Return to Clutchgate
Glencoe, Scotland
If you've not been following the trials and tribulations of our holiday to Scotland this year you won't have a clue what this is all about and I advise you to scroll on and look at something more impressive and photogenic! For those of you that have stuck around and are hell bent on seeing this through to the end (this is the last posting in my ordered series by the way) read on...
I don't know about you lot, but whenever I go on holiday I seem to reach a crisis point where I think I've captured nothing worthwhile and go into blind panic mode, clicking and snapping at everything in sight in the hope of that one magical shot that will make the trip... this was that day!
So here I am, in a stream, in Glencoe, in the pissing rain! It occurred to me at this juncture, what the hell am I doing here? Certainly not drinking in L.A. (one for Mr Dixon there). Does this make me a professional photographer for braving the elements or a mad amateur for not seeing reason and calling it a day - tenacity and passion verses madness and stupidity are some words to describe the situation... you may have others!
But first I must back track a little on how I arrived at this thought. My previous upload of Eilean Donan Castle was taken just before storm Callum descended upon us... in bucket loads! Our last overnight stay was near Loch Lomond but I wanted to stop off in Glencoe to have a second go at the Lagangarbh hut (for reasons that still annoy me today) as long as I didn't have to park on that stupid pot-holed wasteland. After a three hour drive in conditions that only an automated car-wash could mimic we arrived at the dreaded location. Surprisingly, the nice tarmacked parking strip on the southbound side of the A82 was empty of vehicles apart from a solitary campervan. On the other side... the pot-holed hell-hole was also devoid of cars with the exception of a couple of Chelsea tractors parked high up on the wasteland... clearly having second thoughts of going off-road!
I indicated and pulled up in front of the campervan.
K... "You're not seriously going out in this are you?"
A... "I'll just give it five mins and see if the rain eases a little"
5 minutes later...
A..."It might be the only chance I get, we might never come back here again!... are you coming?"
K... "NO!" this is the abridged printable version, but the conclusion is the same.
So I was left to brave the elements on my tod. It's not easy trying to pull waterproofs on over walking pants at the back of the car with your arse taking the full brunt of a howling wind and oncoming rain, let alone spray from the speeding traffic whizzing by. I needn't have bothered, now with a wet arse insulated within the waterproofs, I donned my wellies and big coat, picked up my backpack and tripod from the rear seat.
A... "Could do with your help holding the brolly"
K... "NOPE!"
So I set off down the track to the little white hut... green wellies, grey waterproof pants, blue coat and a black and white segmented golf brolly (apparently, fashion has never been my strong suit I've since been told) and not forgetting, camera bag, tripod and filters! So picture the scene...
Have you ever tried to open and level a tripod; unpack an inward opening camera bag without putting it on the ground; attach a camera to a tripod head, level and compose; while holding an enormous brolly in the midst of a full on storm?
I managed 12 shots... I gave up trying to fit the filter ring.
It's not my finest of images, it's pretty dull in fact, but I'm surprised it's almost level and reasonably sharp all things considered. The question is.. should I have posted it? Should I have even bothered taking it? Should I have knocked it on the head and carried on driving south? I await your comments!
Return to Clutchgate
Glencoe, Scotland
If you've not been following the trials and tribulations of our holiday to Scotland this year you won't have a clue what this is all about and I advise you to scroll on and look at something more impressive and photogenic! For those of you that have stuck around and are hell bent on seeing this through to the end (this is the last posting in my ordered series by the way) read on...
I don't know about you lot, but whenever I go on holiday I seem to reach a crisis point where I think I've captured nothing worthwhile and go into blind panic mode, clicking and snapping at everything in sight in the hope of that one magical shot that will make the trip... this was that day!
So here I am, in a stream, in Glencoe, in the pissing rain! It occurred to me at this juncture, what the hell am I doing here? Certainly not drinking in L.A. (one for Mr Dixon there). Does this make me a professional photographer for braving the elements or a mad amateur for not seeing reason and calling it a day - tenacity and passion verses madness and stupidity are some words to describe the situation... you may have others!
But first I must back track a little on how I arrived at this thought. My previous upload of Eilean Donan Castle was taken just before storm Callum descended upon us... in bucket loads! Our last overnight stay was near Loch Lomond but I wanted to stop off in Glencoe to have a second go at the Lagangarbh hut (for reasons that still annoy me today) as long as I didn't have to park on that stupid pot-holed wasteland. After a three hour drive in conditions that only an automated car-wash could mimic we arrived at the dreaded location. Surprisingly, the nice tarmacked parking strip on the southbound side of the A82 was empty of vehicles apart from a solitary campervan. On the other side... the pot-holed hell-hole was also devoid of cars with the exception of a couple of Chelsea tractors parked high up on the wasteland... clearly having second thoughts of going off-road!
I indicated and pulled up in front of the campervan.
K... "You're not seriously going out in this are you?"
A... "I'll just give it five mins and see if the rain eases a little"
5 minutes later...
A..."It might be the only chance I get, we might never come back here again!... are you coming?"
K... "NO!" this is the abridged printable version, but the conclusion is the same.
So I was left to brave the elements on my tod. It's not easy trying to pull waterproofs on over walking pants at the back of the car with your arse taking the full brunt of a howling wind and oncoming rain, let alone spray from the speeding traffic whizzing by. I needn't have bothered, now with a wet arse insulated within the waterproofs, I donned my wellies and big coat, picked up my backpack and tripod from the rear seat.
A... "Could do with your help holding the brolly"
K... "NOPE!"
So I set off down the track to the little white hut... green wellies, grey waterproof pants, blue coat and a black and white segmented golf brolly (apparently, fashion has never been my strong suit I've since been told) and not forgetting, camera bag, tripod and filters! So picture the scene...
Have you ever tried to open and level a tripod; unpack an inward opening camera bag without putting it on the ground; attach a camera to a tripod head, level and compose; while holding an enormous brolly in the midst of a full on storm?
I managed 12 shots... I gave up trying to fit the filter ring.
It's not my finest of images, it's pretty dull in fact, but I'm surprised it's almost level and reasonably sharp all things considered. The question is.. should I have posted it? Should I have even bothered taking it? Should I have knocked it on the head and carried on driving south? I await your comments!