Health and Safety is Secondary to Photography

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As with all these photography workshops, it was an early start as sunrise is almost always the best time of the day for striking photographs. It wasn’t too antisocial though as we met at 6.20 to head off to the nearby Seliebost Beach. Sadly, it was pouring with rain, so we left in a cloud of pessimism concerning what it would be like when we got there.

As we headed there, however, that pessimism turned to optimism as the weather started to clear and there were some gaps in the cloud. Stormy weather actually makes great, dramatic photography, but rain is an absolute pain as all those dramatic pictures are ruined by the spots of rain on the camera lens, no matter how often you try and wipe it.

We got there and got set-up and it promptly starting raining again. I had learned from my previous workshop in Rannoch Moor (see Weather Two, Photographers Nil) where it had rained a lot, so I had a waterproof bag ready to pop over my camera. There were enough gaps in the rain to get a few photographs, so we headed back to the hotel, hoping that there were some pictures to make the early start worthwhile.

This was very much the story of the day, with rain, sunshine, rain and then sunshine again, but with an ongoing constant that was the wind, which was also making things difficult. Rain-splashed lenses and wind-blown tripods do not lead to great photographs, no matter how dramatic the stormy skies may be.

Also, I had clearly not learned my lessons from yesterday (see Covered by a Wave and Sandblasted) as my feet and my camera bag kept getting caught by rogue waves and the incoming tide. At least it wasn't just me, all the photographers headed back to the hotel in need to drying-off before breakfast.

We got back and found that the other photography group had wrote the sunrise off and had not gone out, so we will of course need to boast about how utterly fantastic it was (and we would have hyped it up even if it had been a write-off).

We headed out again and the changeable weather kept rewarding us with rainbows. In fact, there were rainbows right throughout the day, although we were not always in a position to take advantage of them. There did seem to be a conspiracy to tease the photographers, as more often than not, we would see a rainbow and look for a suitable location, but by that time the rainbow had inevitably faded.

Something that made surprisingly dramatic photographs were some of the old derelict and dishevelled croft houses. There are quite a lot of them scattered around, but some do make better photographs than others, although the drama of the photographs are highly dependent on the sky and the light. We stopped at a number of these and set about trying to get some decent photographs.

There were some that we could go inside to try and get some pictures of all the debris. That said the floors and, in some cases, the roofs were not in a good state of repair, but we took the risk, although I think the photographer who is taking us round would like us to have signed a disclaimer first.

Something that you notice as you drive around Harris and Lewis (I am never completely sure whether we are on the Isle of Harris or the Isle of Lewis) is that when anything is no longer required, it seems to be abandoned - houses, lorries, farm machinery and shipping containers. Some may well make good photographic opportunities, but there is a fine-line between rustic-looking decay and what is just a mess. They do seem to find imaginative uses for the shipping containers, however, as we saw one such container that had been converted into a pizza stand and, going by the queue, was clearly doing very well, despite being literally in the middle of nowhere.

Our next destination was the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis (I think). Again, their drama is highly dependent on the light, so it was a matter of trying to get some photographs when the light was right, it wasn't raining and there were no people walking through or using the stones to shelter from the wind and rain. As per today, we were rewarded with a momentary rainbow.

What did spoil the views of the stones was a new bouse, which, for some unimaginable reason, had been given planning permission to be built right beside the stones. It may be a lovely place to live, but it is completely out of keeping with a neolithic stone circle.

The hotel had issued us with packed lunches (which we were able to choose in the previous evening) so we sat in the shelter of the minibus to eat, a bit like those older couples who sit in their cars by the seaside, eating their sandwiches whilst enjoying the view of the sea. In fact it was exactly like that, just with a slightly different view.

There were two guys living in an old caravan (not as unsightly as that house) and they were evidently having their lunch, judging by the smell of the bacon. There was also another guy, in a kilt, who was living in a tent. A hardened Scotsman, obviously.

We had a quick look in the Visitor Centre (and to use the 'facilities') and then we headed to Dalbeg, where there were some great views of the waves crashing on all the jagged rocks below. Sadly, we got there just a little bit too late for the peak of the sunset.

The others in the group pointed out that I had a huge gash in my coat, probably from climbing over barbed-wire fences to get to those croft houses. Oh well, it looks like I'm going to be cold for the rest of the workshop!

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Photos

Seilebost Beach
Catching the waves during sunrise.

Camera Cover
I had come prepared for those rain showers.

Croft Cottage
One of the seemingly many abandoned cottages.

Inside The Cottage
Health and safety disclaimer required before having a bath (or taking some photos).

Stove
Also inside the abandoned cottage.

Callanish Standing Stones
One of the moments that I was able to get a picture in the right light.

Dalbeg
Dramatic jagged rocks.

Luskentyre Sands
Back for sunset, but avoiding the waves.