FORMATT HITECH AMBASSADOR FOCUS
Scotland, my Backyard Professional Landscape Photographer and Formatt Hitech Ambassador, Paul Millar takes us on a journey from his home in central Scotland, up the west coast, to the far north and finally returning to his local area and Glasgow by night.
I open my door and step outside into my garden. It’s not the Scottish Pebbles that lie beneath my feet I think of, but the thoughts of living and working now professionally in Scotland as a landscape photographer. The realisation and overwhelming emotion of Scotland is that it is now my Backyard. I can get to the eastern coast for sunrise in under an hour, and am lucky enough to be able to travel west for sunset in the same amount of time. Standing here on these Scottish Pebbles I feel proud, thoughtful, emotional and excited that I can also be in the Highlands in around two hours. I will share an image with you in a moment, and we first head west to the coast. As is often the case, my photography evokes feeling of inner emotion. So, I take you back to being a child and spending many holiday weekends on the beaches of the Ayrshire coast line. Perhaps those smells and sights of the fish market at Ayr are gone now but as I travel south along the coast those memories follow me, through the village of Maidens, and along the coastline to Turnberry Lighthouse. The foundations of the lighthouse stand in what was once the moat of Turnberry Castle, thought to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce in 1274. More popular nowadays as it sits in pride of place amid the Ailsa golf course; part of Trump Turnberry Resort and Golf Club.
Light on Ailsa It may interest you to know, Light on Ailsa was shot at 10.30pm
Now we leave the coast for time-being and heading north,
in the dark. I had set my trusted Nikon to Monochrome, allowing
skipping the outskirts of Glasgow and onwards to Loch Lomond
me to see different areas of grey contrast. I lifted the definition
(often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central
in the sky further with a Firecrest Ultra ND 0.6 (2 stop) Soft Grad
Scotland and the Highlands). We might perhaps stop at the
filter, and allowed Camera Raw to convert this back to colour for
Green Welly at Tyndrum, before heading up the A82 into, what is
me. Shot at f/11, 30 sec, ISO100 at 26mm.
for me, the beating heart of Scottish landscape, Glencoe.
Rustic Light We arrive at perhaps the most photographed Munro in Scotland, Buachaille Etive Mòr. I like the translating term, “The Herdsman of Etive”. The rich autumn colours are enhanced in contrast and appearance by a Firecrest Ultra ND 0.6 (2stop), Firecrest Ultra ND 0.9 (3 stop) Soft Grad and the use of a CPL filter reduces glare in the river and brings the rich reds of the river bed to life. Shot at f/13, 1/5th sec, ISO100 at 16mm on the river Coupall.
But we should never forget, weather can change in an instant and what we once thought of being such a beautiful location can become adverse and inhospitable within hours, with temperatures on the coldest of days dropping to easily -12 degrees, leaving the snow gates closed until the ploughs reopen the road north once again. But for us photographers who dare to venture, the rewards can be breathtaking to say the least.
Winter Light
The snow clouds were so bright; white and fluffy, like frozen
Winter Light, shot at f/9, 1/30th sec, ISO64 at 70mm, as the
cotton wool. I lifted the definition and contrast from them with
snow storms of a January morning had passed. I waded
my trusted all-rounder, the Firecrest Ultra ND 0.9 (3stop) Soft
through the knee-deep snow to the frozen banks of Lochan na
Grad filter. The ice was like a sheet of silky white paper, as the
h-Achlaise, with the Black Mount in winter coat.
snow had been stripped away by the frosty winds.
Sanctuary in the Darkness
November Light
The Tower House Moving north again, through Glencoe village but swinging left before the Ballachulish Bridge, along the coast road towards Oban. What I want to share is a rather artistic shot, taken with the CPL filter in play. Our port of call is Castle Stalker, a four-storey tower house or keep, picturesquely set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich, an inlet off Loch Linnhe. That day was spent in the extraordinary company of (in my opinion) four amazingly talented photographers from around Scotland. I think we covered all the bases - from Glasgow, to Dundee, Wick, Orkney Islands and even as far as Shetland. It was an extremely enriching and rewarding experience; standing there watching
Behind the Image: This is being creative; two images, both using the same settings. The first image is a straight-up shot with ND and ND grad filters. For the second, I also put the 82mm Circular Polariser in the holder to bring out the yellow colours in the seaweed and sand, and did an ICM (Intentional Camera
creative minds at work, and a full mix of technical ability on display from film to digital.
Movement) shot by tapping the lens. I
So, I stood wondering what I could bring to this collective. It seemed my eyes were
painting the crisp castle from the first
drawn to the beautiful colours of the seaweed and sand on the shoreline as the waves gently washed back and forth - This prompted the thought of using the 82mm CPL filter to enrich those colours, and adding some camera movement to be creative in processing once at home.
then merged the two in Photoshop by shot back through. While this version is in colour, it also makes a rather striking mono.
Pines in the Mist Now moving on with our journey, and back-tracking
As you reach the north side of town you are now
once again - this time crossing the Ballachulish
faced with a new decision - swing right to head north
Bridge and heading into Fort William. If you have the
towards the Great Glen, or go left to Glenfinnan
time it is worth a stop off for lunch, shopping and
where the Jacobite rising began in 1745, when Prince
supplies, but with places like the Lime Tree Gallery
Charles Edward Stuart raised his standard on the
you might catch an Art Exhibition too - check their
shores of Loch Shiel.
online calendar to see what’s on.
Perhaps this road and the Harry Potter films are of more interest to some travellers nowadays as Loch Eilt and Dumbledore’s last resting place. Pines in the Mist (right), shot hand held, 82mm CPL filter used to darken contrasts bottom right of image, f/4, 1/30th sec, ISO320 at 35mm.
Emergence
Colours of Elgol From this point on the journey we could double
to extend your shoot, I open my bag and reach
back to Fort William and left to the Great Glen,
for an old playful friend the Firecrest Ultra ND
or continue on to places such as Arisaig,
3.0 (10stop) filter. Colours of Elgol, shot at f/14,
the Silver Sands of Morar and inevitably to
218sec, ISO100 at 18mm.
Mallaig and the start of a photography adventure that could possibly last you a lifetime - the stunningly beautiful Isle of Skye. As a landscape photographer there is an incredible draw of such a place, with iconic locations like The Quiraing, Talisker Bay, Sligachan, Old Man of Storr and Neist Point to name but a few. There is one location on this magical island that has, over the years, made me pack the car on a Friday afternoon and hit the road north. I love to stand on the shores of Loch Scavaig, at Elgol and look out towards the Black Cuillin at first light, after a few hours sleep in the back of the car. I can still feel the stiff neck! We have all viewed such magical images from Skye but, as the morning light fades on a location and you want
Clouds over the Cuillin
Time and Tide It’s hard to find total isolation in the world of today, but that
heart-stopping beauty and feelings of true loneliness and
can be found, as much as anywhere, on the Outer Hebrides.
isolation that I have never felt anywhere else. If truth be told I
We leave Skye - either by ferry from Uig to Tarbert on the Isle
think I left my heart on Garry Beach, on the north east coast of
of Harris, or by my chosen route crossing back over the Skye
Isle of Lewis at 3.00am one morning in June.
bridge and inland around Loch Ness. The land route allows us to visit Urquhart Castle, sitting 21 kilometres south-west of Inverness, and to wish for a glance of Nessie. We than head onwards to Ullapool and a sailing on the MV Loch Seaforth ferry to Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.
Every twist in the road opens a new bay and tells a new story. One of these being Bosta Beach with its sculpture of the ‘Time and Tide Bell’ by Marcus Vergette. Approximately twelve of these bells surround the UK coastline. Sadly, I haven’t heard it ring but I shall one day. Time and Tide, shot at f/14, 2sec, ISO31
A trip to the islands of Scotland is truly a unique experience;
at 26mm, with Firecrest Ultra 0.9 (3stop) Soft Grad and 82mm
the welcoming nature of the inhabitants, and sights of extreme
CPL filter fitted.
Ardroil Twilight
Light on Mangersta My last night on the Isle of Lewis was so intense and prolific, I had to stop looking through the viewfinder as the waves crashed, as I worried I may be engulfed at any second. This really wasn’t true but watching through that tiny rectangular window made me feel like this. This was on Mangersta Beach, often shot for its spectacular sea stacks. This evening, as the wind drove the sea spray horizontally across the headland, I stood in silent isolation on the beach waiting on that setting sun. Light on Mangersta shot at f/14, 1/8th sec, ISO100 at 95mm with Firecrest ND Pro 0.9 (3stop) Soft Grad filter.
Light on Luskentyre Photographers around the world talk of the greatest photography locations, and although I said my heart was left on the Isle of Lewis, my brain went into overdrive on the beach simply known as Luskentyre, Isle of Harris. I walked the beach one June morning; it was gloomy and grey and my camera remained in its bag, but what replaced it was my notepad and
we were about to head once again to Ullapool to catch the ferry. Lady Luck was on our side as we sailed to Stornoway, and again at first light travelled south to Isle of Harris and to stand once more in hope on Luskentyre beach. Getting somewhat wetter than expected I shot from the sea back toward the beach with Horgabost and Seilebost in view.
pen. I scribbled thoughts for the future, this gave me hope
Light on Luskentyre, shot at f/14, 1.6sec, ISO50, 24mm with one
to return, and hope has a funny way of turning into fate. As a
Firecrest Pro ND 0.9 (3stop) Soft Grad filter and one inverted
family, we watched a huge storm front move in that October as
Firecrest Ultra ND 0.9 (3stop) Soft Grad filter.
Sunrise on Sango Bay Heading back to the mainland now, the weather turns colder as we enter the month of December and move towards the end of the year. The north western and far north coastlines offer so many places to explore, but in the far north there is one particular destination on what has become one of the world’s most famous roads (Driven at one point by the presenters of the TV program The Grand Tour) - Sango Bay near the village of Durness. At this point I should really stop and thank my Wife and Daughter who gave up a week in the sun to freeze along with me on the wind-swept beaches! Venturing out in the dark, I feel refreshed in the knowledge that, for once, I did not need to drive to a location, but simply strolled across the road from our cottage and onto the beach. I felt very relaxed as I waited on the sun getting out of bed, standing there listening to the somewhat soothing sound of the sea.
Behind the Image: Taken with a ND 0.9 filter fitted in the back slot of the holder then a ND 0.9 Soft Grad Filter added in front. The holder was rotated 45 degrees so the darker portion was in the upper right, fading out to the lower left. This balanced the image and allowed me to slow the shutter speed to capture the motion of the water.
Northern Sea Rock As the light lifts and a new day arrives, a slight sadness and realisation creeps in that I’m about to take my last shot of our stay at Durness. But it has, over the years, had it’s fair share of other visitors including a member of a band I listened to when growing up as they were my father’s favourite. The person in question being John Lennon of the Beatles, who spent many a holiday there until his last visit in 1969. It perhaps is a small world after all. I shall leave you with the parting shot Northern Sea Rock, and dedicate it to the ones in our lives who are gone now. Shot at f/11, 1.6sec, ISO100 at 24mm and cropped in, with Firecrest Pro ND 1.8 (6stop) filter.
So, we have travelled the west coast to the far north and have seen some breathtaking beauty. If I had another ten pages to spare we would undoubtedly have moved on to sunrise on the east coastline Thurso, Wick, Kess, Bora, Cromarty, Nairn, Buckie, Stonehaven and then another week just for the East Neuk of
Arc of Illumination My cityscape images have evolved into my own intensely intimate style; often described as cinematic. This is, I believe, an extension of my personality and comes out in the lights. Glasgow and the river have been shot from so many different angles and in many styles but I generally still feel there is room for individuality. So, standing in the bright lights of the city, I share what is to me a smash and grab image. I changed the camera settings ran on the road to the centre island and hit the shutter only once. The Clyde Arc bridge and the image Arc of Illumination, shot at f/11, 8sec, ISO64, but I needed to balance the image with Firecrest Pro ND 0.6 (2 stop) filter. Using the ND in this situation helped push the shutter speed to that 8sec mark helping to give those fantastic bursts of light.
Fife, perhaps finishing at Dunbar and the Bridge to Nowhere. But the playlist has been chosen and our adventure heads home and I find myself chasing the bright lights on the Historic river Clyde and the City of Glasgow.
Colours on the Clyde When I am working in the city at night, I have a very locked-in
Colours on the Clyde shot at f/11, 25sec, ISO100, 24mm with
train of thought and workflow. I always shoot at f/11 and ISO64
Firecrest Nightscape filter in play. My thoughts at this point
or 100, at a 24mm focal length, and use a shutter speed between
always turn to a bottle of Harris Gin as both are similarly
5 and 25 seconds depending on my creative needs. With Formatt
coloured. The filter without a doubt, removes the Hard Sodium
Hitech’s new Nightscape filter on the market, I like to incorporate
Lighting but I also noticed more colour punch and detail; a
this into my workflow also.
winning combination.
My photography is not about facts and figures. It is an adventure which has taken me around my home and enriched my life with countless new friends from all corners of the earth. As I stand here once more in my back garden on my Scottish Pebbles, I hear a voice say “Paul, put the kettle on”. Was this all a dream or just, “Scotland my Backyard”.
After an accident ended his International sporting career, a chance conversation with a friend put Paul Millar on a path to chasing the light across the Scottish landscape, and finding fulfilment in photographing from coast to coast, in both the wilderness and cities. You can find more of Paul’s work at www.paulmillarphotography.co.uk
info@formatt-hitech.com | formatt-hitech.com (global) | formatt-hitechusa.com (USA)