St Ninian's Isle, Shetland

weepete · Oct 16, 2020

I was up earlier in the week doing a bit of work in Shetland again. It's been a few years since I've been up that way and it's good to see I've moved on a bit with my photography. I managed to get a little time before my flight home to get out and do some shooting.

This was a difficult one, I thought the oppressive cloud in the morning just might clear so I headed down to St Ninian's Isle with it's lovely tombola, it's always a place I love to spend some time. I staked it out for a couple of hours in sub optimal conditions, and just as I thought I wasn't going to get anything decent the shower were blew overhead and creating some wonderful lighting conditions as I'd hoped. Shooting into the rain I took this panorama, handheld. Sometines taking the chance and being out in poor weather can work, but it's very hard to predict. It was so lovely being over when the lighting condiotions were so good. Hopefully I'll get back up there someday!

St Ninian's Isle Rainbow by wee_pete, on Flickr

Space Face · Oct 16, 2020

I'm jealous. I want to be there. It's been too long.

Dean_Gretsch · Oct 16, 2020

Quite the moment you captured!

weepete · Oct 16, 2020

Space Face said:
I'm jealous. I want to be there. It's been too long.

Thanks mate! yeah, it's quite a place. I have a great affinity with the islands, love being there. At this time of year the golden raked sunlight is pretty much all day, so add that in with the showers frequently blowing over really made some superb conditions. It really was a land full of rainbows.

Dean_Gretsch said:
Quite the moment you captured!

Thanks Dean! it worked out out better than I hoped. I didn't think there'd be a rainbow, but I had all of 10 mins shooting into the rain to get a shot. Sometimes committing to a place works!

stapo49 · Oct 16, 2020

Nice shot. The rainbow is a fantastic bonus. Unfortunately the closest I have been to the Shetlands is watching the series on TV

weepete · Oct 16, 2020

stapo49 said:
Nice shot. The rainbow is a fantastic bonus. Unfortunately the closest I have been to the Shetlands is watching the series on TV

Thanks mate, one of the cracking things about my job is I occasionally get to be places at times very few visit. One of the reasons I got into photography was seeing these spectacular things and not quite being able to explain the beauty of what was there. My country is often viewd as rainy and cloudy, but there is spectacular beauty there waiting if you look in the right places!

PJM · Oct 17, 2020

Awesome shot. Did you get the pot of gold?

weepete · Oct 18, 2020

PJM said:
Awesome shot. Did you get the pot of gold?

Thanks PJM, I think the pot of gold for me was my final image! Got a few more I have to process from this trip so I'll hopefully have a couple of decent shots from this trip.

K9Kirk · Oct 19, 2020

Wow, that is freakin' awesome! You should do that using a tripod with a lightening storm on the horizon and capture some good lightening display.

weepete · Oct 29, 2020

K9Kirk said:
Wow, that is freakin' awesome! You should do that using a tripod with a lightening storm on the horizon and capture some good lightening display.

Thanks Kirk, and thank you very much for the nomination! :1219:

I was hitting a bit of a rut with my photography, you've just picked me right up!

Apologies for taking so long to reply to your post as well, I thought I'd already posted reply to you. Getting a lighting storm here would be awesome, but we don't really get forked lightning very often, indeed I can't actually remember the last time I saw it in the UK. It's a bit of a far flung place too, being a 13hr ferry journey from Aberdeen so not all that easy to get to.

K9Kirk · Oct 29, 2020

weepete said:
K9Kirk said:

Wow, that is freakin' awesome! You should do that using a tripod with a lightening storm on the horizon and capture some good lightening display.

Click to expand...

Thanks Kirk, and thank you very much for the nomination! I was hitting a bit of a rut with my photography, you've just picked me right up!

Apologies for taking so long to reply to your post as well, I thought I'd already posted reply to you. Getting a lighting storm here would be awesome, but we don't really get forked lightning very often, indeed I can't actually remember the last time I saw it in the UK. It's a bit of a far flung place too, being a 13hr ferry journey from Aberdeen so not all that easy to get to.

You're very welcome and I'm glad I boosted your spirits, it sucks to be down and out. It's a daily struggle with me it seems but between photography and riding my motorcycle I manage to keep my head above water, so to speak. I remembered that that picture 'wowed' me more than any other and there were some others, so many good photographers here. Don't sweat the lightening, it was just a flash thought, nothing serious. I understand about that distance as well, something like that is the type of trip that comes only once a year for myself, if that. Good luck, I hope you win and if by chance you do not, don't let it get you down. Just remember one of your pics was nominated and that's an accomplishment in itself. (been there, done that)

weepete · Oct 29, 2020

K9Kirk said:
You're very welcome and I'm glad I boosted your spirits, it sucks to be down and out. It's a daily struggle with me it seems but between photography and riding my motorcycle I manage to keep my head above water, so to speak. I remembered that that picture 'wowed' me more than any other and there were some others, so many good photographers here. Don't sweat the lightening, it was just a flash thought, nothing serious. I understand about that distance as well, something like that is the type of trip that comes only once a year for myself, if that. Good luck, I hope you win and if by chance you do not, don't let it get you down. Just remember one of your pics was nominated and that's an accomplishment in itself. (been there, done that)

Thanks mate, that's exactly how I treat it so no worries. Some very good photographers on here so it is just a privilege to be nominated. With the lightning thing it's absolutley something I would try but just unlikely to happen! Really appreciate it though