Fernweh

We traveled to Scotland in December, hoping to experience some moody landscapes and dramatic weather. We were not disappointed as the countryside is absolutely stunning, covered in mountains, castles, and lochs, and the weather fully cooperated, snowing on most days and blowing on all. Although the conditions were challenging, the land’s beauty shone through.

Down Loch Assynt from Ardvreck castle is a small island with a few lonely trees. The island and the hills behind it covered in snow made an almost black-and-white image without any help from me.

Sometimes the skies clear very quickly and the mountains reveal themselves; there’s almost always some water conveniently placed to create a pretty reflection.

As were were driving down the road, we saw the clouds begin to open up over Loch Maree, so we quickly parked and jumped out to look for a good vantage point. The mountain, Slioch, and a photogenic tree revealed themselves and we quickly took advantage of the moment.

Sometimes it goes in the opposite direction. As we were driving back to our motel at the end of a long day of wandering, we saw a small, well-kept sailboat at anchor in a bay, lit up by warm sunset light.

We pulled over, jumped out, and walked the two minutes to the shore to shoot. By the time we got there, the sun was gone, the cloud were back, and the rain had begun again. It wasn’t the image we had intended, but it turned out ok nonetheless.