CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Fujifilm X-T2 +XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 + 1.4x converter - 1/125 @ f8 ISO1600 (zoom 560mm) One of the highlights of the two day winter photo trip into the Highlands of Scotland was the number of stags we saw and photographed.  Red Deer  (Cervus elaphus) roam the Highlands of Scotland but while I have seen them further south, I hadn't expected to see them in such abundance on this trip. We had seen and photographed a young stag on the roadside as we were leaving Applecross on Friday evening and I was pretty pleased with the results in such poor light, but little did I know we were going have more opportunities on the second day of our trip. Fujifilm X-T2 +XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/110 @ f2.8 ISO6400 (zoom 140mm) As we were travelling from Loch Assynt up to Kylesku I spotted three stags off in the distance.  As we rounded a bend in the road I noticed a large rock was obscuring us from the stags and so I could, hopefully, get closer without being spotted. ...

The view over the anchorage at Altandhu just before sunset Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/40 @ f10 ISO400 (zoom 10mm) As the horizon brightened to the west we stopped photographing at our location near Inverpolly and headed in the car the 6 miles to a view point above the small fishing village of Altandhu. The clouds on the horizon had broken up and the sunlight was streaming through producing a spectacular display.  I had fixed the X-T2 to the Manfrotto 190 tripod while I used the X-Pro2 with either the 100-400mm, or the XF50-140mm with the 1.4x converter, to get some closer images of the sunset and the cloud formations.  Fiery skies about the headland to the south west of Altandhu Fujifilm X-Pro2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 + 1.4x converter - 1/320 @ f13 ISO400 (zoom 196mm) The light was fading fast and we had to work quickly.  Being exposed on a hill on the coast also subjected us to high winds, which were also pretty cold, which meant we had to wat...

The beach at Clashnessie  - Point A on the map Fujifilm X-T2  + XF16-55mm f2.8 - 1/250  @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 16mm) After the stop at Drumbeg we continued following the coast road, dropping down to the beautiful white sand beach at Clashnessie.  The west coast of Scotland is famous for its beaches and Clashnessie is certainly a beautiful sight.  Not sure that I would be taking a dip in that sea though as it looked pretty cold from where I was standing. The beach at Clashnessie  - Point A on the map Fujifilm X-T2  + XF16-55mm f2.8 - 1/200  @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 16mm) - Panoramic Mode As well as taking some standard images on the X-T2 I switched the camera to Panoramic mode to take the image above of the entire bay. The cottage at Loch a Phollain  - Point B on the map Fujifilm X-T2  + XF16-55mm f2.8 - 1/80  @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 30mm) By the time we set off again the rain had returned and the likely hood of a break in th...

The Quinag Ridge  from Loch a Chairn Bhain with Sail Gharbh on left and Sail Ghorm on right Fujifilm X-T2 + XF16-55mm f2.8 - 60s @ f18 ISO200 (zoom16mm) - Point A on the map below After leaving Loch Assynt we headed north to Kylesku and parking up on the northside of the bridge spanning Loch a Chairn Bhain.  Looking west across the water the clouds were swirling around the Quinag ridge, a group of three mountain peak.  Two were visible from our vantage point, Sail Ghorm at 776m and Sail Gharbh slightly higher at 808m. We patiently waited for the clouds to break and the 1-minute exposure used to capture the image at the top of the page gives a sense of the dramatic light that was unfolding in front of us. Sail Gharbh (808m) - Fujifilm X-Pro2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/500 @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 235mm) - Point A on map While I was taking long exposure images of the scene I fitted the XF100-400mm telephoto to the X-Pro2  to take some close up shots of the...

Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 4s @ f22 ISO200 (zoom 10mm) After a good night's sleep in a hotel in Ullapool we headed north at 6:30am to hopefully catch the sunrise over the mountains.  However a fairly steady rainfall meant we were not going to be lucky in that respect.  But as anyone who has traveled in Scotland knows, you just have to make the best of the Scottish weather because it rains a lot here! We decided to head to Loch Assynt to photograph the ruins of Ardvreck Castle which stand on a small outcrop of land surrounded by water. Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF90mm f2 - 1/500 @ f2 ISO400 Ardvreck Castle was built by the MacLeods of Assynt at the end of the 15th Century and stood until 1795 until it was struck by lightning and largely destroyed. The castle now stands as a ruin on the shores of the loch, surrounded by the Scottish mountains on all sides. As the light started to gather the rain eased off, but didn'...