A Winters visit to the Isle of Skye

tony-tomlinson-photography, royal-commando-memorial, Ben-Nevis

Me and my wife (Carole) had booked a week’s visit to the Isle of Skye with the aim of having a relaxing time, and to try and secure some decent photography, weather depending.

We were staying in the excellent Cuillin Hills Hotel in Portree, a hotel we have stayed at on several occasions in the past.

We always break our journey into two days, we travel form Cumbria to Fort William on day one, then a comfortable journey on to the Isle of Skye, we find that this reduces the anxiety in travelling and allows us to stop off if we like and even allows some roadside photography if this arises.

The journey up to Fort William was largely uneventful, except for a short stop off in Glencoe to snap a couple of images from the roadside.

tony-tomlinson-photography, glencoe-lone-tree
The Glencoe Lone Tree

We arrived at our hotel in Fort William only to be very unsatisfied with the establishment, our room smelled of damp and was not in very good condition. A complaint to reception, resulted in a move, into a much better room.
However, when we went for our evening meal, we found that the menu was very basic, the service was not good, and the staff were not the friendliest.
I have decided not to name the hotel in this article, as I do not want to influence other people who may be booked into the hotel in the coming weeks and months, however if you would like to know the name of the establishment, drop me a line from where I will update you.

Day 1
The next morning breakfast was skipped for a Morrisons supermarket one.
Once we had eaten, we filled the car with fuel then set off for a leisurely drive to Skye, however our first stop was a quick dash over to Corpach to visit the shipwreck that is beached on the shore, from here I captured a couple of photos with Ben Nevis in the background, and a couple of unusual angles of the ship.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Corpach-Shipwreck
The Corpach Shipwreck

As we arrived at Spean Bridge, we mentioned the Royal Commando Memorial, one which we have drove past on several occasions, so this time we decided to stop off and visit.
The monument is very nice and well cared for gardens with ample parking. Upon visiting the statue, this is a fitting memorial, depicting three commandoes standing on a stone plinth looking south towards Ben Nevis. On the day of our visit there was heavy cloud cover with shafts of light striking the ground around the monument.
We then walked the short distance to the Garden of Remembrance, this really struck a chord with me, firstly there is a ashes scattering area where the ashes of deceased service men and women can be spread. We then entered the remembrance area, where photos, messages and plagues of fallen service men and women are laid. Several of these messages had small bottles of whisky taped to them, very moving. Also, when reading the messages from surviving family members brought home the sacrifice that has been made by the many service men and women of this country, especially in Afghanistan.
We left the Garden of Remembrance in a very somber mood, but this is a very fitting tribute to the fallen.

tony-tomlinson-photography, royal-commando-memorial
The Royal Commando Memorial

Our next stop was at Eilean Donan Castle, primely for a toilet stop and to get a lovely hot cup of tea. Upon pulling into the car park, we were surprised to note how quiet it was, not one coach in the car park, only 6 cars parked and no ques anywhere. In the building.
We had a short walk about to stretch the legs, then drove up to the viewpoint to grab a image of the castle.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Eilean-Donan-castle
Eilean Donan Castle

From here we had the short drive on to the Isle of Skye then up to Portree to check in to the hotel.
Once settled in, we enjoyed an evening meal and drinks in the hotel restaurant, and as usual the hotel staff were very good, always friendly, available to help where they can and always offering advice.

Day 2
The day started with me taking the short drive down to Sligachan to capture some images of the cold and icy conditions that we had.
I had the morning to concentrate on trying to find compositions which captures the icy conditions, I even took a walk along the banks of the river Sligachan to find original compositions.
I got as far has the white cottage, then retraced my route back to the car, and returned to the hotel.
The afternoon was spent strolling around Portree sampling the hospitality and shopping experience.

tony-tomlinson-photography, river-Sligachan
River Sligachan Waterfall

Day 3

The plans for the second day began with a run up to the Quiraing where I have been trying to get to a location which is south of the Quiraing car park for the last three visits to the Isle of Skye, only to be denied on each occasion by the weather.
The forecast for the sunrise was very promising, sunshine, no rain, but high winds. I arrived at the Quiraing car park an hour before sunrise, got packed and set off following the path towards
Bioda Buidhe, for where I was hoping to shoot back towards the north capturing Cleat, Dun Dubh, and Druim an Ruma as foreground interest.
It took me an hour to reach Bioda Buidhe, from where I continued south over the summit, then turned left down a very steep slope from where I could look north towards the Quiraing. Here I was fighting the very steep slope, I definitely did not want to slip, fall or slide down the slope as there was a very daunting drop of several hundred feed at the bottom of the slope. I was also fighting the very strong wind, this was so strong that it prevented me from extending my tripod to its full height, so here I was scrambling about on my knees to ensure a steady footing for the camera could be achieved.
The light was gorgeous, lovely warm side light, so all I had to do was to pick out the images that I wanted, I also created many panoramic format images capturing all the foreground mountains.
After a couple of hours of being entwined in photography heaven, I decided to pack up and head back to the car park, from where I retuned to the hotel for a late breakfast.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Trotternish-Ridge
Dun Dubh,Druim an Ruma and Cleat along the Trotternish Ridge

After a relaxing morning in the hotel, we decided to head for somewhere new during the afternoon, this was Coral Beach, which is near to Dunvegan Castle, our plans included a visit to the Dunvegan Castle, but the internet was showing the Castle as being closed.
We soon arrived at Dunvegan Castle, and as advised by Mr Google, it was closed. So, we continued along the single-track road to the car park for the Coral Beach.
We underestimated the length of the walk form the car park to the beach, although this isn’t too far, Carole has mobility issues, which made the walk uncomfortable and hard work for her.
As we rose above the small ridge line the beach came into view, gleaming white sand in a small crescent shape, although we soon realised that the beach is not sand, but shells, these have been ground down to very small size which creates the beach.
As we walked along the beach, a lady headed to the waters edge to do some wild swimming, her turquoise-coloured coat contrasting against the bright white beach, a image I just had to capture.
The tide was coming in, at a rare rate of knots, you could visibly see the water rising along the water’s edge.
We took our time to soak in the views and the location before setting off on the return 1.25 mile walk to the car.
The afternoon was enjoyable, but the length of the walk would come to cause a lot of pain and restricted movement for Carole.

tony-tomlinson-photography, coral-beach
Coral Beach

Day 4

The day began sunny, and dry, but a bitterly cold wind blowing, as Carole was struggling with her mobility, we decided to go somewhere close to a car park so that she could get out and walk around quite easily. We decided the Sligachan would be the best place, so for the second time in two days, off we set.
Upon arriving at Sligachan, how the conditions had changed for our earlier visit. The ice had almost all melted, sun was shining on the bridge and surrounding areas.
Once I was satisfied that Carole was OK with her walking, I set off to find some compositions around the old Sligachan bridge, river and the Collie and Mackenzie memorial.
After a couple of hours, we reconvened at the car to call it a day at Sligachan and head back to the hotel.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Sligachan
The Old Sligachan Bridge

The plans for the late afternoon were discussed, it was decided that Carole would remain in the hotel, and I would head for Neist Point to try and capture some late afternoon/sunset images.
Whilst travelling west towards Neist point, it was noticeable how quiet the roads were, I hardly passed another vehicle on the road. Upon arrival at Neist point, I was able to drive right to the end of the empty car park, this saved my weary legs.
I wanted to walk to the lighthouse as I have never been there, so off I sent, not sure how difficult the walk would be.
Once at the lighthouse, I made my way down to the cliff edge to capture some shots of the lighthouse, perched on top of the cliff, looking out towards the North Atlantic.
I was busy concentrating on my photography, when I happened to look up and was quite surprised how low the sun was, conscious that I wanted to try and get a sunset image of Neist point, I packed up and began a swift return to the cliffs on the mainland, hoping to see some side light illuminating the headland by the setting sun.
Once at the bottom of the cliffs, a mad scramble along the escarpment to get a viewpoint of the large northern facing cliff face of Neist Point.
I grabbed what would turn out to be the best image of this location within the first 5 minutes, as the setting sun disappeared below the bank of clouds on the western horizon, neve to show its self again.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Neist-Point
Neist Point

Day 5

This was a quiet day photography wise, the only images that I took were of a small waterfall which is located near the Portree Hotel. I practiced with differing shutter speeds to final get one that I was happy with.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Portree-Waterfall
Portree Waterfall

Day 6

This was the start of our return home journey, again broken up with a stop in Fort William, at the dreaded hotel which we used on the trip up, this had been pre-booked, so we had little chance other than use it.
We eat before we went to the hotel and left early the next morning with the plan of getting a cooked breakfast at the Green Welly Shop.
How the best plans fail, upon arriving at the Green Welly Shop, the restaurant was closed until11am, several hours after our arrival time, so a couple of sandwiches were purchased along with a tea and coffee, and off we set again.
Four hours later we arrive home after a very enjoyable visit to the Isle of Skye in which we had encountered extraordinarily un-seasonable weather, four days of sunshine, albeit battered with high strength, bitterly cold winds.

I had captured several images which I was very pleased with, at least 4 will be going into my portfolio section of my web site.
It took me several weeks to trawl through the editing process of my Skye images, then family matters intervened, and another trip to ASSYNY in Scotland meant that these images remained on my computer for some weeks without being included into this blog.

Until the next adventure, stay safe and I will update you on the next one.

A recent obsession with Tewet Tarn

Tewet-Tarn, Lonscale-Fell, tony-tomlinson-photography

I have an image in my head which I would love to capture at Tewet Tarn, to achieve this I need some early morning light, and a clear view of Lonscale Fell and Blencathra.

First Visit

I first visited Tewet tarn on the  23rd December, when the forecast was promising, and on arriving at the location, there were signs that there would be some good sunrise light on show, and  for a short, very short period of time it looked like it was going to kick off, sadly the lovely red coloured sky only lasted a very short period of time, and did not reach the direction in which I was looking.

tony-tomlinson-photography, sunrise, red-sky
I was hoping for this light to arrive on the scene
Blencathra, tewet-tarn, tony-tomlinson-photography
All I got was flat light with a hint of colour in the sky

I was a little disappointed as I packed up and began making plans for the next weather window.

Second Visit

My next visit to this location was on the 3rd January, again the forecast was looking good, but despite arriving well before sunrise, the conditions did not materialize, no light on show at all, just boring flat light.

I took a couple of photos to record the occasion, but these were not portfolio standard. Still, I was out, and about which is my aim for 2025.

Tewet-Tarn, Blencathra, lone-tree, tony-tomlinson-photography
More flat light, this being a long exposure

Third Visit

My third visit to Tewet Tarn was a week later on the 11th January, when the snow gods had delivered a rare dousing of snow in the lake district, along with a block of very cold and frosty nights which had helped the snow to lay and last for a few days.

The forecast was looking good, so I arrived at the tarn well before sunrise to ensure I was I set up and in position for any sunrise light that made an appearance.

Off I trudged up the fell through the snow and ice, wrapped up against the biting cold.

I was a little surprised that there were no other photographers present, but this allowed me free range for my photos.

Looking east the sky was beginning to light up with crimson colours, and here was me trying my best to dig my boots into the slope of the fell to stop me sliding off down the slope.

tony-tomlinson-photography, sunrise, red-sky

The colours in the sky were now above my head, all I wanted was for them to reach the distant fells of Lonscale and Blencathra, when my wishes would be answered, please, please, as close as the coloured sky was, it wasn’t just far enough, I was taking photos, but I knew in my heart that they were not what I was looking for.

After waiting for 30 minutes or so for the red sky to travel over the valley, I admitted defeat, again I had been beaten by mother nature, so again, I was packing up with a unfulfilled morning.

lone-tree, Tewet-Tarn, sunrise, Blencathra, tony-tomlinson-photography
The best of the mornings light

As a trudged down the fell towards the Tarn, the sun suddenly broke through the cloud cover casting lovely light onto the snow covered fells of Blencathra and Lonscale Fell, so I stopped, got shot of the bag on my back and frantically raided the bag to get my camera.

The sun really brought the scene to life, we now had contrast, shadows, highlights and depth to the scene.

I headed to the shore of the Tarn to find some ice as foreground interest with me looking towards the sun kissed Lonscale Fell.

Tewet-Tarn, Lonscale-Fell, tony-tomlinson-photography
Ice and Light

I then noticed a lovely fluffy cloud hanging over the summit of Skiddaw to the north, so I grabbed the shot, a close crop of the summit with this fluffy cloud hanging over it. Only when I processed the image on my computer did I see the people making their way up the fell towards the summit, can you see them?

Skiddaw-Summit, winter, tony-tomlinson-photography
Skiddaw summit, can you find the people climbing up the mountain?

From this shot I panned round to the west where the sun had risen sufficiently to create some lovey highlights and shadows on the Cumbrian Fells, Grasmoor and Grisdale Pike being the prominent fells in this scene.

the-Cambrian-mountains, winter, snow, tony-tomlinson-photography
The Cumbrian Mountains

For a change, on my third visit to the tarn I was walking down the fell content, and pleased with the photos that I had taken. The snow had defiantly added another dimension to the views, and even the rising sun had made a slight impact on some of my photos.

To cap the morning off, I was sitting in the car enjoying a warm cup of coffee and a sandwich when I heard a tap, tap on the window, I looked round to see a female chaffinch pecking at the rear window of the car, I managed to grab a phone shot of the bird, but as I went for some food scraps of food it flew away. Quite a cure interaction this was.

Chaffinch, tony-tomlinson-photography
Inquisitive Chaffinch

 

 

My Last Photography of 2024

Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel, Landscape, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter

Right after Christmas we took ourselves off to Glencoe for a few nights stay, it’s a beautiful part of the world, we love staying at the Kingshouse Hotel, and I was planning to fit some photography in at sometime during our stay.

The weather forecast was far from pleasant, but you must expect some inclement weather in the Scottish Highlands in the middle of winter.

Day One

Upon arriving at the hotel, it was a right “peasouper” thick mist, overcast and substantial rain falling, brilliant, but once we settled into the hotel, I took off out for a short hike along on of the tributaries of the river etive, up towards the glencoe ski center. I had included the Cauldron Falls in my plans of places to shoot, but I wanted to go higher up the burn, then follow its path back to the hotel, the thought being that I would find some new and original compositions as I went along.

After a bit of huffing and puffing, slogging along the peat bog, I finally reached the river, all I had to do now was get my breath back and take the leisurely walk along its banks.

I soon came across an interesting small waterfall, which would have made an excellent leading line to the Buachaille Etive Mor, if you could see it. The mist and overcast conditions really restricted the inclusion of any background interest.

Here I go again, never happy with what nature provides us, are all photographers like this? (let me know with a comment)

Glencoe, Landscape, long exposure, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
High Falls

I set up but I was soon losing the battle to keep everything dry, the back of my bag was soon soaked, the lens cloths that I was carrying were becoming soaking wet, and I was easily losing the battle to keep the front of my camera lens dry.

Still, you battle on, don’t you? Once I captured a couple of images, I packed up and off I set, along the riverbank looking for another composition.

I came across a section of the river which split into two, where I found a huge lichen covered rock which made an interesting foreground character. So, the battle against the elements resumed, me, the equipment getting wetter by the minute, an element of frustration creeping into my work, and a few well-chosen words to myself.

Glencoe, Landscape, long exposure, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
The River Divides

I next arrived at the Cauldron Falls, a place where I have visited on many occasions, as there was a lot more water flowing over these than the last time that I was here, I set up and took a few images, sadly though the magnificent background could not ne included due to the miserable weather.

Couldron Falls, Glencoe, Landscape, long exposure, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
The Cauldron Falls

I was not too long before I decided to pack up and head back towards the West Highland Way, which would get me back to the warm and dry hotel, but to achieve this I has another, but shorter, slog across the peat bog, but as I began this torturous path, I captured a image of the quite frankly appalling conditions with hotel sitting below the mist, quite an atmospheric image some would say, what do you think?

Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel, Landscape, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter
The Kingshouse Hotel visible below the clag

Once back at the hotel, I was soon showered and changed into dry clothing, the camera bag was emptied with everything laid out to dry before tomorrow’s entertainment begins.

Day Two

Believe it, or not the weather forecast was right, we woke to worse weather than the days before.

As we sat eating breakfast, the weather outside was bleak, and I mean bleak, nearly horizontal rain being driven by 30 mph plus winds, the rain battering of the restaurant windows.

I studied the weather forecast, which showed that the winds were due to drip by mid-morning, and the rainfall should reduce, so I being the positive one, packed up my camera bag, sorted out my wet weather gear and waited for this to happen.

I eventually convinced myself that the weather had improved, in hindsight, I am sure this was a false dawn on my part.

I headed for the Meeting of the Three Waters in Glencoe, because if the worse came to the worse, I could get under the A82 bridge to shoot the falls, and keep dry, it might be dark under there, but I could work around this.

A82, Bridge, Glencoe, Landscape, Meeting of the Three Waters, River Coe, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
Under the A82 Road

And so it came to be, me under the main A82 road, trying to shoot the waterfall. I tried differing shutter speeds, lens lengths etc to try and secure a decent image.

Glencoe, Landscape, long exposure, Meeting of the Three Waters, River Coe, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
Meeting of the Three Waters waterfall

 

Once a crawled form under the bridge I decided to take the short hike over the road, and get above the waterfalls, I had never been up there, so it would be new ground for me, and help me capture more original shots.

Once on top of the falls, I realised how strong the wind was, and how heavy the rain was falling again. And, so, it began again, the battle of finding a composition, setting up, and trying to keep everything reasonably dry, I had brought along a umbrella today, in the hope that this would help shelter the camera from the worst of the rain, but this proved useless, as the strength of the wind continually blew inside out.

 

Once I took a few shots looking over the top of the falls, the A82 bridge and the overhanding mountains, I set off on a hike along the river up to the higher areas of the river.

Glencoe, Glencoe Infinty pool, Landscape, long exposure, Meeting of the Three Waters, River Coe, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
Glencoe Infinity Pool

This turned out to be a good idea, from which I identified many interesting options for the future to come back and photograph, but not today in these conditions.

I found a little hidden waterfall which deserved more time to investigate the best composition, but to be honest, my enthusiasm was at a low point today.

Glencoe, Landscape, long exposure, Meeting of the Three Waters, River Coe, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waterfall, winter
Hidden Waterfall

So, again, wet, cold and miserable I set off back to the car, once out of my wellies and wet clothing, I had a talk to myself and decide to drive further down the Glen to see if there was anything worth shooting.

You know the answer, don’t you? No there wasn’t, so I made the return trip to the hotel and repeated the same exercise as the day before, in drying my equipment and clothing.

Day Three

Believe it or not today was worse than the previous two days, the burn running towards the hotel was about to bust its banks, and the main river was roaring.

This was an easy decision, definitely no photography today, but we did take a reconnaissance journey out in the car to view what conditions were like higher up, and lower down the Glen.

We were very surprised that in Glencoe village the wind was virtually non-existent, and the rain being know-where as heavy as it was higher up the Glen, so we decided to take a 30/40-minute walk around Glencoe Lochan, at least we got some fresh air and a little exercise, but no photography for today.

Glencoe, red-dear, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, Wildlife, winter
Red Dear

I did manage to get some photos of some dear that were roaming around not far from the hotel

So, back to the hotel for the remainder of the day, time for some food and liquid refreshment.

Journey Home

We awoke to the rain battering on the bedroom window and the wind was howling around the exterior of the hotel. A quick view out of the window gave us quite a shock, the burn which run’s down towards the hotel from the Glencoe ski center had burst its banks and flooded quite a large area of land leading form the hotel up to the main road, in fact a large section of the road was now under water.

Once in the restaurant for breakfast the River Etive had also bust its banks and had flooded large expanses of peat land on each side of the river.

We packed and checked out of the hotel, only to get soaking wet loading up the car. The journey home was going to be an eventful one.

floods, Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel, Landscape, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter
Flood Waters at the hotel
floods, Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel, Landscape, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter
River Etive burst its banks
floods, Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel, Landscape, River Etive, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter
The road from the hotel

We drove home from 10am to 3.30pm in what were supposed to be daylight hours, the cars headlights were on for the whole journey.

Back home safe and sound and looking forward to the next visit to glencoe already, whenever that may be.

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy what you do.

Family Photograph Photo Shoot

tony-tomlinson-photography, family-photo's,

I have photographed families and children before, but never recorded how I approached this. Admittedly, the previous family shoots have caused me a degree of stress and anxiety, why is this, people ask, well it’s the responsibility of this being a one-off situation that needs to be right, and acceptable photographs need to be produced.

So, when asked to photograph baby Cody, I approached this in a slightly different manner, like all things, planning is key, so we discussed what kind of photographs Mam and Dad would like, and did they have any specific poses, or set-ups they would like. On my part I discussed and looked at typical family compositions, and lighting methods used for this genre of photography.

After a couple of conversations, we developed a plan for the session, with Mrs. Tomlinson adding a significant input to these plans.

On the day of the shoot, I arrived in plenty of time to set up the equipment, and to get a feel for how Cody and Sophia were, there was no problem on this front, Cody had been fed and was asleep, with Sophia eagerly awaiting for the photos to begin, she even had a photo in her mind that she would like taken of her and Cody.

Once the lights were set up, checked and tested, the backdrop was fine-tuned with as many creases and folds removed as possible. So, we began at first I shot a few informal photos of Sophia just to double check that everything was working fine, and the photos were as they should be.

Mrs. Tomlinson began setting up compositions, with me checking that the photo would include gaps in the backdrop, light stands, areas of wall etc.

tony-tomlinson-photography, family-photo's,

As I began taking the photographs, I found that although there was an element of stress, this was nowhere as severe as it had been on previous family photo shoots.

The two Children were fantastic throughout, the parents were great with helping to place the Children and suggesting slight changes in compositions as they saw fit.

tony-tomlinson-photography, family-photo's,

I concentrated on ensuring that the shots were in focus, and that the lighting was producing adequate results, on a couple of occasions I had to change the position of the stands to keep the lighting acceptable.

As I worked through the session, people were changed to create a variety of compositions and trying to capture those unique and special moments that inevitably arise during the shoot.

After about 2.5 hours Cody was becoming restless, so we called it a day, only to be reminded that Sophia would like “her” photographs took, so we quickly set up a scene in front of the Christmas tree to capture these photos.

tony-tomlinson-photography, family-photo's,
Sophia’s Photo

Al that remained was to dismantle the equipment and pack this away and have a well-deserved cup of tea.

We had a quick de-brief with Mam and Dad to make sure nothing had been missed, and after this, off I set to begin the editing session of the photos.

Once I uploaded the photos on the computer at home, I began selecting the ones that I thought were the better ones, from a photography point of view, with Mrs. Tomlinson then second viewing the photos to add/remove any as required.

This final selection was then edited to produce the finished images, these photos being at a reduced image size so that they can be sent over electronically for Mam and Dad to view, they also include a watermark at this stage.

As always, once the number of digital images is known, the quantity, size and number of prints (if required) are agreed, the full suite of images will be handed over to Mam and Dad on a memory stick for their keeping.

The feedback upon Mam and Dad viewing the images was fantastic, it really means a lot when you receive such positive feed back from a photo shoot.

The use of the photos used in this news article have kindly agreed with Mam and Dad.

Using my new Camera for the first time

Autumn, Borrowdale-Valley, Cumbria, Grange, Lakedistrict, Landscape, long-exposure, River-Derwent, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK

The proof is in the eating, so they say, so after waiting for several weeks to trade my old photography system and receiving my new, Its finally time to try the camera and lenses out.

The light as been pants for the last two weekends, but I had to bite the bullet and get out, so on a overcast, grey and damp day, I’m off to try out my new camera.

I headed for Grange, in the Borrowdale valley with the aim of looking for some compositions of the River Derwent as the water is crystal clear, along with a trek through the woodlands to capture some autumnal colours.

Once you have used one camera, you can use any, (so they say) and to a point this is true, but I soon ran in to muscle memory issues as I was instinctively going for buttons that I have been using for 20 years or more.

It will take time to become accustomed to the new layout, but the issues are not insurmountable, presently these minor issues are just slow me down a little.

tony-tomlinson-photography, om-1-kmII-camera

Photography wise, I was struggling, the light was pants, and I have missed the best of the autumnal colours, however I found a little beck with moss coloured rocks and brown autumnal coloured leaves scattered around the scene so I took a little time to compose a image. Not the best in the world, but a reasonably interesting one.

Autumn, Borrowdale-Valley, Cumbria, Grange, Lakedistrict, Landscape, long-exposure, Stream, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK

The river levels were low, a reflection of the reduced rainfalls recently, the lovely turquoise coloured pools drew my attention, but compositions were hard to come by.

I found one large pool called “Wilkinson’s Dub” which was a lovely colour, with a shrub on the far bank being reflected in the water, so I used a K&F polarizing filter to remove some of the glare to try and get a different type of image, this image is below, do you think it works?

Autumn, Borrowdale-Valley, Cumbria, Grange, Lakedistrict, Landscape, long-exposure, River-Derwent, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK

I then came across a disused quarry which provided some contrast to the remaining autumnal colours of the woods.

Autumn, Borrowdale-Valley, Cumbria, Grange, Lakedistrict, Landscape, long-exposure, Quarry, Slate, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK

As I trekked through Low and High Hows Woods I took a couple of snaps, one of a tree which, to me had a branch that looked like a birds face, can you see it?

Autumn, Borrowdale-Valley, Cumbria, Grange, Lake District, Landscape, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK, Woodland

OM-1 Conclusion:

Of course it will take some time to become fully accustomed to the OM-1 camera and its controls, I still need to customise some functions, but this will be done in time.

My main concern was one the quality of the images, as the four thirds sensor is substantially smaller than the full frame variant that I have been using for many years. I wont know the full answer to this question until I print a A2 sized print to make this assessment.

One big positive is that after two and a half hours lugging all all my new kit around in my backpack, I managed this with no issues, the weight saving was very obvious, long may this last.

 

Time to Change.

tony-tomlinson-photography, om-1-kmII-camera

I have been reviewing my photography exploits for 2024 and found that this year has been the lowest number of location visits and number of images that I have taken for many years.

Upon reflection there are a number of reasons for this, family matters have taken precedence, which has impacted on my availability for photography activities, however the main reason is that I have lost my enthusiasm for photography, I have, on many occasions planned to get out into the landscape, only to knock it on the head for the most trivial of reasons.

During this summer when I have been out, I have really struggled to carryy the weight and bulk of my photography gear.

Don’t get me wrong, the Canon equipment that I have used for 23 years has served me very well, and provided many excellent image quality, but boy, is it heavy and bulky.

So, upon the chance conversation with a fellow photographer, I was introduced to the world on four thirds photography.

I dully carried out some research, and assessed what equipment was available, and would this meet my needs.

I was very conscious that the four thirds sensor is substantially smaller than that of a full frame  one, which I have become accustomed to using, but the 4/3 system brings massive benefits by way of camera and lens weight and size.

Rightly, or wrongly (only time will tell) I took the plunge, and decided to trade-in my full frame Canon equipment and purchase the following OM equipment

tony-tomlinson-photography, om-1-kmII-camera

OM-1 Mk II Cameratony-tomlinson-photography, M. Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 macro lensZuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 macro lens

tony-tomlinson-photography, M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lensM.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens

tony-tomlinson-photography, M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 f2.8 Pro lensM.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 f2.8 Pro lens

tony-tomlinson-photography, M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 Pro lensM.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 Pro lens

Tony-tomlinson-photography, M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400 f5-6.3 IS lensM.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400 f5-6.3 IS lens

These OM items directly replaced the following:

Canon R5 Camera
Canon RF 14-36 RF f4 L lens
Canon RF 24-105 FR f7 L lens
Canon RF 85mm f2 macro USM lens
Canon EF 70-200 f4 L lens
Canon RF 100-400 f5.6/8 USM Lens
Canon RF 100-500 f4.5/7.1 L lens

This change of equipment has provided me with a weight saving of approximately 2.3Kgs over my previous canon equipment.

All I need now is some decent weather to get out with the new OM equipment, and check the quality it produces, I print up to A3 size, so it will be an interesting comparison once I print a couple of Images.

I am looking forward to having a much lighter bag to cart about though.