I had a 1-2-1 training day booked with Sietse from the Netherlands, he was visiting Scotland with his family and his wife suggested he book a day with me to avoid possible disappointment in getting the scenic shots that he really wanted.So, all was set for a date with the understanding that if the weather looked rubbish we would re arrange, no point in spending a day in the wrong conditions, besides, who wants to work in the rain by choice and get the kit all wet. Then Sietse announced that what he really wanted was to get some stunning sunrises... and it was July ... in the Highlands.
So, sunrise is about 5.10am, need at least half an hour to play before sunrise, 30 mins drive, that's a 4am meet - sounds like fun !!
It's not that the idea of getting up at 3am bothers me to get the right shot, but I tend to prefer the autumn or winter light for sunrises, and the rise times are slower so less dashing about chasing the light. But Sietse was in Scotland in July and keen so that was that, a check on the forecast a few days before told us to move the day to the Friday, we had had almost a week of clear sunny days but a rather wet front was crossing the whole county on the chosen day but was expected to clear.
Now, anyone that trust a weather forecast in Scotland tends to have a sense off humor but you just have to give it a go as its bound to change for better and worse. So, a 4am meet at Portnellan Lodges where he was staying for a fortnight and headed up to Rannoch Moor for 4.30, about 40 mins before sunrise. Leaving home at 3.30 the sky was already light enough for a few shots but no, we had planned our locations so foot down and keep to the plan.
I guess someone up in the land of the gods decided to like us on the day as not only were we treated to just a little cloud to break the sky up but also a scattering of mist - absolutely stunning.As the shots show the light was just fantastic, we moved to a few nearby spots before the sun was fully visible, then worked away from the sun to catch the low angle light.
By 8am we had done about 5 locations and we were feeling rather pleased with the mornings work. Sietse had a good level of equipment and had bought a new 17-45 lens for the holiday which hopefully he did not regret. Once the sun was too high for sky shots we did a few panoramic and blurred waterfall shots, techniques that he wanted to try out.
The plan then was to cut the session to a half day and do the same again the following week, not only were we struggling with the bright sun but the midges - whoa, little buggers were out in force big time, you could smell our overdose of Skin so Soft a mile away !!. Also I often find that a whole day can be too intensive and splitting the day can give folk time to practice to maximize the training. With Sietse the training element was more about using me as a guide for locations and trying a few more advanced techniques, and so when we head out again we can concentrate on sunrises again - let's hope the gods are with us again.
Part 2
This time the weather looked far more 'atmospheric' but decided to just go for it, besides some cloud is good, just not too much hopefully.
Picking a spot further north we setup with a view angle just to the south of where the sun would rise and boy were we lucky again. Just before sunrise the clouds broke up right above the distant munros. This spot is tidal so had great fun picking a spot to get low on the water without being chased back by the rising tide.By 7.30 am the light show was over so we headed back to Glencoe and Rannoch, problem was the high road over Rannoch was in cloud but we couldn't resist a quick shot of 'that cottage' with the distant mist before calling it a day... well ... an early morning !
Thanks Sietse, really enjoyed the sessions.
