Ebb and Flow, Part 1
Eilean Donan Castle, Tide Out
It had been a long time since I’d really practiced landscape photography, and I felt rusty. Not just “I’ll need a few minutes to remember the buttons” rusty, but “how do I even start building a composition again?” rusty. I watch a lot of Thomas Heaton and Gavin Hardcastle videos on YouTube, so the techniques were fresh in my head (filters, leading lines, layering), but it’s never quite the same as getting out there with the camera in your hands.
Last month’s two-week trip to Scotland was the perfect opportunity to shake that rust off. The plan was simple: see family and friends, do a bit of sightseeing, and in the middle, spend four days on the Isle of Skye. Skye’s landscapes are world-famous, but before we departed, I used the first few days to warm up at some other locations.
The first couple of outings felt surprisingly stressful. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but the muscle memory wasn’t there. I fumbled with menus, second-guessed my settings. We visited the Kelpies—two colossal, gleaming horse heads rising out of the ground in Falkirk—and the Forth Bridge, a feat of Victorian engineering that spans the Firth of Forth in a sweep of red steel. Both were middle-of-the-day, middle-of-the-road shoots: nice enough, but no dramatic light or groundbreaking compositions. Still, they did their job, helping me re-learn how to work methodically and think through focus stacking or exposure blending.
The long drive to Skye—about a day each way with stops—held one of the best surprises: Eilean Donan Castle. Perched on a tidal island where three lochs meet, it’s one of Scotland’s most photographed landmarks, and for good reason. I’d shot it years ago and arrived this time with a specific image in mind: glassy water reflecting the castle’s stone walls. But when we pulled up, the tide was out, leaving a carpet of seaweed-slick rocks where my mirror-smooth water should have been.
It was tempting to shrug and move on, but instead I clambered down to the high-tide mark and started exploring. That’s when I spotted a swath of neon-green seaweed draped across the rocks in the foreground. Three things occurred to me at once. First, it would make excellent foreground interest. Second, the color punched through the muted grays of the day. And third, this was unique. There are thousands of stunning Eilean Donan images online, many taken in perfect light, but this bright green arc of seaweed wouldn’t be here tomorrow. The tide had placed it just so, and it would take it away again.
On the way home, I stopped by Eilean Donan again, this time at high tide, and captured the shot I’d originally planned. I’m glad I got it; it scratched the itch I’d carried for years. Still, the photo I value most is the one I had to work harder for. The one the tide gifted me for a few fleeting hours.
The Forth Bridge
The Kelpies
Turf and Creel House, Gencoe
Eilean Donan Castle, Tide in
