Friday, October 5, 2012

The Old Man of Storr

      One of the things I wanted to accomplish on our trip to Scotland was visit the Isle of Skye. The main reason? The Old Man of Storr. This interesting landscape has been featured in a number of motion pictures. Of course, there were other interesting and beautiful things we wanted to see here, but this was the motivation. I enjoy hiking, so spending a couple of hours exploring this landscape was a 'no brainer', even though our time was limited.
      I did not spend enough time here. I was not here at the optimal time of day ( sunrise or sunset ), to produce a photograph with the most impact. Some photographers promote the idea that creating photographs that are not taken at these preferred times are a waste of time. I respectfully disagree. Logistics forced me here during the middle of the day. I believe you can find beauty, interest and drama at any time of day that are worthy of effort to capture. Of course I would have liked to have more dramatic lighting, but if it is not possible, get the shot. Who knows if I will ever get another opportunity to wander around this amazing place.
      My family and I set off from the car park and climbed along a muddy path through the trees for 15 or 20 minutes when one of our daughters began feeling sick. She had been dealing with some car sickness the day before but wanted to try the hike anyway. Unfortunately, her stomach had other ideas. It was decided that the girls would head back to the car and rest for an hour or two and I would keep going. I was disappointed because I knew that this place was going to be so unique and different from anything we had seen before, that the scenery and the atmosphere would be memories they would have forever. But it did allow me to pick up the pace so that when I arrived, I could take a little more time with photographs.
      The Old Man of Storr is the tall pinnacle in the rock formation that is about 50 meters tall. I also have a photograph that depicts just the 'old man' with a couple of hikers at its base. It really gives it a sense of scale. Other parts of the rock formation have names like 'the needle' or 'cathedral', depending on the angle of view. All of these are located in what is known as 'the sanctuary'. The Storr is actually not shown in this photograph. It is a huge rock cliff that rises even higher to the right of the rock formation. There are numerous legends that fancifully explain how these formations came to be and why they are so named.
     This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Hiking and landscape photography are two things that I find enjoyable. Add to that this famous and unique formation, amazing view, moody atmosphere and interesting and silly legends. It all makes for great photography and even greater memories. Click on the picture for a better look.








4 comments:

  1. That is one beautiful view Andrew. Obviously those other photographers who wouldn't waste their time taking a *pointless* photo like this have really missed out. Glad you got to do two of your favourite things. I'm sure you have many happy memories of your trip.
    Babs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great image Andrew (in spite of not being there at the golden hour -you know my opinion of that. You have to shot when you are there). You captured an awesome sky. It looks like one of those places a person could spend days shooting and still want more time.Mike K

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great shot again! It´s good to see a proof from time to time, that bad weather should not be the reason for not shooting a scene!

    ReplyDelete