Heading up to Scotland
In late May 2022, I was asked to shoot my stepson’s nuptials and at 6pm, when the festivities were over, we jumped into the van and drove through the night from Faversham in Kent to the Glen Lyon area in Scotland , and in particular the Singing Sands on the Isle of Eigg.
Over the course of a glorious couple of days exploring the area from behind the camera, my beloved decided to jump from one set of wet rocks to another across the bottom of a waterfall. Well, that didn’t end well, and he broke his shoulder rendering him a bit of a mess for the next… well, year really! His refusal to seek any medical advice and continue with our break was nothing short of admirable… daft… other words that should not be in print on a blog!
The Isle of Eigg
Eventually we drove to Arasaig to catch a morning ferry to Eigg where we would be staying in the poshest digs on the island (something very unusual to us as we like to save a few pounds). The Lageorna Guest House is situated a few hundred meters from Laig Bay with its stunning sunset views over Rum. As soon as I saw it online, I knew I wanted to base myself here for our grand explore as it is so close to the main areas of interest to me.
My beloved spent most of his time in bed, understandably dosed up on pain killers and trying to sleep, but one day I convinced him to take a ‘stroll’ with me to the Singing Sands. A great little jaunt with sheep and stunning views but rather boggy under foot until you come to the edge of a cliff and a path down to the beach.
The more common focus for shots from the Singing Sands is the view over the water towards Rum and there are a fine selection of foregrounds to lead us to the impressive isle in front of us. But if you listen carefully, you get the clues to a delicious secret.
Looking deeper
From the cliffs behind us there was the sound of running water and careful exploration revealed small caves and canyons where I was able to discover and shoot intimate waterfalls. I purposefully use the words ‘careful exploration’ as progress across the shore requires very careful forethought. There are perilous drops, slippery rocks and sharp edges designed to deliver cuts to the unbalanced photographer with several kgs strapped to their backs. That’s all before you decide to set up and realise you need to leave every unnecessary bit of kit outside as you are essentially wedged in between two damp green cliff walls with very little wriggle room. Oh, and that’s when you realise that your battery is flat!
I took my time and looked carefully at my composition to take advantage of the leading lines in the rock walls, the inclusion or exclusion of foreground elements and the impact of the small amount of light penetrating from a gap above. Then it was a matter of exploring the impact of shutter speed on the personality of the waterfall.
It occurred to me that I had not told my beloved (who by this point was lying on his back clutching his shoulder while cursing his decision to bring his camera bag on the jaunt) what I was doing. Normally he would have been cross as I was gone for some time with no indication of my whereabouts but on this occasion my absence was unnoticed.
Outdoor Photography Magazine
I treasure the memory of my time here and am very happy with the result so much so that I shared the shot with Outdoor Photography Magazine and it was published full page in issue 286. The lesson I learned was to stop and take a moment to look beyond the obvious grand landscape; you never know what treasures may reveal themselves.
