Autumn Photo Tour in The Highlands

To photograph autumn in the Highlands is a very rare occurrence for me because of my motorsport schedule at this time of year.  Between September and November I have seven events in just eleven weeks in Mexico, USA, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, China and Bahrain which doesn't leave a lot of time for other work in between.  This year I set aside one day to go north and explore the area around Pitlochry and the River Tummel.

So an early start last Friday with friend and fellow photographer Alistair Spence saw us heading over the Forth Road Bridge towards our first stop just north of Dunkeld to catch the dawn.  We stopped on the side of Loch Craiglush (Point A on the map) looking east waiting for the sun to come up above the tree line on the opposite shore at 08h15.    

Loch Craiglush at Dawn - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 240s @ f11 ISO100

I had set the Fujifilm X-T2, fitted with the XF10-24mm f4 ultra wide angle zoom, on the Manfrotto 190XPro4 tripod low down in the water so to get some reeds in the foreground. I also used the Lee Big Stopper to give me a long four minute exposure to get some movement in the clouds as they changed colour.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6

While the X-T2 was taking the long exposure images I used the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and the XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 to capture some shots of the reeds on the shoreline silhouetted in the morning light.

We then headed north on the road running parallel to the main A9 before rejoining the main carriageway for a short while.  We came off the A9 at Pitlochry on a small side road that went under the bridge as it crossed the river.  There is a small footbridge (Point B) here which gives some spectacular views up the River Tummel.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 + Samyang 8mm f2.8

Using the Samyang 8mm fisheye lens on the X-Pro2 I was able to capture the scene from the bridge and also from low down on the small beach on the south bank of the river.  There were also some rowing boats moored down stream and using the X-T2 and 100-400mm I used these colourful boats as a counterpoint to the colours in the trees on the shore.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 + Samyang 8mm f2.8

Fujifilm X-T2 +XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6

After a while we got back in the car and headed up the small road that runs alongside the River Tummel, keeping an eye on the river for a suitable location to stop.  

We hadn't gone very far before we came across some falls, with the river bank surrounded by trees on either side (Point C on the map).  The river was running quite low so the rocks were exposed which allowed us to set up the cameras near to the waters edge. 

We headed along the road following the river further upstream and eventually it opened up into Loch Tummel.  The road hugs the southern shore of the loch and eventually we came across a suitable place to stop (Point D).  Looking east the colours in the trees were being highlighted by the diffused sunlight that was starting to filter through the clouds.

We then headed further west along Loch Tummel and then along the northern shore of Dunalastair Water, stopping for coffee in Kinloch Rannoch.  We then traveled back along the same road stopping on the shore of Dunalastair water with views across the plan to Schiehallian in the distance (Point E).

Again I set the X-Pro2 on the tripod to capture some long exposures of the scene and used the X-T2 with the 100-400mm to take some detailed shots of the surrounding area.  

I had spotted some trees in the distance and using the pulling power of the XF100-400mm I was able to capture the image below as the sunlight highlighted the golden trees and the dry stone wall on the hillside.

Another short trip in the car further down the River Tummel and another set of falls (Point F) presented another photo opportunity.  This allowed me the chance to test the new Manfrotto PIXI EVO Mini Tripod (see yesterday's blog HERE).

The penultimate stop on our autumnal tour of the River Tummel was a beautiful copse of trees that were lit up by the fading sunlight as the evening drew in (Point G).

The final stop of the tour was the bridge above the River Garry with views along the river surrounded by the colourful trees (Point H).  North of the bridge is a small footbridge which looks like it is floating in a sea of colourful leaves just above the river.

Photographing in the Highlands of Scotland is a joy at anytime of year but in autumn the colours are just magical.  I now head off to China on Tuesday but I am glad I made the effort to travel north into the Highlands of Scotland.

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ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION

MacLean Photographic run Tours and Workshops in East Lothian and the Borders of Scotland.  CLICK HERE for more details and availability

Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016.  You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE

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