Show Notes

When lockdown began to ease in Scotland we were confined to a 5 mile travel limit during our daily walks for exercise. This gave me an interesting challenge to find new locations that were close to home. We had already walked most of the paths easily accessible from our home, so I got out the OS map and drew a circle of 5 miles.

Within that circle there was a little loch that I had never really noticed before, often heading to the more impressive Loch Morlich or Loch an Eilean. Both of which just sit outside of the 5 mile travel limit by a few hundred yards. I probably could’ve visited those 2 lochs without an issue, they were so close to the five mile limit that I don’t think there would’ve been any repercussions. But I wanted to abide by the rules that the government had put in place for our safety.

The new loch proved to be a beautiful small loch covered in flowering water lilies. A hitherto unknown beautiful place which I would love to photograph with sunrise colours. Since that discovery I visited the loch several times throughout the summer, but I was never graced with sunrise colours.

Autumn arrives and the sunrise is later, which is perfect for me and every other landscape photographer because I no longer have to get up so early! And that means I can pursue more sunrise shoots.

I ventured out early, an hour or so before sunrise, and the sky was already alight with beautiful pinks. I rushed to the Lily Loch with the hopes of catching some colours. But by the time I set up I was sure the colours had passed and I missed my chance.

Luckily, I waited a few minutes and the sky came alive with a soft pink tone in the clouds and I managed to finally photograph the lily loch with sunrise colours. The only shame was that the flowers had already gone, but that is an image I would like to pursue in the future.

The golden light of the morning illuminated the loch and the surrounding forest perfectly! So I explored the banks, grabbing some more images as the morning progressed before heading home for a coffee and breakfast.

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Onto the Images

As I was walking and the colours were fading I rushed to a point and jut aimed my camera at the colours with the hopes of capturing them before they disappeared completely. I didn’t really have time to compose the best image but I did manage to get the colours.

After that initial image, the colours began to fade so I started looking for more compositions. I settled on this tall pine tree and its reflection in the loch. Luckily, as I was composing the image the sky lit up with beautiful pinks and oranges. Earlier on the sunrise was just teasing the colours to come.

I tried recomposing the above landscape image by switching to a portrait orientation and getting a little tighter on the tree. The clouds above the tree has a nice shape that added a little balance to the image and I was very happy with the result, but I think I prefer the landscape image because of the orange glow on the left hand side.

Looking around the shores of the loch for some compositions the bright bracken illuminated by the golden sun really caught my attention, so the long lens went on and I fired of a couple images. The polariser has given the image a softness which I’m still trying to determine whether I like it or not, but I definitely like the subject, colours and composition.

The last image of the morning, a nice panorama of the great reflections that the loch had. The sunrise was now complete, so no colours, but the vibrant blues and the colours of the forest really make this a worthwhile image to have taken.

As I mentioned in the video and description, this loch would look amazing if photographed during the spring. When the lilies are in full bloom and with a colourful sunrise, it would be a magical photo.

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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)

• Forest Pond with Stars by Polar Nights

• Elm Lake by Elm Lake

• Silverstar by Elm Lake

A short Kit List

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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.