Autumn colours, Kingussie
November 2024 - Autumn colour
Autumn is truly upon us. The leaves are turning and the countryside is descending into a fantastic mosaic of brown, bronze and gold. It is always such a special time of year but, perhaps, tinged with a hint of sadness as we bid farewell to those long, warm summer evenings with the inevitable draw of colder, darker days to come. However, the reality is that we do have four seasons in the year (some countries only have two) which keeps our countryside in a state of constant change and presents the nature photographer with new opportunities and challenges which we should embrace.
Trips to the Cairngorms last month allowed me to enjoy the wonderful display of golden birch woods. I find my senses become overloaded with the myriad of brown and yellow tones which, in turn, fills me with wonder and appreciation of nature’s beauty. Yet the autumn colours can be all too fleeting if high winds blow in to strip leaves from trees to leave them winter-bare and I feared the worst when Storm Ashley was forecast but thankfully - in the south east at least - some leaves were still strong enough to cling onto their branches.
Autumn is prime time for fungi and they tend to emerge ‘en masse’ after rainfall. The variety of toadstools is staggering and it has now become an annual ritual for me to photograph them. I know little about them so after capturing the image, I set about identifying the species from books and guides which can be both challenging and rewarding; so many specimens look similar but undertaking the research is a great way to improve one’s knowledge. Photographing the toadstools in a captivating way can also be tricky as the subject is often part of a chaotic scene of grasses or other vegetation. Simplifying the composition is often the key and usually provides the best results.
I had a session on the River Tromie which is one of my favourite haunts. Although I have visited this location numerous times, there is always something fresh to photograph. Vegetation, water levels and weather combine to make each visit unique and the results of regular visits start to tell the story of this special place.
I assisted colleagues at the Water of Leith Conservation Trust with a two-hour photographic walk along a short stretch of the river. The autumn colours were showing through and I was able to share a few techniques with the nine participants. Interestingly, most came armed with camera phones so I opted to use mine too so we could share the same ‘medium.’ I have only ever taken ‘snaps’ with the phone so it was an interesting photographic challenge to attempt something altogether more serious with it. Blessed with dry, sunny weather, everyone seemed to enjoy their day.
I was also delighted to see an image of mine in the Scottish Landscape Photogapher of the Year’s “10 Year Special Edition” book to celebrate a decade of the competition. The image of a tree covered in ice from a hoar frost won the Treescape Category in 2022. I always find it special to see one of my photos published in a book.
November 2024 - Autumn colour
Autumn is truly upon us. The leaves are turning and the countryside is descending into a fantastic mosaic of brown, bronze and gold. It is always such a special time of year but, perhaps, tinged with a hint of sadness as we bid farewell to those long, warm summer evenings with the inevitable draw of colder, darker days to come. However, the reality is that we do have four seasons in the year (some countries only have two) which keeps our countryside in a state of constant change and presents the nature photographer with new opportunities and challenges which we should embrace.
Trips to the Cairngorms last month allowed me to enjoy the wonderful display of golden birch woods. I find my senses become overloaded with the myriad of brown and yellow tones which, in turn, fills me with wonder and appreciation of nature’s beauty. Yet the autumn colours can be all too fleeting if high winds blow in to strip leaves from trees to leave them winter-bare and I feared the worst when Storm Ashley was forecast but thankfully - in the south east at least - some leaves were still strong enough to cling onto their branches.
Autumn is prime time for fungi and they tend to emerge ‘en masse’ after rainfall. The variety of toadstools is staggering and it has now become an annual ritual for me to photograph them. I know little about them so after capturing the image, I set about identifying the species from books and guides which can be both challenging and rewarding; so many specimens look similar but undertaking the research is a great way to improve one’s knowledge. Photographing the toadstools in a captivating way can also be tricky as the subject is often part of a chaotic scene of grasses or other vegetation. Simplifying the composition is often the key and usually provides the best results.
I had a session on the River Tromie which is one of my favourite haunts. Although I have visited this location numerous times, there is always something fresh to photograph. Vegetation, water levels and weather combine to make each visit unique and the results of regular visits start to tell the story of this special place.
I assisted colleagues at the Water of Leith Conservation Trust with a two-hour photographic walk along a short stretch of the river. The autumn colours were showing through and I was able to share a few techniques with the nine participants. Interestingly, most came armed with camera phones so I opted to use mine too so we could share the same ‘medium.’ I have only ever taken ‘snaps’ with the phone so it was an interesting photographic challenge to attempt something altogether more serious with it. Blessed with dry, sunny weather, everyone seemed to enjoy their day.
I was also delighted to see an image of mine in the Scottish Landscape Photogapher of the Year’s “10 Year Special Edition” book to celebrate a decade of the competition. The image of a tree covered in ice from a hoar frost won the Treescape Category in 2022. I always find it special to see one of my photos published in a book.
