Scotland Holiday Oct 2020 pt 5 Dornie

 This morning is actually dry , with some lovely soft light coming through the thin clouds.  We have walked along to Eilean Donan Castle ,  the Tide is on its way out but still have enough water in this channel to reflect some of the background trees.

                                                             5dsr  100-400mm @100mm

                                                            8 vertical frame panorama

                                 The light is raking across the mountains , lovely conditions 

I really like using a long lens for picking out sections of the landscape

We are now around the other side of the castle next to the car park, but the light has gone for now!

                                                                  a couple of phone images

                   Getting some nice light on the fells behind the castle ,But  Ozzy isnt bothered 

The light behind the Dornie bridge is fabulous , I must get a long lens image quickly before it disappears!

                                                         Handheld , 5dsr 100-400 

                                                               Long shot over Loch Alsh

After lunch I have come out on my own to walk down through Dornie village and down the Loch Long.

Ozzy has been breathing fast again so will let him rest even though he seems normal when out walking.

                                                           Oopps   slanty phone pic   haha

Past the tiny village the road follows the Loch all the way down out of sight and the light is really nice , But I think the thick cloud is approaching fast, am too late ?  Again!.

                                                                     But Nice rainbow  lol 

Just after that short shower passes  through, I have managed to get the drone up for this one panorama image.  The rain is at the far end of the Loch already , and more coming in behind me unfortunately. 

                                                   Just a few phone images to finish

Lovely light rays over That Tree!

Scotland Holiday Oct 2020 pt 4 Dornie

Early morning I have gone out to get a couple of long exposure images along the river Garry behind the car park before we leave.  It is extremely slippery and difficult to get close to the water , but I am happy with this multi frame image .  one frame for the water , one for the foreground light on the grass and a further exposure for the background trees and sky.

We have now left Glengarry and are heading to one of our favorite locations , Dornie  which is near Eilean Donan Castle . We are going to stay at the Ardelve campsite for a couple of days as the forecast is mainly rain for the next few days almost everywhere.

Driving down the A87 from Loch Cluanie towards Dornie has to be one of the finest roads for views in the area.

We have stopped in a valley to get a few images from the drone of the waterfall up on the fellside , pity the light is rubbish!

I flew up to the waterfall to get this three frame merge 

Next stop is Dornie , as we pass Eilean Donan castle the car park is filled with campervans!   But when we get to Ardelve campsite a mile away it is almost empty!  

Wine time !

The weather is not great , but the sun keeps poking through the clouds giving some very atmospheric conditions ,  and the Terrible Twosome do need a walk.  So a short walk over to see the castle.

This is what I have to put up with !  Arghhhhh

It is really cold and miserable, Jan doesn't look happy !

We are on a piece of land opposite Eilean Donan castle just waiting for the light to break though and light up something.

There is goes ,  great to see the light painting across the mountains.

I have been trying unsuccessfully to shoot these pools and watching the light painting across the hills to the right, But hadn't noticed the torrential rain storm approaching us from over the Loch !

The sun is lighting up the rain , it looks very atmospheric as it approaches.  There is a lone tree on the island to the left in the below image , if the sun illuminates that it will look fabulous. So as the rain moves towards us and keeping an eye on that tree and eventually I get my chance , shooting handheld at 400mm on my long lens  f9  iso 320  1/620th 

I have shot about 14 frames , all bracketed at +- 1 stop , and a 6 vertical frame panorama.

This is my favorite

One Bird

And the rain was obviously moving much faster than anticipated  , it has come right over us and we are getting soaked!  but worth it for those images. 

   The Final full 6 frame panorama 

A couple hours later the sky cleared and I have managed to get the drone up quickly for a couple images of the castle , another  rain storm is still in the background which adds to the image.

That's it for today , hopefully will get some more atmospheric conditions tomorrow.

Scotland Holiday Oct 2020 pt3 Glengarry

 

The next morning we are on the road again, following the better weather which is heading down southwards now  ,  Its not looking very promising anywhere but there is nothing we can do about that!

The Scotland forestry "Stay the Night" scheme  has a park up at Glengarry forest so that is our next stop.         It is rain/sun all morning while driving , and I have spotted some fabulous locations for images but couldn't find anywhere to stop as we passed.   But we have arrived  to blue sky in an empty carpark.

As soon as I put the drone up, this is the first image of rain approaching !  landing very quickly in ever increasingly heavy rain.

Every time the sky cleared and I put the drone up , it started raining almost immediately ,So it has taken ages to get these few images.

                                                                  Torr an eas Mor

                                    Looking straight down on the car park and into the rain

The logging track down the center of this images is my route around and through the forest to eventually get to the Loch later this afternoon.

Loch Garry is just visible in the center of background.    As soon as the sky clears enough I will take a walk along the logging trails to get to the Loch. 

                                                       A glimpse of sunlight  on the trees.

A couple of hours later the sky has cleared and I set off with Ozzy to find the Loch, I cant find a direct route so have to go all around the forest by the looks of the maps. After following the logging track along the river I have turned off onto this grassy track heading towards the general direction of the Loch .

After about half hours further walk we have arrived high up above Loch Garry , but it is now clouding over .  I should have left half hour earlier!    As usual. 

Ozzy is soaked through after running in the deep grass and bracken all the way , the tracks are very boggy in places after all the rain. 

Time to get the drone up , Ozzy just sits next to me while I fly , he has learned already when my bag goes on the ground I stop walking for ages   haha  

                        I am actually in this image near the middle left side in a small clearing.

                                                                  Topdown directly over me .

                               Its clouded right over now, flat light no good for taking images.

Time to start the long walk back now  , but there is still a bit of light in the distance shining through small holes in the cloud.

No  not you Ozzy 

The highland cattle are blocking the path, they are Huge !   I don't dare take Ozzy near them , don't want those big horns anywhere near us .  So just have to wait as there is no other way around! 

After waiting about 10 minutes they walk off so we can continue our way through ,  about a couple hundred meters past this point the sun breaks through across the trees , time to get the drone up fast!  only have half  a battery left so must make the most of it. 

I have stopped by this stand of trees which are beautifully lit up by the sun poking through a gap in the clouds.  This image just doesn't do it justice unfortunately.

                                         Fabulous light now , probably the best of the day.

                                                          2 frames merged this image 

A couple of 9 frame panoramas 

                                                          Light over Glenluie

                                                         Love the low cloud across the tops 

That's the last of the light , now a fast walk back to the van before the rain arrives, which it has just has as we get near the car park.

              Back together in the van, Ozzy seems ok while out but as soon as he rests he is breathing quite fast , but doesn't seem to be distressed at all.  The only thing we can think off is that the Loch he swam in on the first day has given him an infection or something.

What a great day , Tomorrow we have to leave this parking spot and head off somewhere else..............