Fidra with 'dark' lighthouse, Firth of Forth
September 2024 - Lighthouses and morning dips
I have always found August a difficult month for nature photography; the vibrant greens of spring leaves have given way to duller tones, vegetation can be waist high obscuring sheltering wildlife and many of the colourful wild flowers have passed. Hence, I tend to head for the coast during this period to enjoy some seascape photography although I only managed a single trip last month. After a wonderfully sunny day I headed to Yellowcraigs to enjoy a glorious sunset over the Firth of Forth. Unfortunately as soon as I arrived the clouds began to roll in and rain seemed likely. Luckily it remained dry but the anticipated sunset never materialised and even when I tried to capture an atmospheric image of Fidra lighthouse beaming out in the evening gloom, the electrics were clearly not working. I could see the lighthouses on the Bass Rock and Isle of May flashing away but on Fidra… nothing. It’s amazing how that little flash of light would have given the picture so much more context and atmosphere.
Water levels on the Water of Leith remain low which has allowed me to wade to parts of the river I cannot usually reach. A couple of early morning visits have produced some interesting results with the low sun reflecting off buildings to bring some unusual colour to the water’s surface. The weirs along the river are just trickles at present but when the rains return they will be restored to their dynamic best.
Our ‘No mow May’ meadow experiment - that ran on into August! - came to a conclusion last month. I photographed the flowers and some insects before scything and raking up the grass to create a mini haystack. More photographs were again taken to capture the different aspects in the creation and management of the meadow before the haystack was cleared into our garden waste bin. It is an experiment that we shall continue with and hope to introduce some seed mix to the patch in the autumn to produce a wider variety of flowers and colour for next year.
Now reaching the back end of the wildflower season, harebells continued to occupy grassland habitats to provide some much needed colour. I enjoyed a session photographing them on a sunny but windy day; not ideal conditions but the sun provided a fast shutter speed to freeze the flower heads as they danced with the wind.
I always fancy a picture of heather in bloom in August but failed to visit the moors during the month. However, I knew of a clump on the banks of the River Tromie which would have to suffice. An early morning foray on a still, damp overcast morning ended up becoming an endurance battle against the midges. Fortunately their bites have little impact on me - a little swelling and itching that tends to disappear within twenty minutes - so was still able to bag some photographs. However, while lining up a wide-angled shot looking up the river, imagine my surprise when a naked body glided into a calmer stretch of water for an early morning plunge! Once I was spotted, the naked figure promptly retreated from the river in order to dress again, but I couldn’t help wondering about those midges…
Finally, I was delighted to accept an invitation to be a judge for the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2024. This will be the 15th season of the competition and I am looking forward to working alongside fellow judges Niall Irvine and Morag Paterson.
September 2024 - Lighthouses and morning dips
I have always found August a difficult month for nature photography; the vibrant greens of spring leaves have given way to duller tones, vegetation can be waist high obscuring sheltering wildlife and many of the colourful wild flowers have passed. Hence, I tend to head for the coast during this period to enjoy some seascape photography although I only managed a single trip last month. After a wonderfully sunny day I headed to Yellowcraigs to enjoy a glorious sunset over the Firth of Forth. Unfortunately as soon as I arrived the clouds began to roll in and rain seemed likely. Luckily it remained dry but the anticipated sunset never materialised and even when I tried to capture an atmospheric image of Fidra lighthouse beaming out in the evening gloom, the electrics were clearly not working. I could see the lighthouses on the Bass Rock and Isle of May flashing away but on Fidra… nothing. It’s amazing how that little flash of light would have given the picture so much more context and atmosphere.
Water levels on the Water of Leith remain low which has allowed me to wade to parts of the river I cannot usually reach. A couple of early morning visits have produced some interesting results with the low sun reflecting off buildings to bring some unusual colour to the water’s surface. The weirs along the river are just trickles at present but when the rains return they will be restored to their dynamic best.
Our ‘No mow May’ meadow experiment - that ran on into August! - came to a conclusion last month. I photographed the flowers and some insects before scything and raking up the grass to create a mini haystack. More photographs were again taken to capture the different aspects in the creation and management of the meadow before the haystack was cleared into our garden waste bin. It is an experiment that we shall continue with and hope to introduce some seed mix to the patch in the autumn to produce a wider variety of flowers and colour for next year.
Now reaching the back end of the wildflower season, harebells continued to occupy grassland habitats to provide some much needed colour. I enjoyed a session photographing them on a sunny but windy day; not ideal conditions but the sun provided a fast shutter speed to freeze the flower heads as they danced with the wind.
I always fancy a picture of heather in bloom in August but failed to visit the moors during the month. However, I knew of a clump on the banks of the River Tromie which would have to suffice. An early morning foray on a still, damp overcast morning ended up becoming an endurance battle against the midges. Fortunately their bites have little impact on me - a little swelling and itching that tends to disappear within twenty minutes - so was still able to bag some photographs. However, while lining up a wide-angled shot looking up the river, imagine my surprise when a naked body glided into a calmer stretch of water for an early morning plunge! Once I was spotted, the naked figure promptly retreated from the river in order to dress again, but I couldn’t help wondering about those midges…
Finally, I was delighted to accept an invitation to be a judge for the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2024. This will be the 15th season of the competition and I am looking forward to working alongside fellow judges Niall Irvine and Morag Paterson.
