. One morning in February I found myself in Dysart. This small beach is a fantastic location for taking photos. There is a good selection of unusual rock shapes with some fantastic colours. I used a ND110 filter to completely smooth the small waves that were coming in and the long exposure really brought out the colours of the sunrise. Composition-wise this one does break quite a few rules but I tend to do that a lot! I like how this one looks when cropped to 4x5 as well.
#1 Dysart
f/8 | 12mm | 112sec | ISO-100 | ND110
One morning in March I hooked up with onefivenine in Edinburgh for a wander round Portobello and Leith. The shore on Portobello has a number of groynes that are rather photogenic. The weather was really overcast so when I took this one I had mono in mind and I stacked up a few grads to get a longish exposure.
#2 Portobello
f/22 | 23mm | 4sec | ISO-100
At the end of March Ally, Tobers, Gordon@ and myself braved the elements and thoroughly enjoyed several days on the Isle of Skye making the most of what we could. For me it was a fantastic trip, we all seemed to feed from each other's unique styles and all came home with a satisying collection of diverse images. Naturally the weather didn't play ball but this did not dampen our spirits! I look forward to another annual pilgrimage to Skye in 2009.
This image was taken at Neist Point which is the most Westerly tip of the island. The lighthouse tower is 60 feet high and stands 140 feet above sea-level. The spot where I took this from was about 400ft high and on the very edge of a sheer cliff face going straight down to the sea. The wind was very severe, and on later reflection being so close to the edge was probably not a good idea in these conditions! I was on my knees with my tripod low to the ground and clinging on trying to keep the camera steady. I used a CPL to subtly bring out the texture of the water (by slightly reducing the reflections), and a grad to control the sky. After I had taken my shots here, the adrenaline was really pumping - a brilliant experience!
#3 Neist Point
f/8 | 23mm | 1/80sec | ISO-2oo | CPL + ND Grad
For the complete set of pictures from Ally, Gordon and Andy please check this
thread
In April, and shortly after the Skye meet, I ventured up to Rannoch Moor for sunrise and on this frosty morning I took a photograph of Lochan na h-Achlaise which is my personal favourite of the year. There was still a bit of snow on the peaks which was a welcome bonus, the emotional attachment I have with this image is that it was one of the most peaceful experiences I've had out here, such a quiet shoot and not a soul to be seen. This is in complete contrast to the winter months where this little part of Scotland becomes a scrum of landscape togs at dawn! The water was completely still and I composed the scene so that the reflection of the peaks would feature in the photograph. I used a grad to control the sky (things were beginning to brighten up as this was taken about an hour after sunrise).
#4 Lochan na h-Achlaise
f/11 | 22mm | 1/10sec | ISO-100 | ND Grad
At the end of May I attended a workshop at the Blair Drummond safari park. It was an excellent day out (and a good excuse to use the 300mm!) - the weather was absolutely scorching and afterwards I decided I'd take a drive up to the Rannoch Moor area and try to get a shot of Lochan Urr which is in Glen Etive. When I arrived at Lochan Urr the orientation of the sun meant that the scene I had in mind was not going to happen, therefore I thought I'd head further down the road to Loch Etive. At the bottom of the road is a rather photogenic crumbling jetty, I already have a few shots from here so I figured I'd get the boots on and take a hike down the shores of the Loch to see if I could find anything interesting. I walked for about a mile and spotted these three large boulders leading to the peak which at this point was being lit by the evening sun. The attachment I have with this image was that I experienced probably the worst midge attack I have ever had! I was totally sunburnt and dehydrated from the safari day, however this was absolutely excrutiating! (I had no repellent, or net etc. therefore I had to just endure it and intermittently run away from my tripod then run back) Again, this one breaks a few rules and I do like how it looks as an alternative crop when it is brought down to 4x5
#5 Loch Etive looking to Stob na Broige
f/11 | 19mm | 0.3sec | ISO-100 | ND Grad
Moving on now to September, and another early rise! This time I headed past Edinburgh down to Dunbar to get a few shots of the lighthouse at Barns Ness. As the sun was coming up I thought I'd take some tighter images from the shore using my 70-200 (the shore itself is rather flat and uninspiring so no need for an UWA). This is the image I came up with and I like this one's abstract qualities. I remember stopping down quite far and inverting a couple of grads stacked to lengthen the exposure a tad.
Sunrise at Barns Ness, Dunbar
f/16 | 81mm | 3.2sec | ISO-100
In November, I found myself in the Scottish Borders taking photographs at Scott's View in Bemersyde (which is a brilliant location). Later on in the day we visited Dryburgh Abbey, again a rather photogenic spot coupled with some really interesting history. From these two places I got a couple of images that I was really pleased with, however I've got another image from here that has a slightly more unusual feel to it.
A Picture Within
f/11 | 35mm | 1/4sec | ISO-100 | CPL
Still in November, and as the early rises became slightly more sociable - I found myself on the banks of Loch Tulla where there are many photogenic Scots Pine trees dotted around. The shore is also abundant with ferns and I was hoping to catch some really deep colours, unfortunately I reckon I was a few weeks too late as the winter chill had finished them off for the season. Although the ferns were gone the remaining vegetation had a beautiful dry golden colour. With the unusual shape of the Scots pine and the varied colours of the trees on the little island I feel this one has a certain savannah-like feel to it, and the golden vegetation contrasts nicely with the sky. A lovely quiet spot and an excellent location that I shall revisit in 2009.
Loch Tulla
f/11 | 28mm | 1/13sec | ISO-100 | ND Grad
Earlier this month, we had a good snowfall and plummeting temperatures for a short spell. I opted to brave the temperatures (and potentially scary icy drive north!) to hope for something special at one of my favourite spots, Lochan na h-Achlaise on Rannoch Moor. When I got there it was minus 8 degrees and there was about a foot of snow on Rannoch Moor (this area is about 1000ft above sea level and it is very exposed to the elements). As the golden hour approached I felt that something special could happen and I was shortly rewarded with a glorious pink sky. This, coupled with the snowy peaks and the intriguing patterns on the frozen lochan gives my other Lochan na h-Achlaise shot a run for its money in terms of my personal favourite of the year. If I had been
really lucky the scene would have been completed with a little mist rising from the ice, but in this game you can't have anything and I am always grateful for what I see, regardless if the conditions are 'perfect' or not. I will always have fond memories of the shoot as my tripod became completely frozen and I had to battle with ice crystals forming on my camera and filters!
Lochan na h-Achlaise in winter
f/11 | 29mm | 0.6sec | ISO-100 | ND Grad
So this is my selection from 2008, this time last year I wouldn't have thought any of this would be possible for me to achieve, and I am really looking forward to pushing things onwards in 2009.
Why have I put this together? Well I look and take inspiration from this forum every day and have done since I first picked up a bridge camera in April 2006, and this is my own way of saying thank you to you all.
Happy new year and all the best for 2009
Thank you for looking
David K
Similar Threads 
Feel free to visit my 
). 
Linear Mode
