This spot and this view have long intrigued me. The lines and curves lead from the shoreline forest at left, past that talus-covered slope on the right, across the water to another peninsula, and finally to the massive face rising beyond. The personality of this view can change remarkably — I’ve photographed during storms, under the full moon, in direct sunlight.
Continue reading Soft Light, Ellery Lake
This photograph is an example of my policy of not knowing too much when I travel. It drives some people (hi, Patty!) crazy, but it does mean that I get to “discover” things before knowing that they are iconic. Almost two months after photographing this “random” impressive Scottish mountain I learned that it is well-known. The peak is Slioch — or “The Shield” — and a “munro,”* one of the peaks reaching over 3000′. I read that there is a well-known climbing route to its summit. Apparently, photographs of the peak have been used to represent this area of northern Scotland.
Continue reading Snow-capped Slioch
There’s a story and a lesson associated with this photograph. Explaining may take a bit more than the usual two paragraphs. (It takes five. I urge/invite you to click through and read the whole thing — and I’ll be interested in your comments.) I’ll start with the subject though. Years ago (I’ll reveal how many years below) I was on a trans-Sierra pack trip of over a week’s length with a group of backcountry friends. I had walked this route years before this trip, and there were a few places that I specifically wanted to photograph again, especially this lake. I stopped there long enough to make a few careful photographs, including one of my favorites. (That one also comes with a bit of a story and lesson.)
Continue reading Alpine Lake, Mirrored Reflection
The impressive, fortress-like mountain is Slioch, one of the Scottish peaks that reaches above 3000′. We passed by after driving south from Ullapool, Scotland, then cutting west toward Torridon and later heading to Applecross, on the coast looking westward toward the Isle of Skye. The route passes all sorts of beautiful country — coastal bays, long valleys, lochs, tall peaks.
Continue reading Slioch and Loch Maree