Shining a Light on the Landscape

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When out shooting landscapes on a cloudy day I always keep one eye on the sky to see if the sun will break through to create some interesting light on the landscape.  I have got very good at anticipating changes in the light over the years and it is a skill that all landscape photographers acquire over time.

 On the west coast of Scotland the weather can change very quickly.  Just when it looks like it is time to pack the cameras away and head back home, the clouds can suddenly part or the rain can stop and the scene that 10 minutes earlier was grey and overcast is suddenly transformed.

 Take these two shots looking out from the northern coast of the Isle of Skye out towards Harris and Lewis.  The wind was blowing the clouds across the scene at a fair rate of knots and the moving clouds would suddenly open up to allow the sunlight through to illuminate part of the seascape.

 They say 'patience is a virtue', and for landscape photographers this is very true.  Sometimes you can wait for hours for light that can last just seconds, and sometimes it doesn't happen at all.  But when it does you have to work quickly before the scene changes again, but the reward is an image that will last a lot longer than the few seconds it took to create it.


Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 with a XF60mm f2.4R (top) or XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8R (bottom)
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