Harris, the photographer’s Eden

I have now visited Harris and Lewis quite a few times during the months of November, October and March. Every time, conditions have been quite different and during each visit I have had some wild weather and days of sun too. The climate has changed which makes predicting what the weather will bring impossible. Therefore working with what you are given is even more essential. My first impressions of Harris back in 2015 were of course “Wow” and yes the winds were very hard to get used to. But my first experiences were all good and then some. There was a tendency to shoot all and every thing back then, which meant a few good pics were had, but not as many as hoped for, as I had not properly planned and researched and to be honest I was just excited on every beach I visited - I just went for the overall experience of being blown away sometimes quite literally ! One of the first photos I took on Harris, and I still like, was on Seilebost beach. The tidal pattern was just wonderful curving into the sea and as luck would have it, a sunset too, with some fine textures in the cloud. It’s not a perfect photo by any means but one that brings back great memories of my first visit on Harris.

The years that followed meant many more visits to both Harris and Lewis and within these years my photography developed and evolved.

In 2018 I shot the Butt of Lewis, not the lighthouse but the intriguing and dramatic rocks in the sea close by. It was a tough shot to get due to heavy outbursts of rain and of course much wind. I used an ND filter to slow down the waves but keep texture, I still wonder how I kept the lens dry to get the shot. The shot earned me the title of Overall winner of the Scottish nature photography awards 2019, just before Covid lockdowns began. The first photo below was how I processed it back then and the second is how I would process now.

In terms of the edit not much has changed apart from the waves being more subtle and the light on the rocks better managed. I think It does show that the right light with the right composition is so important when taking and making a photo. The above were shot on my Nikon 810 which I really liked. I now have a Nikon 850 and z7 ii which are powerful cameras. However it’s not the camera that makes the photographer is it?

Below are a range of Harris and Lewis photos taken in different conditions rain, sun, wind and cloud. Some are of the wider vista and others the more intimate landscape. Most are new work . Hope you enjoy. I have yet to get snow on Harris and Lewis so it seems there is a reason to keep returning !

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