Autumn Colours in Glen Affric
Show Notes
I went in search of the glorious autumnal colours of Glen Affric, looking for some colourful landscape photography to capture the beginning of Autumn in this beautiful valley.
As always an early morning start, I drove to the end of the valley and began exploring the woodland for some photographic opportunities that celebrated the Autumn colours. The birch trees were a beautiful golden yellow, the bracken a motley mixture of every colour from green to brown. At first I enjoyed the entire area to myself but that wasn’t to last.
I explored the walk around that first car park extensively and it is such a beautiful area that I managed to capture several exposures in different styles. But as the morning continued, I was eventually joined by families and dog walkers exploring the glen and enjoying the fine Scottish weather of rain.
When more people began to show up, I decided to move on and begin the drive out of the valley, looking for compositions of colour as I went. At the bottom of the glen I had focused on traditional landscape images as well as the simpler compositions of an explosion of colour from a single birch tree. But on my way out of the glen I looked for compositions that emphasised the multitude of varying colours created in the landscape.
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Onto the Images
The contrast of the bright yellow of the birch trees surrounded by Scot’s pine and the dark rock is what drew me to this first image. The river that feeds the loch was the perfect leading line, allowing the eye to naturally move over the landscape exploring those colours.
A simple and perfect example of the opportunities to be had in Glen Affric.
It was surprisingly bright that day considering the rain and clouds, so it was a difficult task to bring the clouds and sky into definition. The most valuable tool by far was the brush tool in Lightroom! But I managed to create a subtle effect that if I hadn’t mentioned, you probably would not have noticed. Or did you???
This was one of the compositions that I knew I had to capture on this day. I wanted to capture one bright yellow birch tree overhanging the dark and tempestuous water with the swirling bubbles that are an ever present feature of the river and can be seen in the image.
As you move around the little peninsula where these images come from you eventually find the source of these bubbles, featured in an image below . . .
This composition just caught my eye as I wandered along the path. Completely unexpected but I really liked it. A simple composition of an explosive yellow birch tree contrasting with the grey/brown background of the landscape. The shape of the immature tree reminded me of a firework streaming sparks into the air.
Autumn is such a privilege for landscape photographers, capturing that small time when the landscape comes alive with colours beyond imagination.
The source of the bubbles on the river! A grand cascade that is utterly amazing. If you are exploring this peninsula then you really must capture a photograph of the rapids. I’ve tried different angles and this has been the best so far.
I settled on this angle because I desperately wanted to keep that rowan tree with its red leaves in the frame. The colour of the leaves was so vibrant and different to its surroundings I knew it would make an excellent element to my composition.
One of the ideas I had on the initial drive through the glen, and as I was heading back out I saw it again! The varying colours and the chaotic pattern of the bracken is what drew me to this composition. I didn’t need any compositional tricks as the point of the image was that chaotic pattern and colours. A simple idea but a beautiful one.
B
The premise for this image is similar to the one above. I wanted to show the mosaic nature of the pine forest found in Glen Affric. It is one of the best habitats for Caledonian Pine Forest, which is a lot more complicated than it sounds.
The Caledonian Pine Forest is a unique habitat to Scotland, it is diverse in the species that it supports and while you may think the forest is only pine trees, this image shows differently. I wanted to capture the essence of the various and what makes it a unique habitat, and that is the multitude of different trees, shrubs and plant life that supports insects, birds, and the mammals of the forest like red squirrels and pine martens.
This unique tapestry has been under threat for generations and currently only occupies 1% of its former magnitude. Tiny pockets of habitat to support endangered animals such as capercaillie and crested tit. These forests not only need preserving but they need the ability to expand. Move away from tree plantations that destroy the soil and can barely support one species of animal, let alone the diversity you can experience in a Caledonian Pine Forest.
Only in autumn is the wonders of such a forest evident. When the other trees change the colours and become explosions in the landscape of green pine trees. That’s the story behind this photo. It may not win any competitions and it certainly isn’t a fancy composition. I took it to tell a story. And that is the power of photography. . .
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About the Film
Just a little information about the film and how I made it, as well as some links to equipment.
I edited the film using the Free Version of DaVinci Resolve. It’s an incredibly powerful piece of software that I am still trying to understand and will possibly write an article about in the future.
The tracks featured in today’s film were licensed via a subscription with Epidemic Sound. (By following that link, if you purchase a subscription then I will be gifted with a month free for referring you to their services)
Tomorrow Is Another Day by Jo Wandrini
Elm Lake by Elm Lake
Play and Create by Johan Glossner
Good Vibes by East of Heaven
Mirror Eyes by Polar Nights
The Weight of Water by Alan Ellis
A short Kit List
These are affiliate links, which means if you follow them and make a purchase I will earn a small commission for referring you to Amazon UK. You can find out more about affiliate links here.
Main Vlog Camera is a simple Panasonic G80 with the kit lens, its a great little mirrorless camera that I got for the sole purpose of creating YouTube videos. It’s capable of filming in 4k and seems to do everything that I want it to.
Rode Mic, I got this little microphone to boost the audio quality from the inbuilt microphone.
Action Camera, I use this to film myself when walking. It’s a simple DJI Pocket Osmo camera that has a motorised 3 axis gimbal head, which means that I stay in focus and static while the landscape around me moves. It’s also capable of filming in 4k and the audio quality is quite good.
Voice Recorder, to boost the audio quality when it’s windy or I’m using the action camera I use this handy little voice recorder with a lapellier microphone to record audio.
For a complete Landscape Photography Kit List you can read through what equipment I take with me when I go out here.
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Written by Daniel Long
Daniel Long created DRL Photography as a place to showcase his work as a photographer. Daniel has learnt a lot about photography and wishes to impart this knowledge with you, although the world is an ever changing place and he always says “you can never learn everything.” So as he makes his way, he continues to learn knew techniques, skills and information about photography. He focuses on Landscape and Wildlife photography and Daniel has a special focus on Scotland, his home away from home. As well as writing about photography and taking pictures out in the field, Daniel offers guided photography days so he can share his knowledge and locations in an effort to give his clients the best opportunities possible. Have a browse around this website to see his images, guided experiences and articles about photography. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in contact.
