January: month in review
A busy January brought a couple of trips North, some kitesurfing and otters. Reflections and drivel for January…
Ornsay Lighthouse
Fujifilm X-T5 | 27mm f/8 1s ISO 160
What’s this month’s image? It’s Ornsay Lighthouse around disk taken on the small Eilean Sionnach island where I had the pleasure of spending a few days with Mc2 Photography.
Did you do anything to it? Not very much in all honesty. There’s a little dodging and burning around the lighthouse itself and the waves, while the blue saturation was reduced as this dominated the tones. The movement is down to the shutter speed while Skye provided the scenery and drama.
What’s it doing here? The Skye trip was undoubtedly the highlight of a very busy month. (Indeed, this would have formed a standalone post were I not so lazy and so far behind on other stuff). The trip was a workshop / photographic holiday led by Marcus McAdam of Mc2 Photography. I’ve written before about how I’m starting to enjoy the experience of workshops - this is a trip with a twist.
Rather than leading a group around a broad set of locations, this trip is entirely confined to the small island of Eilean Sionnach, a small island off the small island of Ornsay, off the Isle of Skye. The island is very small and can be circumnavigated in about 10-15 minutes. The surrounding hills provide a fabulous backdrop, however, while the lighthouse and the cottages provide some striking (if slightly obvious) foreground.
The aim of the exercise isn’t to come back with dozens of different images, but rather to take a single scene, work on the composition and explore the opportunities in different weather conditions and light. In addition, because the days are still very short there’s plenty of opportunity to review images, discuss the images from the day (as well photography more generally) and relax. I found it very refreshing and hugely enjoyed myself.
Despite the obvious limitations, hopefully the images below show that there’s a range of opportunity available in a 80m radius of the front door. (The location obviously helps).
Have you been up to much else? It’s been a busy month. The Skye trip followed a trip into Glasgow and the January outing to Troon to photograph the kitesurfers. The Troon visit also provides an opportunity to experience the types of biting, cold winds normally reserved for parts much farther north!
The cold snap provided a couple of opportunities locally, while a trip to Broughty Ferry by Dundee added a little variety. The highlight, however, was the Skye trip. In addition to the lighthouse I was also lucky enough to spot otters - a mother and two kits - while the drive is was glorious as ever. All in all, I think January 2023 goes down in the plus column.
Coming Up
February is slightly quieter, although a trip to Northumberland is in the offering which should provide its own opportunities…
