Show Notes

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Earlier in October I spent the day travelling around the eastern shores of Loch Ness looking for landscape photography opportunities but the weather was particularly awful. A lot of low, wet clouds that did nothing to help the forests and blocked the view across the loch. I managed to capture this wet and mystical landscape. The loch enshrouded in heavy fog. Something I haven’t seen done on Loch Ness before. 

Having got an image, I looked around the loch shores for more opportunities. A grand boulder really stood out to me but I was unable to frame it in a way that I liked and so I left the shores of the loch and went to another location that I have photographed before. On the way to this location the fog thickened. 

According to my weather apps, however, the opposite was supposed to happen. I planned my day to head up to that view point because according to my apps the fog was going to lift and the sun was going to shine through broken clouds, the perfect conditions for a sunset landscape photography shoot. I hoped there would be a light mist drifting through the landscape to create interest and separation of the layers of the landscape. But when I arrived the fog was so thick I couldn’t see any landscape. 

I persevered and went up to the view point, hoping that as the sun faded the fog would lift and the landscape would reveal itself but as I stood waiting on the hill, the fog thickened further rather than dissipated. My shoot was ruined and I only had one image for the entire vlog. 

But I had been toying with the idea of creating some vlogs that showed my process from location, what I chose for a composition, the weather and the light, and then how I process the image that I captured, going through my entire editing process, and finishing with the image being printed for my private print collection. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out. 

So, I went back home and loaded the images from Loch Ness. Not my best image, and I had hoped for something a bit better as the day developed but it’s a nice image. The processing was a little difficult dealing with an image with so much light areas and dark shadows but the resulting print is great! 

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Onto the Images

Taken on a previous excursion to the eastern shores of Loch Ness last autumn. Around this area there are some wonderful beech trees, the leaves of which go a brilliant orange colour during autumn. The regularity of the trees suggested themselves easily for an ICM image.

The only image I managed on that day. A foggy look across the great Loch Ness. I used the boulders in the shallow waters as an easy leading line and foreground interest. I included the shoreline of trees to also create a leading line to the distant horizon. The heavy fog and clouds created a new and interesting image for me, but they would prove to be my downfall as the day progressed!

Moving along the shoreline I was hoping to find other compositions but the fog thickened and I struggled to find other subjects. I moved on with the hope that weather would improve, which it didn’t.

To process this image was quite difficult due to the large areas of white from the thick clouds and fog. I had to adjust the exposure quite a bit to bring the shadows and lighter areas into a balance. The dehaze tool in lightroom proved to be an amazing tool for this image, as did the adjustment brush allowing me to choose the lighter areas and adjust values in a specific place. Check out the video to watch my entire process.

The print now sits in my collection. Digital photography can be quite a challenge, and I really miss the physical side of film, so having a print of a digital image allows me to fell more connected to the photography and the time that I took it. Over the years my collection will grow and I can’t wait for that to happen!

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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)

• Thick and Thin by Guustavv 

• The Touch by So Vea 

• Mirror Eyes by Polar Nights

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.