Category: Uncategorized

Life on Skye is just one busy day after another.

Loch Cil Chriosd
I like this long loch with its reeds and shallow water. It’s on the road to Elgol, but it was much too dull to travel all the way from Broadford to Elgol so we stopped at the loch to take some photos. Processed in Intensify.

The Rangers Boatshed
Down at the slip at Staffin there is one solitary boatshed left standing. The rest are just rubble walls. The one boatshed with a roof has bright orange doors and an RFC badge drawn into the the cement wash above them. A reminder of happier times perhaps?

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Two shot on the theme of “On the …”
It was a dull, rainy day but it brightened up late in the afternoon, so I took the opportunity of an hour’s decent light, because it’s all about the light, you know.

On the Beach.
Staffin shore, looking towards Flodigarry. There wasn’t much colour in the scene to start with, so I decided mono was the way to go.

On the Rocks

Looking out towards Staffin Bay. There is still a surprising amount of green in the grass here, given the time of year. I set out with the intention of doing a low ISO, long exposure on a tripod. This was just the grab shot to get a feel for the scene and it turned out better than the tripod shot. The quality and sharpness are not as good here, but the compo is better IMO.

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Up and off fairly early and with little traffic, we made good time on to Skye.

I’m not sure what made me take this shot. The title would be Turkey’s Off.  Taken at Kyleakin.  It’s ages since we stopped here and now I know why.  It’s like a ghost town since the bridge was built.  A town with no reason to exist.

This shot was taken with my old Nikon 70-210 and it still provides better images than the Tamron 18-200.  I think there’s more contrast and sharpness in the lens, despite the fact there’s so much dirt inside it.  Unfortunately, I’d wreck it if I tried to clean it and it’d cost more than its worth to have it cleaned professionally.  Still gets the title of photo of the day.

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I’ve been meaning to take this shot at Broadford for years but never quite had time to stop.  Today I did and I’m still not happy with it.  Must try again next time I’m on the island, DV

Thankfully S had the foresight to book a night at the Letterfinlay Lodge on the banks of Loch Lochy.  It made a welcome break on the journey up to Skye.  Not a bad run up really.  Only stopped once at Loch Tulla for a couple of shots and to laugh at a photog complete with tripod and Nikon getting in a terrible fankle trying to work out how to take a photo for a group of Indian boys using their iPhone.  Some folk shouldn’t be allowed Nikons.  He was probably quite famous.

Sirloin steak burger at Letterfinlay was the best I’ve ever tasted.

Looking out over Loch Tulla.

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Loch Lochy sunset.  Taken from Letterfinlay Lodge Hotel.

Both pics processed in Lightroom and McPhun Intensify.

Acrylic on card.
From a photograph taken at Trumpan on Skye. About an hour.
I am so glad the joiner convinced us to put in LED lighting when we upgraded the bathroom. The daylight LEDs make it so much easier to photograph things without worrying about colour casts and mired values.
Maybe they can be used to combat SAD too.

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Since Hazel wanted some Peruvian decaf and my own stocks of Sumatran Manderling were running low, I took the bus to Perth today to sort us both out.  Not a bad trip really if you ignore the 20 min wait at Cumbernauld Town Centre.  It gave me a chance to take some shots of the dilapidated concrete crap we have to put up with as a town centre.  Two old ladies were bemused at me taking photos of the monstrosity.  It’s people like me that give photogs a bad name.

Clockwise from the top (bottom two link to larger images – you wouldn’t want a larger image of the TC, believe me, you wouldn’t)

1. This is the first sight drivers have of Cumbernauld Town Centre. It’s not the most welcoming sight, is it. It’s what happens when architecture goes bad.
   Cumbernauld Town Centre – The only place in the world where they had to halt demolition when part of it fell down voluntarily.
   Cumbernauld – The town they wanted to twin with Beirut and Beirut rejected the offer. Honestly, you can see why.365/300
2. By comparison, Perth lives up to it’s description of the fair city. The River Tay was quite high, but the view through the bridge was really nice.
3. Walking through Perth, I chanced upon this lamp post, yarn-bombed! The only one I could see in the street, but I’m sure there will be more from these urban guerrillas.

From Cumbernauld which should be bombed to yarn bombing in Perth. Quite a round trip, and I got the coffee @

The Bean Shop
67 George Street
Perth
PH1 5LB

Winter, it seems has begun.  The clocks went back this morning and, as is often the case, the weather was typically wintry.  Not excessively low temperatures, but dull, dull, dull with rain and wind too.  A taste of what’s to come, no doubt.

Clockwise from the top:

1. Little larch needles ready to drop. Click to enlarge
2. I managed a few shots of Mr Grey heron standing in the pond and was waiting for him to take flight. I thought I was ready with the camera set to Continuous (High), but when he did make his escape, the Nikon refused to focus 😐 Sometimes things just don’t work out. Click to enlarge
3. My wife’s favourite and after a bit of tuning in Lightroom, I have to agree, it’s probably the best one of the day. I’d have liked it to be a bit sharper, but given the conditions and the lack of light up here in the north, it’s the best I was going to get.
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Larch needles ready to drop.  Over the back of St Mo’s.

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The victim of another windy day. In fact a dreich, windy day with nothing much to commend it.

Spent almost all day waiting in for the new bed to come.  It arrived at 5.00pm.  Building it was easy peasy – and they wanted £20 for that!  Anyway it’s built now and it seems really high.  May get nosebleeds tonight.

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An afternoon off the leash in Glasgow with the “Old Guys”.  Spent the afternoon in the Horseshoe bar.  Managed to get this shot before we went in.  Not my best shot, but it covers my tail for picture 295 of 365.

Reflections of the GOMA (middle) and a couple of other buildings in the new goldfish bowl currently being constructed on Queen Street.

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