Sunshine, showers and a little breeze in the outer Hebrides

Tim Tucker 2 · Oct 18, 2018

To say it was difficult to stand wouldn't do this justice, it was impossible. Technique was; tripod, a must, left hand firmly clamped around the tripod head at all times, ABSOLUTE MUST, lean on tripod with one leg braced back at 45 degrees and the other under the tripod. Then you could hold the camera somewhere near steady, though the buffeting was such that I doubted anything would be sharp enough, it was near impossible to check much.
Even then gusts like the one shown blew you clear off your feet, nothing you could do. Fortunately the ground dropped away gently a meter or two from the promontory I was on so all you had to do was stay on your feet, turn and run with it, and you'd end up in the *relative* calm. Then all you had to do was fight your way back up...

What I was really after, the wind swirled around the hill and when it hit the water it atomised it into giant plumes of spray which in this instance were lit by shafts of sunlight.

Luskentyre Beach, only gusting around 60-70mph here it was possible to stand, but not face the wind...

Sunset on Ardroil Beach, Uig on a calmer day.

The Callanish Standing Stones, Lewis.

Abandoned house, Lewis. There are many of these dotted around the Isles. They may look idilic but a closer inspection will reveal a house that was cold, damp and draughty. These were not pleasant places to live in a harsh environment when you're scraping a meagre living off the land. It's little wonder that many were abandoned in favour of newer dry and warm low maintenance houses when they became available. They remain abandoned because nobody in their right mind would want to spend another long winter in one. Though a beautiful place in the summer *tourist* months they remain as a stark reminder of the harsh realities of life faced by many even in the latter half of the last century.

Sunset across the sands at Ardriol, Uig.

Luskentyre Beach. I liked the balance of colour here, from the almost pale pink and yellows as the light shone through the shower and lit the clouds to the darker clouds lit only by the scattered blue light from above and the way it balanced against the colour of the beach.

Fadhail Losgaintir, (extensive beach or tidal at Luskentyre), just after sunset.

tirediron · Oct 18, 2018

All in all, perhaps the most starkly beautiful landscape in the world! Lovely set, 'though it would be worth working some more on the house image and improving the exposure on the structure and foreground.

Jeff15 · Oct 18, 2018

Very nice set of images.....

Jeff G · Oct 18, 2018

Really nice set! I like the standing stones, the wind shots definately sounded challenging! :encouragement:

SquarePeg · Oct 18, 2018

I love that 2nd one. The rays of light shining through just enough and the way the water is jumping up is really beautiful.

weepete · Oct 18, 2018

Cracking set Tim, looks like you had better weather than I did when I was there in July. Even the approach to Luskintyre is beautiful, there are many spots I could have lost hours on Harris

Tim Tucker 2 · Oct 18, 2018

tirediron said:
All in all, perhaps the most starkly beautiful landscape in the world! Lovely set, 'though it would be worth working some more on the house image and improving the exposure on the structure and foreground.

Yes, one of the more challenging aspects, and what makes it so beautiful, is the way each view changes so drastically with the light and season.
The house I was struggling with a little. I did start with raised shadows but the overall impression, and what I wished to convey, was that these cottages are and never were *chocolate box* houses but even on idilic days were dark and frankly inhospitable places. They offered little comfort. It is a testament to this that it still remains abandoned, and still with some furniture inside... Here is one with raised shadows, but I think it makes it too pretty:

SquarePeg said:
I love that 2nd one. The rays of light shining through just enough and the way the water is jumping up is really beautiful.

Yes. It was what I was after, it's a serene and almost balletic dance of pure power that denies the pure violence of the wind you had to endure to take the shot. The big gusts here at an exposed place are at least 85mph+, possibly over 100. And hence the expression that *the sea is boiling*.

weepete said:
Cracking set Tim, looks like you had better weather than I did when I was there in July. Even the approach to Luskintyre is beautiful, there are many spots I could have lost hours on Harris

Thank you. There are always possibilities on Harris and Lewis, something you begin to understand by spending time there and talking to the people. This was what I was attempting to find out, having been let loose with the camper van on my own for a week, with only a camera and the radio for company, and a bottle of malt...