New material from The Capital City

 

Recently I set myself to work on new stuff for various Edinburgh projects coming up for an image refresh.  I enjoy city/street work more & more these days and fortunately I never seem to tire of trying to suss out new angles on familiar places, I try to be always ready for the chance encounter, I guess I sort of treat it as sport.

 

The National Monument Calton Hill.

Early start on Salisbury Crags, nothing dramatic going on but noted the warm, low directional light hitting the pillars. I grew more interested in the potential on noting the  placid surface water on the Forth & steaming condensation rising from an industrial zone on South Fife. I like it when there is an element of juxtaposition or a "contra" subject within an image.

 

 

Mussleburgh Esplanade

Having gently cycled round from Portobello I was struggling to catch any significant architectural forms to work with so took a moment to chill in a beachfront park area and glanced back towards the city. A partially silhouetted public art curiosity comes to life with some theatrical cloud action and heavenly rays exploding behind it.

 

 

The Edinburgh Trams

Some alert jay-walking was required to catch the Edinburgh Trams presence. Their quiet smooth trajectory adds grace to the night scene here on Princes Street.

 

 

The Meadows

Always enjoy a stroll through this chilled out zone here in the heart of this elegant city. Its location is a complex crossroads of pedestrian routes and recreational action. Never looks the same it always delivers people watching material in abundance, its all going on, all the time.

 

 

Fettes College

A bit of a legend for different reasons, its turrets are loaded with pictorial power, gaining notoriety as scene setting in one or other Harry Potter films.  Arguably now rather infamous, being the seat of learning for our disgraced ex PM Tony Blair, the stripey red blazers are a conspicuous symbol of privilege as more egalitarian principles are hopefully being embraced, at least in Scotland that is. Its graduates include Christian Salvesen and perhaps more comfortably on the conscience, it also delivered Tilda Swinson.

 

 

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

An impressive venue for its illustrious collection I particulary like this bizarre but engaging neon lit statement shouting out from the grounds. A message always worth bearing in mind.

 

Castle Douglas - Portrait of a Forward Town

Earlier this year and with some trepidation I moved "into town" overturning my long held loyalty to abiding as near as possible to wildness and solitude. I chose "The Forward Town" Castle Douglas and it has been an engaging journey, and one with plenty of unexpected rewards.

Aside from the legendary array of quality shops and the convivial nature of the inhabitants I am struck by the many walks, shortcuts, nooks & crannies that have revealed themselves to me as I explore my new domain. I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that the town possesses some impressive architectural landmarks and this coupled with the privilege of having its "shores" lapped by a unique and captivating jewel that is, Carlingwark Loch.

It was essentially through dog-walking that my eyes and mind were opened to the different layers that compose this cohesive and sure-footed small town. Early morning and later evening sorties fed my growing curiosity and I soon went into full image-hunting mode just as Spring delivered its joyful and colourful expression of the life force. Landscape photography can be a bit solitary but it is also reliably enhanced by chance encounters with like-minded people who are also out walking, walking usually for the simple, meditative pleasure of it. Walking early and late has become both essential "timeout" for the busy mind and useful for feeding my perpetual photo habit.

I have sussed out and savoured numerous views on offer from the surrounding gentle hills & gaps between trees & buildings that surround the town. I have taken delight also in how on the outskirts, both the agricultural lands and the wilder habitats merge into the dwelling spaces in a respectful way. I believe kids growing up here are most fortunate in having real countryside to grow up in. Its feels like one of the most valuable things I can recall from my own childhood experience.

Photography is mostly about seeing, the techy stuff is secondary. A great joy putting this work together is a sense of communion with nature, everyday semi-wild habitats on the doorstep are uplifting, surprising even, but also a connection with nature of human kind.  Both of these accompany me when I am delving into new territory, it becomes a sort of mobile meditation. As I devised new angles on the town I relished the way a higher viewpoint elevated the stature of the towers and spires that define and decorate the skylines. I also find it intriguing how places can be immediately recognisable and yet, because of the viewpoint, they appear somehow unfamiliar, it's all about ones' "point of view".

It is with pleasure & privilege I offer this personal exposition of a great little town.

 

Castle Douglas - Portrait of a Forward Town

Exhibition runs at The Workshop Gallery from 1st - 31st July

183 King St. Castle Douglas (AD  Livingston & Sons)

 

Hardback Book, 76 images, 4000 words, 24 x 29 cm, £20.00. available on line at

http://www.allanwrightphoto.com/p509029701/h721fbcb7#h721fbcb7

or at Livingston's furniture shop.

 

Launch 7 pm Thursday 30th June at the Workshop Gallery - all friends and followers welcome. (nibbles by Earth's Crust Bakery!)

I will be on hand 11am- 2.30pm  Friday at The Gallery for book signing, general chat etc.

 

 

Allan Wright's  Galloway Sojourns 1

 

 

I started doing landscape photography right here in Galloway a long time ago, the eighties in fact,  and although I have had to plough furrows elsewhere in Scotland to make a living I have never stopped exploring new places  here in my adopted homeland. As most landscape and nature lovers know there are no limits to the experience that can be had from rambling around in new places.

 

Starting with the present time and working backwards through time I thought it might be interesting to share my journey, in blog sized slices, that I have had with Galloway as my subject over these past years.  I'd like to pick out the highlights and test my memory a bit with how the pictures might have come about. There are a lot of pictures so this may take some time.

 

Ok here we go;  last shoot I did was a dusk and dawn assault on 3 locations in our beloved Galloway Forest Park. Feral Goats get my attention, I photographed them 20 odd years ago so felt the need to refresh my files. I understand they have been culled in other parts of the Park which sounds just too brutal to contemplate, so I hope this small but contented herd in the official Wild Goat Park at Talnotry is not all that remains.

 

 

1) Quizzical looks and those amber eyes with little black slits - Pan is alive and kicking in there somewhere with this fine young billy.

 

 

2) How pleasant it was shuffling around in the dry Heather and warm April sunshine waiting for this nanny and kid to come up with a cute pose - strenuous stuff.

 

 

3) Fine horns juxtaposed with The Murray Monument is just across a wee Glen at the Grey Mare's Tail. It beams with pride as it pays homage to the memory of Alexander Murray, a local shepherd boy who later became Professor of Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University, erected in 1835.

 

 

4) On such a perfect Spring day I calculated that a sunset across Clatteringshaws Loch might be a worth a go. I trundled up and down the West Shore in anticipation of a good angle but nothing really emerged so I headed back towards the Visitor Centre, just moments before the  colour started to fail, I seized on this lyrical little part-submerged willow.

 

5) Camped out at the top of the Garroch Glen and struck out at 5 am for sunrise on summit of Meikle Millyea, one of the Rhinns of Kells. I  got there twenty minutes late but no matter.  I did this walk back in about 1986 with Logan Paterson, a man passionate about the Galloway Hills, who sadly left us a wee while back. I recall the exact spot where we stood overlooking Loch Dungeon and cursed the mass plantings of Sitka Spruce sharing nostalgic images of life on the land in days of yore.  It looks pretty much the same I reckon.

 

6) Meikle Millyae is a lovely hill, an easy enough climb, its broad flat summit was a joy in the warm sunshine with not a breath of wind or cloud in the sky. I seemed to spend I fair bit of time just sitting on rocks staring here and there to the sounds of cuckoos, skylarks, ravens and buzzards. One of the pleasures of hill walking is to raise a thirst and quench it with the freshest and coolest of water from a mountain burn. View here looking South the Clatteringshaws Loch.

 

7) Looking across to Corserine Hill with dyke detail and nice little lochan. I never fail to be impressed with the extraordinarily hard grafting that our forefathers must have expended in building dry stone dykes all across the land. Their presence is always reassuring and their unique shapes and weather-beaten textures lie in complement and harmonise so well with the land, the wee birdies and insects love them too. Such a toil to build them though just to keep out the neighbour's sheep. If only we could hear an ancient echo of Galloway "craik" that those dykers that must have shared during the long days and nights building them, respect!  Ah life was so much simpler then - or was it?  

St Kilda - Island on the edge of the World

I finally made it to St Kilda, it happened early last June when, along with 2 other members of the Galloway Photo Collective I headed to Harris via Skye hoping to reach this remote  archipelago.  Thwarted by  grim weather,  worst for many years,  the outlook was pretty bleak, so we abandoned the trip after only one rather good day & night on The Isle of  Harris.

I had work to do on Skye so I stuck around there for the next 10 days, finally there was a break in the weather and I made a dash for it. It was a real wave-thumper of a sail out, most passengers on Angus Campbell's Kilda Cruises power boat were sick. I was lucky riding shotgun so kept my eye on the horizon, this did the trick.

I'd logged many images of St Kilda in my mind over the years so there was a familiarity which took shape straight away, but this was my time to do my thing so forget those!  I have faith that nowhere ever looks quite the same ever again, so I'm always game for bit of "re-interpretation" and my excitement at being here did not subside for the entire 3 days.

In the care of our National Trust for Scotland its future as a World Heritage Site is assured. Their role is to defend and further comprehend its unique ecology and archeology.  During the summer a dozen or so work-party volunteers enliven the human wildlife of the island. I was privileged to join one of these very sociable gangs for a ramble to some hotspots on the other side of the Island. Apparently there is a long waiting list for this work such is their popularity, a fair few return many times.

I have been asked which bits I liked the best - always a hard one in such an intensely interesting destination such as this.  Off the top of my head here are three;

1) The outrageous Bonxies, aka Great Skuas are a bit of legend I would say. Probably for the first time in my life, for a second or two at least, I actually knew what it feels like to be attacked by a wild animal. I can't claim it was bad luck, I was warned that up a certain Glen they would have a go at me, of course the wee boy in me just had to check that one out didn't he! Whack and whack again across the top o'ma heid they came one after another working as a team, crafty and forceful, watching my every move, angling to come at me from directly into the sun to avoid detection. I was both shocked and exhilarated - what a game this is - how to get a shot of these menacing bruisers and not lose an eye in the process.  I reckon they are the living embodiment of a WW2 Heinkle bomber. Anyway if you want peace,  stick your walking pole up high in your backpack above the head and they  leave you alone.

2) The Village on Hirta is simply breathtaking, with the texture & graphics of the rudimentary dry stone cleats & cottages, the echoes the past are redolent in an almost intoxicating way. For me, images of that lost civilisation are never far from mind and the inherent sadness of its failure is palpable. But I found joy in touching stone and marveling at those outer/outer Hebridean people's resilience and practicality in the face of what we might regard as hard core austerity.

3) The outlying satellite island cluster of Boreray demanded attention but the light was full and bright i.e. not forthcoming for dramatic interpretation. Sunrise would be right behind and so that might work. A groan inducing alarm call at 3.45 was close to being ignored but with some rare discipline I'm off up the hill up to "The Gap". The curious and wonderful thing about this exact place is that invariably  "virgin gappers" report a powerful sense of shock and revelation when the rocks of Boreray emerge to view as they reach the crest of the hill having huffed and puffed their way to the edge of the cliff for the first time. I did that too and wow, a full-on crimson dawn getting into its stride, no choice, it had to be a time-lapse sequence.

 

I'd like to go back.

 

Skye at Last 6 - more images from the Misty Isle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost forgotten how good last summer was so by way of a reminder us here is some work I did last year as part of my "Skye at Last" Odyssey.

Raasay is an island I have had in my sights for a while - often seen as a beguiling presence in views from Applecross.  It has acquired a bit of mythology by way of one its beloved fathers a certain Calum MacLeod B.E.M who single handedly with only a pick axe and wheelbarrow carved out a mile or so of amazing road to his wee settlement in the North (after the authorities refused to help) Took him 10 years and there is now a best selling book "Calum's Road" to tell the story. I cycled to it and did a wee tourist thing, big warm sunny hebridean day it was - bucket list #44 √.

Always on the lookout for old tractors, dead, dying or still working. They seem to be at peace in the landscape and should I believe be allowed to die peacefully on the land they have worked all their life, here at Husabost I came upon this beauty. Complete with original trailer, I guess this is its final resting place! Is it a Massey Ferguson or maybe a Fordson I am no expert ??

Spring and Autumn are the most productive times and I am naturally always up for a bluebell image. The headlands of the Skye Coast are rich in distinctive shapes and I wanted to set off this view to the North West from the path between Portnalong & Fiskavaig with some Spring decoration.  There are 2 distinct parts and some exposure challenges to this image, hoping I got the balance about right ?

Later that same day I was back at Fiskavaig sizing up a view to North West across Duirinish. I set up a time-lapse sequence of this rather splendid sunset which I will publish sometime soon! Always a good feeling when you have something good in the bag as you wearily trudge home across rough moorland thinking intently about what's for supper.

Portree is a bonnie wee toon right enough and has been done to death with all the usual views!  so what to do about that - really I was not sure. I have been on the lookout for some mist - always a good prop for creating uniqueness but this restless summer its has refused to deliver on its promise (where have I heard that before?) - misty isle my backside..! Imagine my surprise and excitement when I rolled up for an evening stroll round the harbour and found the moon fully resplendent across the bay.

Ventured down the well worn path to the Neist Point Lighthouse for a closer look - feel of abandonment and dereliction pervades the place - seems there has been a self catering business here with units converted from the old keepers quarters etc. A window completely blown out by a recent storm no doubt, so, being a nosey parker I stuck my head in the vacant window, foosty smells and a surreal scene out of a dark movie presents - never a dull moment on Skye.

 

Skye at Last 5

Continuing my exploration of the magnificent Isle of Skye
 

Onwards from Elgol pursuing the heart of Skye on this fine day I decided to tackle a decent hill and get a measure of the famous Black Cuillin Range. A little research and a good look at the OS map revealed a route I felt I could manage. A lesser hill called Sgurr na Stri (my gaelic is woeful so no idea what it means!) afforded a stunning perspective to Loch na Leachd and Loch na Cuilce with sandy shallows sporting an almost iridescent aquamarine, a colour I find intensely satisfying.

 

The vista from this summit proved to be pretty awesome taking in Loch Coruisk, Loch Scavaig, Rum and Eigg.  I used to be highly impressed with panoramic images that had been shot with the bulky great Fuji film camera, knowing the fitness level required getting all that weight to the summit  etc.  These days of course we simply shoot panned sequences and get Photoshop to stitch them together to get the same result. Oh the love of digital!

 

Back down to the Sleat Peninsula with characteristic moody light picking out the settlement on Aird of Sleat.  I find fascination in the way people settle in these remote places, the restored vernacular cottages and the new eco-builds. The scenic value, proximity to nature and strength of community defines rural dwelling nowhere better than on Skye. If there is one, green, blue and white ought to be the colours of the Skye flag,

 

Back to Armadale and the MV Loch Coruisk  Calmac ferry as a subject was bound to be fair game and planning for this shot took time.  Using the OS map and a reccy along the shore defined the precise location to line up the boat and the Knoydart Mountains peaks at the end of Loch Nevis. Also it required timetables and a watchful eye on that elusive light show Skye tends to perform.  The combination of 400mm lens and tripod nailed it, but it's the combination of that red funnel and the rugged land features that characterise travel on Scotland's West Coast.


 

Twin hamlets of Toskavaig and Tokavaig on North Sleat are favourites, sleepy and interesting with great view to the Cuillins. Camped up by the shore and bagged  a long exposure sunset with the incoming tide, perfect.




 

Allan Wright - Skye at Last 4

There are a handful of locations/scenes on Skye that many of us have had etched into our consciousness over time.  They have a familiarity about them that  has generated a "Mecca" like attraction to those who compulsively need to photograph Scotland's finest. A very brief visit to Skye back in 2006 bagged me my first shot of The Cuillins from Elgol. I was lucky there was something going on with these cattle  probably roaming in search of some nutritiously superior seaweed.

Allan Wright - Skye at last

Allan Wright

Allan Wright - Skye at Last - 2

My approach to any given piece of landscape, at least for my paid professional work, generally requires a good deal of driving and map study. I will usually drive from end to end of the selected region making copious notes on aspects, points of interest and in particular how the main iconic features might best be approached. I often find the most northwesterly part of an island delivers a wildness and solitude that helps me settle in and on this recent trip to Skye I headed straight for The Vaternish Peninsula.



I often find myself getting under the skin of a place just by being receptive and engaging with locals and happily this time a chance encounter revealed a whole new dimension to landscape appreciation. Here I met Sheila Parlane, an energetic and knowledgeable lady farmer, working for the RSPB and managing pasture specifically for the benefit of the recently resident but iconic Corncrake, that famously shy and elusive symbol of Hebridean agricultural ecology. Today she and some volunteers were gathering & burning the poisonous Ragwort prior to late silage making for the local herd of Highland Cattle. I joined in for a while and shot the breeze on this balmy August day, I so love my job on such days.



The wide curve of Ardmore Bay below promised rich pickings as I noted the herd of peculiarly near-white Highland Cattle, a nicely positioned ruined farmhouse and a beckoning cliff top to boot. The cattle were amazing, appearing freshly shampooed and very content. Highlanders are snapped thousands of times in a tourist year but I still love to have a go myself, after all, good shots still sell consistently well and these near albino versions were lovely. Turns out the ruined farmhouse is used as a warehouse by the local wine club distributor, a gentleman in his 80's who, with his wife who has the cattle, moved here from down south 20 years ago - now that is a lifestyle choice if ever I saw one!



Over to the cliff top where I was promised a view of "The Dragon" drinking from the Atlantic, I saw it instantly but I am not sure how easily others see it?



Feeling energetic still I jumped on my bicycle, sometimes the best tool in the bag, and headed to the East side of Vaternish. Can't help but be fascinated by housing styles on the island from stunning new eco builds to vernacular "tumbledowns" sitting side by side it is clear Skye is having its own housing boom. Back to base camp(er) and a day spent reading whilst the rain hammered down. Next day a glance at the ferry timetables directed me to Armadale and the chance of a shot at the Mallaig-Skye Ferry. Planned a shot for later with specific conditions but caught the atmosphere with shot through the trees.



North on the Sleat Peninsula are the captivating hamlets of Tokavaig & Toskavaig, an archway to a ruined castle on a promontory,



a cute little rainbow and the Cuillins slipping in and out of view made the day, made a note also to return at my earliest convenience, mmh, Skye - I am starting to understand what all the fuss is about.












Allan Wright

 In search of winter

 

Real winters have become an unreliable occurrence, but of course all the more wonderful when they do appear. A hefty part of my job is producing calendar images which tradition demands contain archetypal wintery material.  We have seen some lean years of late in this regard so when the chance arises I like to get going and stock up. Last week I set off to Skye via Glencoe.  A critical component of this business is watching digital forecasts by the hour, often trying to second guess and plan the most efficient route for the best conditions, a high level of flexibility is de rigueur and plans can change by the hour.

First stop Glencoe and a visit to the classic Buachaille Etive Mor viewpoint. Eight thirty in the morning and there were only 4 other photographers on the job! Wonderfully bitterly cold and crunchy underfoot, it was joyful to be back at work after a dismal January trying to shake off a wretched flu virus. 1st shot in the bag, unoriginal composition I know, but you've got to start somewhere!

Possibly some sun on West of Skye next day pm so made sure I was at The Fairy Pools on time, but the sun never came, so commiserated with the half dozen or so other bereft snappers and invested in a more textural / mono style image. Perched on a rock beneath the harsh majesty of the Cuillins was edifying nonetheless, the cabin fever of the past weeks slipping away nicely.

Driving through the night to Highland Perthshire, where next morning I was promised a glorious combination of early mist, deep frost and bright sunshine, the most heavenly of combinations. Perthshire's landscape can be so dreamy in the way it combines so many elements and this morning it was truly on form. My heart raced as I frantically sought to park the truck and get stuck into this scene before it evaporated.  Farmland between Kenmore & Tummel Bridge.

Glen Clova is the most prominent of the Angus Glens and I have made rather too many fruitless visits to it in the past so my resolve was I high as I planned this particular approach . A Bunkhouse overnight stay with a 6 o-clock rise got me into position for a direct hit from the sun from the South East. Very predictable scenario as the warm light spread down from the crests picking up the shapes and textures of the broad Glen. My only challenge was to get some subtle detail / texture into the foreground, it was all over in about 6-7 minutes, that'll do nicely thanks, back to the truck for a coffee brew, bit of a glow on now.

Stonehaven is starting to annoy me as a overnight stay, overpriced and under-supplied is how I would describe the accommodation on offer but I was determined to get a Dunnottar Castle sunrise in the bag as all looked well on the forecast.  Only 5 other photographers on site, so it seems bitterly cold Sunday mornings do help keep the numbers down. The shot? OK I guess it's in the bag but I was hoping for some mist or a wee bit more drama - next time maybe.

Arbroath, The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320 - just thought I would stick that in to jolly things along a bit. Famous also for the smoked Haddock or "smokie" My instinct was to revel in this symbol a bit and get a "working toon" image that has a whiff of tradition from inside the working harbour - here is what I came up with.

 

Heading South through a gloriously lit central Fife and on impulse I took a chance on maybe getting a shot of Glenrothes Town Centre.  Thinking logically, high population centre, Fife calendar to produce - got to be worth a go. Words fail me in trying to describe this utterly exasperating experience, Glenrothes has no centre, there is absolutely nothing there apart from a shopping centre that goes on forever.  How hard must it be to add heart to a new town when its being designed?  Getting out of town and back on the M90 south was hideously difficult to boot. An hour and a half of my life I will never get back!

Hungry for some sort of productive closure to the day I took a stab at Culross, Fife, that fairy tale wee village with its oldest of vernacular "Fifey" style architecture, all NTS,  listed & with cobbled streets. Alas I was too late, the light had gone and surprisingly there was no usable street lighting. What the heck, cranked up the ISO to 2500, did a little post production Photoshop work and hey presto I had my "sundowner".

 

SKYE AT LAST 1

Skye is big on the landscape photography map, it has a worldwide reputation for being spectacular, so in some ways it is surprising it has taken me almost 30 years to get round to "having a go" myself. I confess I had been put it off because I was daunted by its magnitude and reputation, in effect deferring the task to a time when I could do it justice and so I took 18 days this August to see what I could come up with.

4) Toskavaig, sunset and my travelling home.

My initial reaction was of shock as I drove over the Skye Bridge and found myself in the midst of an ad hoc convoy of 19 camper vans (from which I did a sharp harp exit at Kyleakin).  It got worse, the whole place was bursting at the seams with tourists, roads were chokka and parking chaos at the main attractions was insane. I was not prepared for this and quickly acknowledged that in terms of dear old Galloway's quest for tourism growth, I was heard muttering to myself on Galloway's behalf to "be careful what you wish for!".

 

2)  Point of Sleat with Eigg & Rum on horizon

What also struck me hard though was just how compulsive visitors are these days about taking photos, it seems an insatiable reflex has entered the human condition. I confess I am  a little bemused by this, everything seems to be a potential subject with cameras instinctively brandished without hesitation. Maybe this abundant snapping is because Scotland is so stunning and people are heightened in their enthusiasm and expectation, I feel an urge to engage with folk to find out what drives them and how they see the end product being used ? I am genuinely curious to see where this photo mania is leading us.

 

On the other hand I was also struck by the plethora of photographers actively promoting themselves as fine art photographers through their real time and online galleries visible throughout Skye, in fact someone even told me there were upwards of 40 photographers presenting themselves as professionals. I am I confess staggered by the popularity of photography and the ease with which many have evolved themselves from the status of amateur into "professional". I have on occasion found myself cautioning enthusiastic amateurs to consider the true meaning of the word amateur - i.e. from the old French "lover of" and that the pure uncorrupted passion felt from the act of producing images is to be revered and that the step into commercialisation does not comes without risks at least in terms of a potential loss of that early passion.

3)  Looking South from Neist Point to Waterstein Head & Moonen Bay

The logistics and planning involved in successful landscape work are numerous but here is quick resume of a few;  tides, angle of sun, cloud style, humidity, season, time of day, aspect, access, mapping, safety, fitness, equipment, market potential, patience, ferry times, let alone camera and post production technique etc .....  these all more or less play their part. Photographing Skye had these issues in abundance, an OS map and up to the minute i phone weather reports along with a readiness to drive huge mileages were absolutely crucial. I had an amazing time I admit but on reflection I scarcely had a minute to myself during the 18 days. I plan to show more of my Skye images in a series of blogs and share some of my experiences in the coming weeks but meantime I have chosen 4 images that seem on the face of it to be more or less spontaneous but in reality were underpinned by a combination of many factors.

1)  Stormy shore and cliffs at Staffin with lone explorer

 

 

 

Twin Peaks - our wee local hills

Screel Hill is a favourite wee local hill - great for a quick jaunt which often rewards with a great view across Auchencairn Bay to the South and the Ken Valley to the North. Its sister hill Bengairn is less well known, but happens to be my preference. It's a gentle ramble at first on forest tracks then past ruined crofts and starkly dramatic Larch trees to the heather and bog moorland that comprises this fine piece of Wild Galloway.

Recently I acquired the kit for camping out on hillsides to enable me to get those special sunrises  that only mad photographers can get by being up hills at 4.30 in the morning. A tiny wee tent, camera and other lightweight gear packed I decided to road test it all on Bengairn last Tuesday night. It might be lightweight but at about 18 Kilos I could feel the strain on this creaky old frame but I made it. At the close of a fabulous warm summer day I did get a sunset across the Glenkens before I pitched camp and hit the hay(heather) with an set for alarm for 4.30.

Forecast was for a big old fat sun at sunrise so imagine my surprise when unzipping the tent I felt the cold rush of a thick & damp chilly fog rushing past the flapping canvas. That and the grim touch of a damp everything was not quite the romantic image I had of brewing up as the sun rose across Screel Hill and the bay below. Temperature must have been about 5 degrees and my hands were white,  that and the depressing prospect of packing up wet gear only to trek home "sans images" was a wee bit testing.

I decide to try to warm up a bit before packing so I nipped up the trig point summit at which point the sun started to punch its way through the gloom and within minutes I was clicking away at a fast emerging ethereal hillscape across on Screel.  I do sometimes get caught out by abandoning shoots to early and this was one of those close shaves.

I chose this picture because it suggest more than it really is. The pure hill scene was good too but there is a suggestion of the ancient in this shot, an illusion of course because it's entirely recent and but why let facts get in the way of a good illusion.