Milarrochy magic

Milarrochy Bay, along the Eastern shores of Loch Lomond, is a magical place.  I arrived late one winter afternoon, and had it entirely to myself.  I had seen some photos online and knew that it was a site I would be interested in photographing.  It did not disappoint.

There are a few of these trees anchored in shallow water, and with the pebbles underfoot I was very confident that the HDR process would help me bring the scene to life.  That did not disappoint either.

There was no wind, and the water was like a big sheet of glass - perfectly still.  I was in heaven.  I could shoot this stuff all day!

For those interested, here is a single tree that I captured here that same afternoon: 

http://www.nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2012/2/6/the-lone-tree-at-milarrochy-bay.html 

Winter at Loch Lomond

I grabbed this HDR while wandering the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland.  It’s an incredible place, and it seemed like I had it all to myself.  It had been a rainy morning, but the rain stopped long enough for me to shoot for an hour or so around the banks of this secluded Loch.  I kept hoping for Nessie to raise up out of the depths, but of course that’s a different Loch so I struck out there.  Despite missing out on a mythical monster, I had a monster time firing shots in this gorgeous place.  If you ever get a chance to visit - take it and go, you will love seeing this for yourself...monster or not.

Loch Lomond trail

Ah, good ole Loch Lomond.  I really enjoyed visiting this place outside of Glasgow, Scotland - and hiking around it.  It has a mystical quality about it.  It could be that it was the dead of winter and there was no one around for miles...but humor me.  It felt mystical at the time.  It was cool, foggy and quiet and I half expected Nessie to rear up from the depths and wave at me.  But...that's a different Loch now, isn't it? 

In my travels, I tend to be in cities - and often without a car - so a lot of my travel shots are from various cities and tend to be streets, architecture, etc (which I don't mind - in fact I quite like that).  But I do love to get out in nature and shoot some landscapes too - in fact it's my first love (photographically speaking).  So when I get a chance to run amok in the Scottish countryside with my Nikon - let's just say it makes me happy. 

And a hearty THANK YOU to those of you who visited, commented, etc on my shot yesterday - I really appreciate that.  My travels this week are really limiting my online time, so I will be returning the favor when I can.  Hope everyone is having a great week!

On the banks of Loch Lomond

Ok, back to Scotland for a minute.  I drove to the very end of a deserted road, parked my car in an empty lot, and walked about 100 feet to find this incredible scene - and I had it all to myself.  Isn't that the way you always want it to be when you are photographing nature?  Just you and the elements?  I sure do.  I loved every minute of it.  There was this wonderful fog lying low to the ground, and this place just exuded calm.  It was wonderful.

The lone tree at Milarrochy Bay

I loved being here.  I was driving along the Eastern shore of Loch Lomond, in Scotland.  I had been out for a while, having already shot quite a bit and was heading back towards the small town of Drymen, where my hotel was located.  En route, I saw this little park area called Milarrochy Bay, so I pulled over in case there was anything interesting to shoot here.  Um...well, there was quite a bit.  Before I even got out of the car, I could see this tree standing there in the shallow water, and I already was envisioning this shot.  I was totally alone - there was just the sound of water hitting the shore, and I hadn't seen another person in hours.  It was awesome.