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Summer is generally regarded as being the most difficult time of year to produce good landscape photographs. But, if you understand the reasons behind this then you can choose your opportunities wisely and still make productive use your time. The Challenges 1. The Sun is High High angled sunlight is the bane of a good landscape image. It's extremely bright, has no colour, and it illuminates the entire scene with uniform lighting. As photographers we …

The Beginning New Years Day, 2019. Glen Eanaich was its usual self; brooding and dark. The waters of the river were the colour of hammered steel, flowing through a glen so long and broad that you could comfortably fit Aviemore inside it. At its head stood the grim cliff faces of Sgoran Dubh Mor and Sgor Gaoith. Across the glen, making those mountains look small, rose the many slopes and hollows of vast Braeriach. I …

One of the biggest mistakes we make as photographers is focusing our energy on learning new photographic techniques, processing skills, or obsessing over equipment. We should be focusing on the land itself. Where We Go Wrong Most photographers who I've taught and guided for are making the same mistake. They are far too concerned with learning technical photography skills, and not enough about learning to read the landscape. Here's an analogy. Landscape photography is a …

Last week (2nd April) I enjoyed my first proper winter hill day in quite while. It was a fine bluebird day, and I enjoyed a snowy hike up to the summit of Creag an Leth Choin, aka Lurcher's Crag. One my favourite places in the Cairngorms, the summit provides superb views of the Lairig Ghru, Braeriach and Glen Eanaich. In all the many times I've been there I've never once met another soul, even on …

Spring is finally coming. And I'm absolutely terrified of what it seems certain to bring. Fire. In March we had a spell of warm weather that lasted just over ten days. But that was time enough for our landscape to suffer a terrible spate of destructive wildfires. The Isle of Lewis burned. Ben Lomond burned. Gruinard Island burned. Cumbria burned. The Isle of Skye burned. Glen Etive burned. The Ochils burned. That's not all. You've …

Moonrise We arrived at Loch Maree in darkness, pulling into our usual spot beside the shore in an inconspicuous layby. The engine gave way to quietness; the headlights to darkness. From that moment a deep contentment rose in me. We were away at last. We were back at last. At home in a wild place. I walked down to the shore in the darkness. Every time I come here I have to touch the water …

Image Theft and Copyright Any serious photographer in this day and age has likely suffered the infuriating experience of image theft. People and businesses using your work without your permission or knowledge; sometimes even claiming it as their own work; or using it for their own profit while you get nothing. Now I'll be the first to acknowledge the fact that it's all too easy to steal images these days. In fact, the way our …

Following an unusually snow-less January, 'real' winter has recently returned to the Cairngorms National Park. Over the course of the last few weeks I have been pursuing my passion for exploring the less accessible reaches of the Caledonian Forest. The weather has been relentlessly windy and stormy, but I have found that rather than putting me off, the weather has only made these wild and remote locations all the more enticing. There have been many …

Looking back at old photos every once in a while is a great way to see where we've been and what we've done. It's also a great way to see how our photography has improved over time. I decided to take a look way back to 2012 at some of the images I produced then, which at the time I considered to be portfolio quality. Man, let me tell you, I really thought I was …

I've been taking a deep dive into my image archive to a wonderful day in 2008, exploring Glen Etive for photography in the snow. This was one of those days that really stood out in life. Even now, fourteen years later, I think that the images from that day stand up remarkably well. Glen Etive, 2008 I was among a group of students from the St Andrews University Mountaineering Club heading to the fabled Black …

Our first adventure of 2022 was a brief trip up to the Loch Maree/Torridon area in Wester Ross. Besides the Cairngorms this is probably my favourite area in the Highlands, and it is a place I am coming to know quite well. I've enjoyed some memorable times there over the last few years. That said, I feel I've barely scratched the surface photographically, and I am always looking forward to the next return. Liatach looming …

This is one of those posts that I've had to start and restart writing several times. There's just too much to tell. It's been a remarkable year in many ways. For better or worse, this has been the first full calendar year where I have put my creative passions squarely front and centre in my life. And I think it's for the better. At times it feels as if I've made little progress. But that's …

Day Four: Tuesday 21st December Every great day of photography begins with a plan, a rough prediction of what weather and light might look like, which gives rise to an idea for a photo. Frequently this idea goes out the window as soon as you get outside and compare your prediction to reality, but for me having the idea has always been an important part of the process. At the very least it gets me …

Day Three: Monday 20th December Scout and I returned to Whitewell in the early morning, not long after sunrise. Once again we ran from the van to the birch trees at the crest of the hill. The thick mist in Aviemore had fooled me; I had assumed it would be much the same here – similar to the way I had left it the day before. But the air here was clear and bright. Sunrise …

Day Two: Sunday 19th December The second day of the Great Inversion was Saturday 18th, but since I had to drive south to get my booster shot I wasn't able to spend much time outdoors. Besides this, I also wanted to write Friday's account of the mountain. I felt absolutely filled up by that experience, as if I had made direct contact with the mountain in a rare and special way. I badly needed to …

Day One: Friday 17th December I only happened to glance at my phone, on Thursday night, when I saw the synoptic chart that had just been published by the Mountain Weather Information Service. There were those magic words: fog in valleys. A temperature inversion was predicted. As soon as I knew that, not going to the mountain was never an option. I needed the mountain; needed it to flood all of my senses. To feel …

Autumn already seems like a distant memory. It's cold outside, the winds and snows are raging across the north of Scotland and it's dark at 4pm. Winter is here – the Great Change. It's an extraordinary time to look to the woods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaoPM9Kwzr4 Get More from Highland Wildscapes Join the mailing list for new posts, discounts, and workshops dates: Share this: More Blogs:

Autumn is starting to come to a close here in the Cairngorms. Most of the trees have now been stripped of their leaves. The hills are dusted in snow every other day. I find my days are busy as I work on plans and projects for next year, but it's always nice to take a little while to look back on what has been another beautiful season. So, in reverse order of when they were …

Heading home I saw the hillsFrom the North the Cairngorms display their true size. From other angles pretending at being small. Vast, precipitous, and they beckon. Lairigs draw breath The great spaces of The Interior, my heart with it.Golden birch trees flashed by.A streak of white across the high places.Shining silver layered on slopes of blue.Rest day for me. Restless compulsion returned. not old, but young neitherPhysically not there. Desire to go At least feel …

A Plan Suitable for the Weather This last Saturday was my final scheduled photography workshop of the autumn. The original plan for the day was to head to Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. There we would walk up to the beautiful loch overlooked by the impressive cliffs of Coire Ardair. However, a few days before the photography workshop it was obvious from the weather forecast that a change of plan was called for. Strong winds, …