Show Notes

In my last vlog I mentioned that I really wanted to go to the coast and do some seascape photography. So I planned an entire day at the coast and I managed to film 3 vlogs! 

This is the first one, where I go to Bow Fiddle Rock on the Moray Coast to photograph the sunrise. I may not have chosen the best day for my visit to the coast but I made the most out of the weather that I had. It was a cloudy, grey day all day but I still explored several places for photography. 

Each of the three films had an idea or a theme to them. This first vlog is about finding multiple compositions of the same subject, Bow Fiddle Rock, by moving yourself in relation to that subject. Changing your position to create a new image. I didn’t articulate that vey well in the film but it was an idea that developed through the idea. 

I have been trying to photograph this beautiful coastal feature at sunrise or sunset with amazing colours in the sky for a long time, and it is definitely something that I am going to have to return to that location to photograph in the future. 

The second film will be out next Tuesday and the third film will be out next Friday. I uploaded this one a little late because of how long YouTube takes to process the video! Sorry! 

As I am learning how to make videos, with each new one I am proving and creating a better YouTube channel, so please subscribe and follow along on this journey!

Onto the Images

The name for the formation comes from the fact that someone thought it looked like the end of a violin bow. Once you see it, it sort of makes sense, but I have always wondered what did people call it before there was such a thing as a violin? That would be interesting to know. . . .

The first image is the most obvious image, a straight on shot towards Bow Fiddle Rock with the stones acting as a leading line, almost like stepping stones to the main subject of Bow Fiddle. I also wanted to create thirds, the beach makes the lower third, the sea with the ‘stepping stone’ line is the middle third and the sky with the protruding Bow Fiddle structure makes the upper third. This gives the image a bit of balance and makes you feel as if you are standing on the beach looking at the scene.

For this second image I got closer to the leading line of ‘stepping stones’ and used a wider perspective, which makes the leading line more prominent. It also makes the subject, Bow Fiddle, appear to be smaller in the frame and it brings in the headlands either side of the sea. Between the beach and the headlands it encloses the rock formation in a pseudo- frame.

The only issue with the wider perspective is that it has brought the kelp into the frame in the foreground, it is a little distracting. But I think it shows how the scene really was, there was kelp strewn across the beach and having a fragment of it in the foreground makes it feel more real. Maybe I should have moved it to tidy up the composition, but I’m glad it is there.

I changed my position entirely for this one. Instead of being head on the leading lines I put them at a slight angle, they still do their job of bringing you into the frame but now instead of stepping across them to the subject, you being drawn along a diagonal line to it. You can also see how the rocks mimic Bow Fiddle in their jagged and pointy structure, which was harder to perceive head on.

For this one, the light was beginning to illuminate the scene and that made my shutter speed catch the waves in a very cluttered and frozen way, so I decided to make use of my 6 stop ND filter to help smooth the sea. That created a nice smooth and surreal sea for the rocks to sit in, and also added some minor movement to the clouds above the rock.

The last one of the morning saw me change the perspective completely by climbing up onto the cliffs and having a downward perspective on the rock. There are many points along the cliffs from where it is possible to photograph Bow Fiddle, but I chose this composition.

The rocks that made the leading lines in the images from the beach now look exactly like stepping stones, engulfed by the sea. The headland, the stepping stones and the other rock formation, Bass Rock, give the composition balance, off setting the mass of Bow Fiddle. This is important because if Bow Fiddle sat alone in the sea it would look very off balance and heavy, but these other rocks on the left help to balance it out.

I will eventually manage to photograph this amazing rock formation with a colourful sky! Although there were no colours that morning, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and I will be heading back to catch it another time.

From there I went on an adventure, which will be featured in the next part of this day on Tuesday, and my final leg of the journey was sunset on the Moray Coast, which will be featured on Friday. So, subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up to date and see the next parts!

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)

• Astral Roar by Lama House

• Just Follow by Particle House

• Now I’m All Yours by Spring Gang

• Be Nice by Spring Gang

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.

Related Episodes

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.