Landscape Photography in the Foggy Cairngorm Mountains
Show Notes
Back in October I spent the day up in the Cairngorm Mountains, specifically exploring a Corrie that I visit regularly. My intention when the day began was to make 2 vlogs, one about landscape photography and one about ptarmigan photography. So, my next vlog will be about the ptarmigan.
My day began with some bleak weather, it was a little foggy, quite rainy and generally didn’t look to appealing. But I knew that the weather should brighten up, so I went about preparing my bag for the hike. Extra jackets, waterproofs, gloves, water, lunch, etc. But as the morning progressed the fog thickened, the rain stopped and I wondered if I could get some foggy forest photography done before I made my way up the mountain. I grabbed my landscape bag and went out the door in search of these conditions.
I went to the nearest forest to me, unfortunately by the time I got there the fog had dissipated, but I could still see it further away so I tried to pursue it. Every time I got close to the fog it would lift, so I gave up on that and made my way up to the mountain car park. And while I was driving there, those heavy fog laden clouds illuminated in amazing colours. The only problem was there was nowhere I could get to to capture it before it finished.
By the time I arrived at the mountain car park, I was a bit annoyed by the weather. I made my way to where I wanted to capture landscape photography and I was rewarded with the most spectacular conditions. Exactly what I had hoped for! You need to see the images to see why I wanted to capture them!
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Onto the Images
This is exactly the conditions I hoped for when I went into the mountains on that day. The corrie where I went is created by hard granite, craggy cliffs and I wanted to capture them enshrouded by the low clouds.
This is the main feature, the largest wall of stone in the corrie and it was the first feature to emerge from the clouds. My intention from the beginning was to create a series of images of the different features in the landscape, processed in different ways to create different landscape photography compositions and styles.
This first one leant itself easily to a black and white because it had hardly any colour in the original image. There wasn’t any moss or heather to add a pop of colour and the contrast between the stone and mist made it feel almost black and white from the beginning.
In contrast to the above image, this wider shot incorporating more of the features of the mountainside including some of the orange autumnal sedges and heather meant a colour landscape photograph was the best option. The colour enables us to see how cool the stone and mist is in comparison to the warm tones of the vegetation.
At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that this image was a black and white, but if you examine it carefully you will notice that it is in fact a colour image. A different feature from the wall of stone from above but it does demonstrate how lacking the landscape was in colour and why I converted the first image to black and white.
I decided to keep this one in colour for the cool tones, the wispiness of the clouds creating layers to the stone features. I could have quite easily have converted this to black and white and enjoyed the result, but I wanted that intrigue of subtle colour.
The widest view I took of the mountain that day. You can see that the clouds were beginning to lift and the colours of the landscape really come alive to contrast with the grey/blue tones of the clouds and stone. The bowl shape of the corrie becomes a little more obvious in a shot wide like this.
The light glistening off of the granite stone are why I converted this image to black and white. The textures and tones of the stone an obvious subject for black and white landscape photography. Especially as the mist had moistened the surfaces, enabling them to reflect the diffused light in a way that created more interest.
The same feature of the third image above but in a different view. The clouds lifting slightly but hugging to the crevice that made this feature of the mountainside the perfect subject for landscape photography. On clear days the ridge line is often decorated with mountaineers exploring the climb to the plateau of the Cairngorm mountain, a vast upland habitat connecting the peaks of the various mountains in the range. On this day there was no one, thankfully, as the conditions would have been perilous!
Having captured a range of images in the style that I had wanted, the various features of the mountain landscape emerging from the low clouds, I turned my attention to another subject. The little loch that sits at the base of the cliffs a beautiful scene but I have yet to find it a good composition.
On that day this was the best I could do. Using the mossy boulder as a foreground anchor and the waterfall as a snaking line for you to explore the image and examine the landscape. No polariser with me meant that I couldn’t remove the reflection in the foreground but a brush in Lightroom helped to reduce the glare and brightness sufficiently that it is no longer a distraction. I like the way that the waterfall is reflected in a broken line across the loch. A simple and pleasant image but not an award winner unfortunately!
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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)
The Longest Rest by Alan Ellis
A Million Years by A Month of Sleep
All The Time We Need by Bluma Petersen
Just Follow by Particle House
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.
