Rain the night before and with it being damn release day on the river Moriston I met up with Leslie, Roddy, Calum and Ciaran to shoot. Navigating along the river and on rock edges was a task itself but provided excellent positions for shooting.
This spot is part of a race that is said to be the UK's most extreme kayaking race. They put on different events every year with 2015 dates still waiting to be confirmed.
The most common used app on my phone is definitely Instagram as it gives me ideas for trips and inspiration to shoot. Looking through all the photos I see stunning places thousands of miles away and feel like thats where I should be shooting. But really, Scotland has some wild places that people thousands of miles away probably want to be.
My attempt at camping in Skye finally happened this weekend when I picked up Kirsty from her office on Friday. The plan was to head to the Fairy Pools, camp, hike and then swim. We set up camp beneath the Black Cuillins after trekking through the river and bogs and had an ideal view from the tent. With sunrise being at about 0440 it didn't take long before we were up and hiking towards the Cuillins for a better view.
The main reason for camping in Skye was to swim in the Fairy Pools which would have benefitted from being warmer. Jumping from the rocks straight in was my idea of getting over the cold fast, that only worked for a minute or two until I couldn't quite get my words out and was shaking uncontrollably. Worth it for the adventure and thankfully Kirsty was on hand with towels and soup.
Our journey back home was a little longer than usual as we took the backroad to Achnasheen but cut off towards Applecross and then Torridon. With no low cloud and pleasant Scottish weather we were greeted with stunning sights.
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This week I met up with Ted, Scott and Astrid. After discussing shooting with Ted he told me about the different dams that are opened every week providing guaranteed kayaking even when there has been no rain.
Invergarry was the choice of river for shooting and although apparently tame it was impressive to watch. Keep checking the blog for more kayaking updates.
Took the 35mm camera along on the trip in Iceland and here are some of the results. These were all mostly taken while on the road going from the west of Iceland to east and back.
Paul got in touch with me this week about going for Ben Nevis which didn't seem quite as exciting as our last climb. I was glad to find out we were going to do the route via a ridge then a steep climb up to the summit of Nevis. We also had Seb join us on this long day.
Throughout our nine hour day we experienced stunning views of the north face with long shadows casting down the valley. As we left later in the day to catch the evening light we could see a few other groups silhouetted in the distance, showing off the size of what we had ahead of us. Once we had completed the ridge and made our way to the summit of Ben Nevis it was steep and icy. I had my moment slipping and sliding until my axe did its job. Below is a photo of Paul after he slipped and went past me towards the cornice. Thankfully those were our only moments but were enough for us to stop for a minute.
With the weather being so good lately Nipper and I headed up to the mast for a spring shoot. Unfortunately the high winds we have been having caused the tracks to have fallen trees everywhere. Not everything was ridable but here is an afternoon on what we could ride and shoot until the chainsaws arrive.
Instagram is great, it shows you so many places throughout the world with a few clicks and makes you want to get on a plane. One place that I noticed a lot of was Iceland and seeing all these pictures made me fall in love with it. My phone was cluttered with screenshots of places to visit and we didn't even manage to see half of them. I look forward to returning here in the summer to see the north and highlands.
Below is images from our journey through Iceland leaving from Reykjavik heading to Höfn via the South and back again. The shots are in no particular order but hopefully will inspire you to make the trip!
Seljalandsfoss
Sunset at the Vestrahorn
Go through the tunnel at the Vestrahorn to take you North and you are greeted greatly
Waking up in a wooden cabin to the sunrise and snow drift
The lights showing up while having tea just before we headed out for a night adventure
Only getting so far before you get stuck out here
Gljúfurárfoss, a waterfall in a cave
Skógafoss
Scrambling to get better views for the sunset
The United States Navy DC plane crash site
Snow drift at sunrise in Hörgsland
Built in 1923, Seljavallalaug
Found
Þórufoss nighttime adventure at -12
Vik
The weather made it great
Jökulsárlón at midnight
Jökulsárlón
Exploring Svínafellsjökull glacier
Our last night
The North Coast 500 has been getting a great response in the media and with a high chance of seeing the northern lights we headed towards Durness. We pitched in the dark but were greeted with stunning stars and the lights dancing. This was the first time I had seen the green with my eye rather than the camera.
Our first night was good until the early hours of the morning when it became extremely cold and the small rock under the tent proved not to be the pillow of choice. My morning wander before sunrise was bitter but provided stunning colours and some scrambling up rocks. Thankfully it all adds to the experience of star filled nights, open fires and cider.
I have taken a little bit of a fascination with buildings in stunning landscapes. Driving around Scotland has let me see some beautiful scenes and quite often I will find a house, holiday home, hut or community hall nestled in the view.
Recently I watched Bear Grylls and his new TV program which takes celebrities to remote places in the world and shows them how to survive. This particular episode was shot in Skye, which just didn't seem as remote as he made it out to be, considering we live 2 hours away and go there for day trips.
Richie walking up the ridge toward the Old Man of Storr
Richie before the cliffs
Richie (http://www.richiemaciver.com) was visiting from London and is usually surrounded by high rise buildings so getting to photograph in Skye was a visually stunning opportunity. After the 6am start we made it to the Old Man of Storr. This area was created long ago after a landslide happened and is a recognisable place around the world.
Old Man of Storr
Coming here in winter rather than summer gave us some stormy weather and the place to ourselves. Usually a busy hub full of visitors it was left empty, giving a surreal feeling.
Scrambling underneath the pinnacle
Looking up at the Old Man of Storr as you hike is impressive but once you see beyond that you are met by massive cliffs.
We made a quick stop by Kilt Rock - with the heavy rainfall we would hopefully see the thundering Mealt Waterfall. The fall is 60 metres into the Sound of Raasay which boasts a lovely view of never ending water.
Mealt Waterfall
After walking through a bog we finally came to Abhainn An Lethuillt which can be accessed via a rope that has definitely seen better days. Given the amount of rainfall we were hoping not to get swept away by any flood. I hadn't seen the fall so heavy before but it was spectacular being underneath, hearing it pound against the rocks.
The entry and exit to the falls via rope, rock and roots
Under the falls
Over the day we had encountered wind, rain, snow and hailstones. I really enjoy the sun and warm weather but the exciting thing about Skye is whatever the weather it still looks magnificent and adds to the experience.
The hailstones came when we stopped by the Quiraing, We walked backwards to the car as the hailstones were pelting off of our faces and hands. Like I said before, the weather stills creates beautiful scenery.
The Quiraing
Earlier this year we took a family trip over to Hawaii. The place is absolutely stunning with postcard perfect scenes everywhere you look. My camera was never really in the bag so I do have quite a lot of images I could share but instead I have selected a few of my favourites.
Over the past few months I have been trying to take my 35mm camera with me as much as possible. I am definitely a digital kid and enjoying the transition to this old way of shooting. When I managed to get shots developed I will post up regular photos from the rolls.
