North Light

17 - January Afternoon

2011-01-18T11:56:00.001Z

17 - January Afternoon, originally uploaded by North Light.

So, nearly a year since I last contributed to my own blog! 2010 proved o be a long year, too much time spent in front of a computer the majority of which related to the hotel and not enough time spent with a camera and exploring where I live. When you're part of a family business it's important to get the right balance between work and play, something I got very wrong last year, so my one and only resolution for this year is to put that right!

One down, eleven to go!

2010-02-01T17:12:00.001Z

31 - North Wind, originally uploaded by North Light.

End of the first month's photography of the year, always a difficult month but when the weather is good some of the years best photographs normally come from January.
I've not found the first month particularly satisfying, I think that I've got past just being happy with getting a photograph each day this year, and am looking to get more out of the photography, we'll see how this progresses through the year.

The last shot of the month was taken from a blustery Sunday afternoon's walk on Thurso Beach, using a fixed length medium telephoto, always makes me work hard as I am not always the best at seeing isolated "bits" of the view, end result, well a good one to finish the month on.

750 Days

2010-01-19T17:49:00.001Z

19 - History Uncovered, originally uploaded by North Light.

One of my methods of keeping myself motivated is to set myself targets and objectives, ugh I hear you say, a few years ago I would agreed with you, the occasional pat on the back is needed and whilst I'm not a proponent of self congratulation it does have its uses, shear obstinacy will only get you so far!

It seems appropriate that the photograph for this milestone is Dunnet Bay, I never cease to find some interest in this beautiful location, and hence it will always remain a favourite.

Starting Another Years Photography

2010-01-07T06:38:00.001Z

6 - A Joy to Work With, originally uploaded by North Light.

So, it's with some relief that I've completed my second year of "A Photograph a Day", yet a certain amount of anticipation and enjoyment as I start the third! Bizarre, I'm not sure if thats because this year has what I see as a neat goal, 1000 days of Photography.
This photograph was taken on a day of sunshine and snow showers, after a snow shower had swept through out came the sun, the low January sunshine providing a beautifully warm and contrasty light, which combined with an interesting collection of boats in the harbour makes the daily photograph a pleasure.

Limited Exposure

2009-12-27T09:01:00.001Z

357 - A Break in the Weather, originally uploaded by North Light.

Nearing the end of this years "365" now, Icy roads and work have limited the range I have been working over for the last few days. This always makes it difficult to find something fresh, not only to keep the viewers interest up, but also mine.
This photograph was particularly pleasing, taken with a compact camera, but one of the most successful of the month. I do like the contrast of the hard lines of the Sea Wall against the sky.

Starting to think about the next years photography now, what goals to set, at the moment another year of daily photography seems a bit daunting, but the concept of a 1000 days of photography is too challenging to ignore.

A Bit of a Landmark

2009-12-01T10:17:00.001Z

334 - A Bit of a Landmark, originally uploaded by North Light.

I have to say I'm just a little pleased with this one! Taken on the last day of November, with everchanging light it was good to be in the right place at the right time.
It is also photograph number 700 in my "Photo a Day Series", one month to go to complete this year, then embark on one more year! I have the bizarre notion to do 1000, quite mad.

I seem to have been neglecting the blog a bit, over a month since I last blogged, energies have been going in other directions, one of which is now taking shape, but demands a lot more work is my website, having been "Up" for a year I felt it deserved a change, I have also been able to take advantage of some changes which allow me to upload larger images, drop by and have a look, http://www.heilanlight.com/ Comments are welcome.

Heading Towards Winter

2009-10-21T08:44:00.001+01:00

292 - Sliding Towards Winter, originally uploaded by North Light.

As the nights draw in the daily photograph starts to become a real challenge, grey autumn evenings are not the most inspiring of subjects and test my abilities to produce interesting photographs.
Scrabster Harbour has become a focal point for my photography over the last few days, the colours and lights on the fishing boats providing a much needed contrast to the gloom of a grey and damp evening.

Something Different

2009-10-12T08:57:00.001+01:00

283 - Autumn Leaf at Eden Court, originally uploaded by North Light.

Over a month since I last blogged! Excuses, well yes I do have some, a bout of flu etc, but also, it's been a long season, it's all to easy to let the hotel part of my life become all consuming!
As the "Hotel Season" eases off, the photographic one starts, autumn light, when we get it is for me the best time for photography, the Camera Club season has started again, and a few days away in Inverness lets me do something different.
I have always been interested in architecture, and Eden Court Theatre is a perfect subject, very different from landscapes, well perhaps not, the same principals apply, composition, light and subject.

Breaks in the Weather

2009-09-06T13:01:00.002+01:00

248 - From Clardon Haven, originally uploaded by North Light.

My feeling was that August was wet, but the beginning of September has completely surpassed anything that August had to offer, torrential rain a few days ago left parts of northern Scotland flooded, Caithness has missed the worst of the flooding, but rivers and burns are very swollen, and there is a wide selection of temporary lochs and lakes.
As a photographer, rain is the most difficult element to work with, and I have to admit that on the worst day I resorted to working from inside the car, only the second time I have had to this year.
Otherwise, despite the rain, our quickly changing weather has produced some good breaks in the weather, yesterday evening's "Rock Hopping" at Clardon Haven producing some very satisfying images.

Photography on a Damp August Evening

2009-08-29T08:25:00.001+01:00

239 - Everything Stops Fror Rain, originally uploaded by North Light.

On days like this its a challenge, after a day of rain it was still trying to rain, but the diffuse light was still strong enough to bring out the colours in the barley and the red in the combine provided the point of interested needed to lift the photograph.

Nearing the end of the Season

2009-08-23T09:43:00.002+01:00

234 - A Hint of the End of Summer, originally uploaded by North Light.

The end of August is drawing closer, so far it has proven to be a very changeable month, with plenty of rain, doesn't always make the photography easy, it leaves me some evenings chasing inspiration!

Yesterday early evening saw me doing a longish circular drive, Thurso, Reay, Westerdale, Halkirk where I took some photographs, and back to Thurso! Lots of miles for three or four photographs, still on foot for the first part of next week as the car in off to the garage for a few days! That will reduce my CO2 footprint a little bit.

Number 234 this year is also number 600 in my goal of 1000 days of photography, just 400 to go.

Captivating Colours

2009-08-08T13:14:00.001+01:00

218 - Citrus Reflections, originally uploaded by North Light.

Good news - The hotel is very busy at the moment, Bad News - Not much time or energy for the photography.

A combination of the above, basically very tired at the moment and trying to find a photograph each day whilst not being too repetitive led to a series of photographs in Scrabster Harbour using a long lens, this photograph was one of the results, an abstract photograph of the reflections on Subsea Viking's hull in the water. Am I pleased? Yes, I like the softening of the colours and the photographs I took went some way to re-motivating me.

Now what am I going to find today ..............

Not My Forte

2009-08-02T08:43:00.002+01:00

213 - Gala Night, originally uploaded by North Light.

Thurso Gala Parade, the beginning of Gala Week, an annual event run by Thurso Town Improvements Association.
My photograph a day would not be complete without some images of the event, but I do have to say that photography of people is really not my forte, and something I would normally avoid like the plague!

After a Day of Rain

2009-07-26T08:10:00.001+01:00

199 - After the Race, originally uploaded by North Light.

This is one of my personal favourites of the photographs I have taken over the last couple of weeks, after a day of rain, watched from the reception area of the hotel I was contemplating what to do for the "Days photograph", driving west out of Thurso gives a great view of the bay, I could see yachts racing in the bay, so the location was sorted, as so often happens, a little bit of luck makes the photograph, the days racing had finished, and the best photograph was of the returning boats.
Why do I like the photograph? Simplicity is the answer, a very minimalist composition, the bold colours on the sails providing a touch of contrast against the muted greys, above all it catches the mood.

Somewhere New

2009-07-11T12:31:00.001+01:00

191 - Old Track, Dirlot, originally uploaded by North Light.

There is a real joy in finding a new location, a visit to Dirlot Castle one evening with Thurso Camera Club this week produced a couple of interesting photographs despite not so good weather. I am now more than a little captivated by the place, so went back at the end of the week for a second take! I have no doubt that this will be repeated, as I think there is more to come from this location.

Working with Overcast Skies

2009-07-04T09:56:00.001+01:00

182 - After the Rain, originally uploaded by North Light.

We are now beginning to get to the point in the year where overcast skies are common, they seem to be very characteristic of July and August weather in Caithness. The popular thought would be that this is not good for photography, the opposite is true, the diffuse light allows photography throughout the day, exploration of colours and shapes is much easier than in bright sunshine, saturation and contrast being lower and easier to control.
Sandside Harbour is always a good subject with lots of detail and interest in the equipment dotted around the harbour, this old storehouse providing an excellent backdrop.

Wick HarbourFest 2009

2009-06-28T10:21:00.001+01:00

178 - HarbourFest 2009, originally uploaded by North Light.

Or perhaps the title should have been "Expanding the Repertoire".

After long days at work it's all too easy to take the easy option and go where I know that I can get a photograph with the minimum of effort. Not surprisingly this ultimately proves unsatisfying, it seems that I need to keep a level of challenge in my photography, when it becomes routine and I feel that I am not learning, or pushing myself, the motivation becomes much more difficult to maintain. An interesting thought as I near the half way point of this year, and contemplate that I am also closing on the mid point of my objective of three years of a photo a day!

So yesterday I managed to get to the HarbourFest at Wick on a glorious summer's day, I arrived late in the day, and most of the stands were being broken down, definitely not my usual subject, lots more photographs than I would normally take, but I am pleased with this one which I hope gives the feeling of a crowded marina. As usual I've had to keep the saturation down, Nikon reds easily become too dominating.

A Grumpy Photographer

2009-06-24T09:26:00.001+01:00

174 - Fresgoe Thrift, originally uploaded by North Light.

It's reached that time of year where there is an inevitable conflict between my photography and the "Day Job".
The hotel is busy at the moment, and combined with Summer light, which is not my favourite it makes for difficult photography.
I am still achieving the "Photo a Day", but am I succeeding at my other objectives? Is my photography improving is an important question for me, part of the satisfaction I get is from being able to see an positive changes in my photography, having spent a little time looking at photographs from a year ago I think I am still improving, so I shall try and be a bit less grumpy today!

Sliding into Summer

2009-06-13T08:30:00.001+01:00

Flowers, Cottage and Crows, originally uploaded by North Light.

So the weather is improving as we approach the longest day, my only complaint is that the temperatures are not really matching the sunlight, a cold north / north easterly wind is holding it down in the lower teens.

The hotel is busy so my time to "Blog" and comment on Flickr is considerably reduced, today I have grabbed a few minutes whilst I am sitting at reception waiting for a group of Italians to check out. Today I will make some time to ensure I respond to all those people who are kind enough to comment on my photographs.

Looking for Something Different

2009-05-29T09:22:00.001+01:00

149 - The Trinkie, originally uploaded by North Light.

One of the problems of participating in "A Photograph a Day" is that with over 500 days under my belt I am finding that I need to seek new subjects to keep the inspiration going.
Yesterday the light took me over towards Wick, a sudden moment of inspiration had me at the Trinkie, and a fortunate appearance of some sunlight has produced a photograph that I am pleased with on the first visit to a location.

Right Place, Right Time

2009-05-24T09:12:00.001+01:00

Strath More Rainbow, originally uploaded by North Light.

In the last few weeks there have been days where I have been chasing light with no success, Tuesday night I always seemed to be 5 minuets behind the light, a very frustrating session.
Wednesday was another unpromising day, when I went out in the evening I choose to go towards Loch More again as the clouds looked very interesting in that direction. As i got near the heavens opened, rain and hail so heavy that the road was soon flooded, and windscreen wipers were struggling to clear the screen.
I love where the River Thurso runs near the road here, so decided to stop as I could see the sky lightening behind me. First there was some sunshine on the river, good enough to get me out of the car into the rain, this has produced some nice images of the river, then to my left this rainbow appeared, one of the best I have ever seen. So for once in the "Right Place at The Right Time".

500 Days of Photography

2009-05-14T09:15:00.001+01:00

134 - 500 Days of Photography, originally uploaded by North Light.

I do feel a sense of achievement in reaching this anniversary, I will admit it has become easier and has definitely improved the quality of my photography but it has required a large amount of commitment, rarely less than an hour a day, and often more than 2 hours a day. During the Summer this is often on top of a 10 + working day. There definitely have been days where motivation has been a problem and other times where I have questioned the quality of my work but on balance .... I'd do it again, in fact here's looking forward to the next 500!

Royal Mail Postbus

2009-05-13T08:01:00.002+01:00

Old Slipway, originally uploaded by North Light.

For many years the Royal Mail has operated an excellent Postbus service in the North Highlands, the services from Thurso going west all ceased in April this year, Royal Mail saying they were unable to reach an agreement with the Highland Council on the subsidy they pay, if the press is correct, the Post Office had asked a threefold increase in subsidy and appear to not want to negotiate. This service as well as providing lifeline transport to remote areas was also well used by Tourists, you could leave Thurso on the morning bus, have half a day in Tongue, and then return of the afternoon bus.
The Highland Council have been very quick to find a replacement service, provided by Stagecoach, but from the Tourist Trades point of view this service has one major drawback, if you want to go to Tongue for a few hours, and then return to Thurso, during the week you can no longer do this, you now get exactly 23 minutes in Tongue before you have to return!
I can understand the problems, the costs of running a full bus to Tongue have to be higher than the small minibus the Royal Mail was using, and the Royal Mail's service was dual purpose in that it was collecting mail from Post Offices as well.

In my view another step backwards for the Tourist.

O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series Scotland

2009-05-04T10:49:00.001+01:00

123 - Coming Through, originally uploaded by North Light.

Finally, in the right place at the right time! Late Sunday afternoon I got to get some surfing photography in, the round of 48, surfed at the "Bowl" at Brims Ness. The surfer in this photograph is Nathan Hedges aka "Hog".
Difficult surfing conditions, but excellent photography conditions.
I am pleased to see that my hit rate seems to have improved this year but I could definitely do with a longer lens.

What a Difference a Day Makes

2009-04-30T09:41:00.001+01:00

Take Two, originally uploaded by North Light.

Tuesday late afternoon, I went out to Brims Ness to see if I could get a photograph of the set up for the surfing competition, but the competition seems to be on a smaller scale this year, another World Qualifying round is on in California at the same time, I guess the water is a touch warmer! I digress, so nothing to photograph, the sky is overcast and the tide well out, but this building and the view east looked good. The compact was struggling with the contrast levels, so a washed out sky.
Back to Brims the next day, some sunshine and a good sky, so "Take Two", it works, the vivid green of the grass in the foreground providing a good contrast to the sky.

An interesting aside is a comparison of the two compositions, different cameras were used, compact on day one and a DSLR on day two, the equivalent focal lengths are similar but I made no attempt to produce an exact replica yet the composition is almost identical.
Thought provoking.

The Photos that bring Tourists to Britain

2009-04-14T09:56:00.002+01:00

103 - Bank Holiday Beach, originally uploaded by North Light.

I've just watched a short film on the BBC News website, "The men who photograph Britain, about two of the most respected British landscape photographers, and how their photographs are bringing people from abroad to the UK to holiday, excellent, exactly what I'm trying to do with my own photography, but my focus is on the north of Scotland.
An interesting short film, and I'm glad that their work is being appreciated outside the UK and that the value of photography is being understood, but I do have a complaint , the last part of the film, describes the two photographers as using "Victorian Technology", and "artists who have stuck with traditional film to keep the details of our landscape true". Er, well, the technology they are using might have been developed from "Victorian Technology", but I would argue that so is digital photography, what winds me up most though is the idea that to present a landscape in a way that is true. The suggestion that you have to use film to portray a landscape in it's true form is not correct, it's a bit like the wonderful old statement, "The Camera Doesn't Lie".
These are two outstanding photographers, who use large format film cameras because of the resolution they offer, and the "Movements" that allow you alter depth of focus and perspective, can you do the same with digital technology, yes of course you can, but the cost of a full frame digital back for a 5" x 4" plate camera is huge, and only designed for studio work, so at the moment the most practical technology is still film if you want to use large format cameras on location.
Having got that off my chest, do look at the work of these two guys, Joe Cornish and David Ward, I would list them amongst the most influential British photographers in my own work, and in my opinion amongst the finest living landscape photographers.

Now how do I get more publicity for my images and the far north of Scotland?

Number 100

2009-04-11T09:05:00.001+01:00

100 - A History of Explotation, originally uploaded by North Light.

The one hundredth daily photograph of the year completed, looking across to the Wind Farm on Dale Moss from the A9 on the Causewaymire. I've had this photograph in the back of my mind for a couple of years now,and whilst it has achieved what I wanted to illustrate, how the Moss has been used over the years, I do think there's a better photograph to come yet so some revisits will be needed.

Sliding through the year

2009-04-02T11:41:00.001+01:00

91 - Beach Mirror, originally uploaded by North Light.

April already, the prospect of better weather ahead and the probability that the worst of the weather is behind us
For the last few years April and May have brought some of the best weather of the year, with the O'Neill Highland Open World Qualifying Series Mens Professional Surfing Contest starting at the end of this month and Northern Nashville Caithness Country Music Festival over the Easter weekend lets hope that we get a repeat of the early good weather.
But can we please have a good summer as well? The last two years have been relatively quiet as far as individual tourists are concerned, at the moment the early indications are that this year may be a little better, but some weather to match this prospect would be good.
In all seriousness, the North Highlands of Scotland are very beautiful, and will reward the more adventurous tourist, so please come and explore the "Other Highlands" north of Inverness.

OK, I'll take the hotelier hat off now, and put on the photographers. The last few weeks has produced some very changeable weather, and hence some interesting contrasts, one day one is working in the summer, the next the depths of winter, a better illustration of this is the contrast of Saturday, awoke to a dusting of snow, frequent winter showers and cold winds, during the afternoon I was taking photographs on Dunnet Head, 2.5℃, much lower with the windchill. Tuesday evening, at Gills Bay, still a cool wind but a sunny spring evening and temperatures of 15℃, duvet weather to T-Shirt weather in two days!

Evening Light

2009-03-26T09:16:00.014Z

84 - Port Skerra Light, originally uploaded by North Light.

I left Thurso and it was overcast, after a very changeable day, heading west I was beginning to think I had gone the wrong way, but there was the odd bit of blue sky in the sky. Port Skerra had a big swell running into it from the north west, looked to be 2 to 3 metres, no surf as the rocks break the swell up, the largest looking waves had me backing up the beach looking for higher ground, the first 5 or 10 minutes the light was diffuse with no direct sunlight, but a day for luck, the sun broke through highlighting the white water in the bay. In all the shots I took the visibility is not that good, the air is full of spray making working with these images quite difficult.

Port Skerra or Portskerra? The OS map gives the name of the settlement as Portskerra, but the bay is shown as Port Skerra, l am guessing the origin is Gaelic and could well be as simple as Port Skerry.

Ordnance Survey - Guide to Gaelic origins of
place names in Britain

Hotels and Photography

2009-03-13T13:51:00.001Z

71 - March Weather, originally uploaded by North Light.

With the hotel opening this week my photography time is much more restricted, doing the "Day Shift" means that I am in the hotel before breakfast and not escaping until after 4.00 pm, so daylight photography this week was restricted. The good news is with the days lengthening quickly this will not be a problem soon.
A week of mixed weather has brought a week of mixed photography, but this is one I I am very pleased with, rain rolling in from the west, with a touch of sun lighting the piers of Scrabster harbour.

Oh for a Longer Lens!

2009-03-05T10:09:00.001Z

63 - End of the Run, originally uploaded by North Light.

We've had some excellent surf over the last few days, but yesterday was the first time I've been in the right place with the right lens, with the O'Neill Highland Open, a Men's World Qualifying Series event here Apr 29-May 6, and the Quicksilver Scottish Open Oct 27th - 28th, I need to get some practice in, my longest lens is a little short for this work, but fortunately you can get quite close at the two sites normally used for this event.
If we are lucky this year the majority of the competition will be held at Thurso East, which is very close to us.
This is what the UK Pro Surf Tour has to say about Thurso East, "Takes place at one of the best venues in the world. Thurso East is a world class reef break consistently producing good wave".

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay

2009-02-28T22:22:00.001Z

59 - Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay, originally uploaded by North Light.

The end of February and two months into the year already, my plans for a more relaxed year have not really worked so far, the difficult days, where inspiration is difficult to find leave me frustrated, and I get depressed with my work if it drops below my standards. Ironically this is all good for my photography, keeps me pushing myself and hence continues to improve my photography.
Today's quick trip to the east coast was good, much better light than on the north coast and working in an area I don't know as well, a moral in this I guess so there will be a little more exploration as time allows.

Wick in White

2009-02-13T10:17:00.002Z

41 - Wick in White, originally uploaded by North Light.

So, we finally got some real snow, but I would have to admit that compared to much of the country we have been very lucky.

When I look back on last year's "Photo a Day", I can see that there is still a huge amount of Caithness that has not featured in my images, let alone Sutherland! So for this year I will, as far is practical and within the constraints of my working life, start to put this right.
Oh there's nothing like making life difficult for yourself!

Found One at Last

2009-01-31T11:26:00.003Z

Who Forgot the Wellies Then, originally uploaded by North Light.

If you've been following my blog you will know that I spent some time and efforts in 2008 trying to find a compact camera that I liked. I have to admit that this was initially very unsuccessful, and after a foolish purchase of a Nikon compact I eventually purchased a Nikon D60 slr in the middle of the year.
Whilst this was successful, and produced results I was happy with it still didn't meet the criteria of a pocket camera, so I was very interested when Panasonic released the DMC-LX3, after reading a few reviews I purchased one of these towards the end of the year.
The results from this compact are first class, it has it's faults, and would certainly not suit everyone, but as a landscape photographers camera I would heartily recommend one as a pocket camera.

Resolutions

2009-01-14T14:35:00.004Z

13 - Going Under, originally uploaded by North Light.

So 2008 is completed, a year of photography over.

Time to look back at last years resolutions.

1. More quality time for B and I away from Hotel - Not entirely successful, but we did manage to get a few breaks away together, so I think this should be regarded as "Work in Progress", or "Must try harder".
2. More exploring of Caithness & Sutherland - Not bad, another "Work in Progress" but it would have been that even if I thought I had done really well.
3. Photo a day! Thanks to mijoli for this one - 100% success, in fact so successful that I have decided to repeat it for 2009!
4. Find a compact camera I like - Also successful although I have to admit there were a couple of false starts, I am extremely pleased with the Panasonic LX3, it's limitations of short Zoom range do not really bother me, and the quality of image for a compact camera is very good.

So, 2009, a bit late for resolutions, but better late than never!

Three carry over from last year,

1. More quality time for B and I away from Hotel.
2. More exploring of Caithness & Sutherland.
3. Photo a day.

Two new ones.

4. Too use my photography to promote the North of Scotland, with particular emphasis to Caithness & Sutherland.
5. Too improve the technical side of my photography, with particular reference to exposure control and Photoshop.

Enough to be going on with I think!

Shepherds Warning

2009-01-10T13:28:00.001Z

10 - Shepherds Warning, originally uploaded by North Light.

"Like a red morn, that ever yet betoken'd wreck to the seaman - sorrow to shepherds."

Shakespeare, in Venus & Adonis, 1593

I was planning a lie in this morning, but a look out the window had me running around the house like a scalded cat!
Managed to get down to the sea front to catch some of the stunning sky we had this morning, the colours were changing quickly as dawn approached, combined with a wind gusting to 50 mph quick work was needed, so maybe not some of my best compositions but I am pleased to have caught the light.

2008 - A Year in Photographs

2009-01-01T10:13:00.002Z

366 - A Bit of a Do, originally uploaded by North Light.

So, 366 days of photography completed, a photograph a day was achieved, only one day was not uploaded to Flickr on the day, the hotel we were staying in had no WiFi. I certainly didn't realise the amount of time I would be committing each day, typically 2 to 3 hours a day! The most difficult times were in the winter, our short days, only just over 6 hours of daylight at the shortest. day a certain amount of planning was required.
I have learnt an immense amount in the year, and feel that my photography has benefited. One very important thing I have learnt is that the weather has never been too bad to take a photograph and some of the best photographs have come from the days with the worst weather!
Some numbers.
Total number of photographs up-loaded to Flickr = 1035
Total number of frames = 14100
Total amount of data stored = 74 GB with back-up in a different file format (Adobe DNG) = 160 GB.

I would like to thank everyone who commented during the year for their support and encouragement.

Heilan Light

2008-12-28T11:04:00.001Z

292 - Good to be Home, originally uploaded by North Light.

It has been many months since I last posted to my blog, 2008 has been a busy year for me both in terms of photography and as a hotelier.
Long shifts in the hotel in the summer meant that what little time I had for photography was devoted to my 366, a photograph a day posted to my flickr pages. As this draws to a close I have to admit that this has been a interesting experience, more about this at the end of the year.
In the last few months I have had more time to devote to photography, the main result being Heilan Light my website, this was remarkably easy to set up and even if I say it myself, I am pleased with the results.

A Few Days on the West Coast

2008-05-27T08:38:00.001+01:00

145 Gairloch Harbour Reflections, originally uploaded by North Light.

We managed to escape for a couple of days over the weekend, despite being a Bank holiday weekend the weather was stunning and although we did quite a few miles it was a very relaxing break.

Now to the serious bit, the west coast was busy, the north coast was quiet.
So the tourists go to the west coast because it's better, no way, I think its more to do with people's perception of where to go for a holiday in Scotland.
The west coast is well known, has had a well developed tourist industry for many years, the north coast has not been promoted to the same level, people come here to go to John O'Groats, to catch the ferry to got to Orkney, for fishing, shooting and a few to tour the area, but we don't get the numbers the area deserves.
How do we change this? Should we expect VistScotland to do this for us? Do we have to do it locally? I guess there is no simple single answer, we should expect VisitScotland to promote the area, but they have a limited budget and will concentrate on areas that pull the majority of visitors, the North Highlands Scotland group is starting to make an excellent job of promoting the area, http://www.northhighlandsscotland.com/ , but this will take time, it's the long haul, should we link with Visit Orkney? It would make some sense, certainly we can learn from them as they have a well developed tourism industry.
I think the real development has to come from the area, but we should be ensuring we ask for, and get the support of VisitScotland, The Highland Council, Historic Scotland, The Scottish Government and any other agencies that we feel can assist us in promoting this beautiful part of Scotland.

Promoting the North Highlands

2008-05-19T15:40:00.001+01:00

Unlinked, originally uploaded by North Light.

As with any business advertising is an necessary evil, the tourism industry has many firms promising to increase your sales for a slice of your hard earned profits! After nearly four years in the industry I would say that in many cases the only business to increase it's profits from this in the advertising company. But one would think that the countries national tourism agency would be worth supporting.
Scotland's national tourism agency is called VisitScotland, and along with VisitScotland.com which it part owns provides international and national marketing, booking website, quality measurement and grading, and local tourist offices.
For this we contribute by paying membership fees, quality inspection fees, advertising fees and commission on bookings.
For the last few years I have been hearing rumors that the promotion of the far north by some of these offices was a bit lacking, I would tend to discount these stories as gossip, but last weekend some guests relaid an interesting tale. They had gone to one of these offices and asked about the North Coast and the Orkneys, only to be told that they would be better going to Skye.
Now I think Skye is beautiful, but so is the far north, it's early in the season and we need every visitor we can get, so I have to say I am more than a little peeved that part of the body that is supposed to be promoting tourism for the whole of Scotland is promoting one area above another.
It's difficult enough to get tourists, we could really do without part of our national tourist agency actively trying to persuade them not to come.

Ok rant over!

The photograph is of Sandside Harbour, Reay, Caithness.

Tourism

2008-05-05T12:25:00.001+01:00

Early Birds, originally uploaded by North Light.

I note from the Highland Council's website that they are conducting a online survey on the development of John O'Groats, in their own words "We need your help! Please help us to scope the potential for John O’Groats as a visitor destination"
Now sadly the link to this survey is buried away under "Tourism Development"
Surely this should be a front page item? John O'Groats is one of Scotland's best known locations, yet the Hotel is falling down, the foundations of the next phase of development are overgrown and long abandoned. The Operators of the shops and other facilities there deserve a lot of credit and support for their perseverance in this beautiful corner of Scotland.
This should be the focal point for the development of tourism in Caithness and North Sutherland.

So here is the link to the page, please do the survey, the far North of Scotland is a stunning place and tourism has to be a key part of it's future.

http://www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/tourismdevelopment/

What, No Surf!

2008-04-23T09:36:00.001+01:00

112 - Calm, originally uploaded by North Light.

Today is the first day of the O'Neill Highland Open Surf competition, I was on Thurso beach last night, flat calm, you could have gone out into the bay in a boat made of paper, and it would have been safe!
Lets hope the swell behaves and give all the Surfers staying in the town a good competition.

Beach Graffiti

2008-04-09T09:53:00.002+01:00

98 - Beach Graffiti, originally uploaded by North Light.

Ok, so I am going to have to admit that now the hotel is partially open, 4 nights a week, that I really am not achieving my goal of a post a week to my blog! There just does not seem to be enough time in the day.
We are at present busy with a series of 4 night tours, which so far are going very smoothly, and the vast majority of the guests are a pleasure to have.
I am still uptight about our Politicians meddling with licensing laws and alcohol duty, so we'll leave that subject well alone!
The weather, well I hope that last weekend's cold snap is the end of winter, and that we can look forward to a warmer summer than last year, and maybe a few more tourists exploring the beautiful area I live and work in.
The photograph, my photo of the day for the 8th of April, I hope that I don't have to do too many like this, got onto the beach late afternoon, it had started raining on the way to Dunnet, it was raining heavily, there was a biting cold wind, hence I was feeling very unmotivated, considering the circumstance I am very pleased with the result!

Tranquillity

2008-03-13T08:48:00.001Z

Tranquillity 2, originally uploaded by North Light.

I don't often do B & W, but this image struck me as I worked on the colour version that it would be better in Black and White.

Anyway, I need images like this when I listen to our Politicians on the subject of alcohol.
Why do they think that the solution to drinking problems is to increase the costs, ie duty and the cost of licensing premises?
Do they not understand that the Tourist and Hotel trades are important to Scotland?
Reading some of their comments they obviously do not.
Licensing costs, the new cost have increased by a factor of 5 for renewals for our hotel, plus annual charges.
I accept things change, and do not have a problem with the concept that the fees should pay for the system, Yet Councils are employing extra staff, surely this suggests the new system is more bureaucratic and hence not as cost effective?
I strongly object to some of the comments that have been made by politicians, I quote Mr MacAskill, our Justice Secretary,

"They would dispense with the "outdated and dogmatic" mindset that selling alcohol was a right."

"It is not," he added. "It is a privilege."

Hmm, as an operator of a Three Star Hotel, that brings a lot of tourist trade into the area, to be awarded the Three Start rating I have to have a Bar, it's one of the criteria! It's not a privilege, it's a requirement.

As for heavy increases in duty to help curb binge drinking, the vast majority of people drink in sensible moderation, and a good operator will, as his license requires not serve alcohol to someone who has had too much.
Cheap alcohol will still be available, the supermarkets sell for less than I can buy for! Having high duty on alcohol will only increase the illegal import of Alcohol for sale from other parts of the EU.

Alcohol abuse is a problem, but the solutions are not as easy as putting the taxes up! It's a cultural problem, the solution is to change the culture. Its about education, not penalising one of the countries major industries, who are already having to cope with big rises to their operating costs due to rising energy costs.

Oh I need to go and look at the photograph again!

Bi-lingual road signs

2008-03-08T11:42:00.002Z

67 - In Between Showers, originally uploaded by North Light.

Time for a rant!

I note with less than amusement that we are to benefit from bi-lingual road signs, the Highland Council has recently voted that as part of the Gaelic Plan these signs are to be implemented as a Highland wide policy.
In doing so, the Highland Council meeting rejected by 36 votes to 29 a notice of motion by 8 Caithness Councillors who wanted their area excluded from the policy stating: “…the blanket roll out of bi-lingual signs in the Highlands should only proceed where there exists significant local demand for such a policy.”
I should add that Caithness only has a total of 9 Councillors, so much for democracy!
The vast majority of Caithness was not Gaelic speaking, its language deriving from Norse, as the majority of place names do.
Would it not be better to spend this money on attracting more tourists to the area and hence helping the economy of Caithness!

Consistency

2008-03-05T14:07:00.001Z

A Sea, originally uploaded by North Light.

Hmm, so much for more consistent posts! Will have to do better!
We have our first Tour in the Hotel next week, so its starting to get busier, which ironically means I will have more time to post on the blog.

February has produced some great weather for photography, some of which may be seen on my Flickr pages. As the days are getting longer I am looking forward to photography on warm evenings, and on that wishful note its time to sign off.

Ruffled by the Wind

2008-02-09T11:03:00.001Z

Ruffled by the Wind, originally uploaded by North Light.

It's some time since I made an entry on the blog, other things seem to have taken precedence over the last few weeks, but I am back so there will be more consistent entries from now on!
I have bought a compact camera, a Nikon P5100, why did I choose the Nikon? Liked the build quality, felt comfortable in the hand, and part just plain impulse! The results from it are not bad, and it will cover the role of light pocketable camera well.
But I do have to say, why oh why do they try and squeeze so many megapixels into a tiny sensor! At anything above ISO200 it's so noisy.
Six megapixels would be more than sufficient, and the performance from the sensor would be so much better. Still tempted by the Sigma DP1 though!
I have to be honest, "Ruffled by the Wind" was taken with a DSLR, would not have been able to get the detail and exposure latitude from the compact camera.

A view of Thurso

2008-01-14T17:08:00.001Z

14 - Brimms Hill Panorama, originally uploaded by North Light.

I first saw this view the very first time I visited Thurso in 2002, it was not until I lived in Thurso, and had seen this view in evening light that I realalised just how stunning the vista is.
Today is the first time I have dared to try and capture the panorama, I was ill equipped as I had not gone out with any intention of capturing this shot, but the light was so good I could not drive past, so here is version No. !.
I will make no apologies for spending some time this year trying to capture the essence of this vista, when I think I have done it, I will let you know!

To the Beach

2008-01-11T22:12:00.001Z

11 - To the Beach, originally uploaded by North Light.

Ok, I cheated today, weather was good, so a chance to explore Murkle Bay, had the office phone diverted to a mobile in my pocket, and off I went! Photographically not a bad morning, but the tide was high, and with the Murkle Burn being quite high, I could only get to about half the bay, needs further visits!
Like all sweeping vistas its quiet difficult to photograph, particularly with wide angle lenses, need to be very careful about foreground interest.
So there will be more to come from this location.

Murkle Bay

2008-01-08T11:05:00.001Z

Murkle Bay, originally uploaded by North Light.

I drive past this bay quite regularly, yet have only taken photographs there twice, the first time was about 18 months ago, and yesterday.
It has always caught my eye, but access and parking are not good or obvious. The light there yesterday was superb, grey clouds in the background, with a low winter sun. So, 2008 is the year to explore this stunning location, and take more photographs here.
The Hotel is now quiet, just spent some time sorting and tidying the walk in freezer, not finished, my feet are too cold to continue! Ironically, the freezer needs to chill down again before I finish the job! The weather outside is very inviting, sunshine with a hard frost, Hopefully the sun will still be out this afternoon, I can then go and investigate Murkle Bay!

"Up, Up and Away"

2008-01-05T18:50:00.001Z

"Up, Up and Away", originally uploaded by North Light.

A photography day, the light this morning was excellent, and, as I discovered once I got past Dunnet Head, the sea was spectacular.
I spent a very productive 20 to 30 minutes taking photographs at John O'Groats, with I think some excellent results. Note that it then took a large cup of coffee in the Cafe to warm my hands up!
I am still getting used to the Nikon, a process that will take some time, but I am not unhappy with any of the exposures, and continue to be impressed by the camera.
This image was created from a single RAW file, 5 exposures created at 1 EV steps using Camera Raw, then processed with Photomatix Pro, with some final tweaks in Photoshop, sounds long winded, but probably only took about 15 minutes to create.

Woops!

2008-01-03T00:12:00.001Z

Waiting to be Eaten, originally uploaded by North Light.

I've been found out!
There's me thinking I could just quietly write a bit about my life, it would disappear into the ether on this internet thing, and that would be that.
But no, I should have known, you just can't hide any more.

I've been confused all day, the North Light flickr pages have been much more active than usual, could see no obvious reason and hence had resigned myself to waiting for the stats for the pages, and try and work out where the traffic was originating from.
Just doing a bit of surfing before I go to sleep, as one does, and visit Caithness dot org, scan the page, look a bit harder, clean glasses, no thats definitely the name of my blog, oh s**t what have I been saying in my blog?
No more anonymity, I'll just have to keep some of the thoughts to myself, guess I'll have to be careful with the pictures as well!

So a safe picture of apples and pears, can't be anything controversial about this, can there?

Well, I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year.

Caithness Flag with a Seaweed garnish

2008-01-02T07:33:00.001Z

Caithness Flag with a Seaweed garnish, originally uploaded by North Light.

The hotel is now entering the quiet spell, the New Year guests are all sitting having breakfast, cases are loaded onto the coach, and after a busy day putting the hotel "to bed" the next few months are not quite as frenetic.
The 2007 season was an odd one, in terms of tours, particularly from Italy and Germany we had a good year, but individual tourists was poor, the weather, interest rates and fuel prices I guess.
On paper we are already looking busy for 2008, but cancelations will start coming in during January, it will not be until April that we start to get a real feel for the season.
Now the important bits, Photography, I intend to spend a bit more time on photography this year, going to try and post a photograph a day, where I am unable to post every day, at least take a photograph every day. On flickr there is a new Set on my pages, 366, this will hold the daily images.
Time to do some work, so, wishing all the readers of this blog a very happy 2008.

Work and Play

2007-12-31T09:06:00.001Z

Work and Play, originally uploaded by North Light.

A photograph from about 18 months ago, Cromarty harbour, Cromarty is a beautiful small town in Ross-shire on the Cromarty Firth.
A place we do not get to very often, but always worth a visit. The use of HDR on this image has worked well allowing me to pull a bit more information out of the shadows in the pier, where masking and using curves in photoshop would have been difficult.
Right, that's the play bit finished, now for work, time for a RANT!
Why is it that British tourists, particularly those at the lower end of the budget can be such a pain in the a***. We have a group of central belt Scots in for the New Year, and there are one or two who are going to make it painful. I was told when I started in this occupation, that other than our colonial cousins, the Americans, for whom a different set of rules apply, that the amount of hassle from the guest is the inverse to the amount they are paying!!! We were cold last night, there's a draft in the room, yup, the window was open! Probably because they had been smoking in a non-smoking room!

Megapixels

2007-12-29T13:37:00.001Z

Winter Beach 3, originally uploaded by North Light.

Some reflections on cameras, very likely controversial!

The eagle eyed of you will have noticed that there is a subtle change in the photographs that have been taken since the 2nd of December, see "Taken On" or "Taken In" in "additional Information" on Images individual pages. They have a slightly different "feel" to them. I have decided to change the cameras I am using, so I have sold my beloved Canon 5D, and my back-up camera, a Nikon D80 and in the process of selling the vast majority of my lenses!
At the beginning of December I purchased a Nikon D300 and will slowly concentrate on building a new set of Nikon lenses. Why you might ask? the Nikon is a much more intuitive camera to use, it makes sense for both the main and the back-up camera to be identical, or very similar in operation, the mechanical use of the camera becomes automatic, and hence does not distract from the creative side.
So I have gone from a full frame sensor to a cropped sensor, a backwards step? No, the Nikon seems to be able to record a wider dynamic range, and with care is producing images of the same quality as the 5D. Will I not miss the 5D MkII, maybe, but I prefer the Nikon to use,If Ican produce prints up to A2 size I don't need more detail.
The image above was taken with a Canon D60, a 6 Mexapixel camera, it consistently produced high quality images as long as the exposure was well controlled, and I liked it much better than the Canon 20D, so much so that I kept the D60 as my back-up camera for about 2 years. The 5D as I have said produced stunning pictures, this was not that it produced more detail than other 12 mp cameras, but there was a different feel to its images.
So where is this ramble leading? What I am trying to say is that once a certain amount of image information is recorded, the real differences come down to the quality of information recorded, and the tools we use to produce the resulting image. I have used RAW files virtually from the start of using a DSLR, and now am enjoying the benefit of better image processing programmes to produce images such as the one above, it prints to A4 with no problems, with care and some up-sizing, I will be able to get a A3 print, which when viewed from "Normal" distances is perfectly acceptable.
So I look forward to 2008, learning how to get the best from the Nikon, and concentrating on the Image, not the camera.

Now for the toys!
What I have not found is a compact camera that I enjoy using, or like the results from, Sigma DP1 perhaps?

A Breaking Wave of Sand

2007-12-27T08:50:00.001Z

A Breaking Wave of Sand, originally uploaded by North Light.

The day after Boxing Day, I am sat at Reception in the Hotel, its 8:30 am, my reception area is full of cases, yes the Christmas guests are going home! Peace for a few days. Then we are full again at New Year!
During the quieter moments over Christmas the eagle eyed of you will notice that I have been playing with Photomatix Pro 3.0 Beta, I have to say that I am impressed, although the user interface is not as polished as most programmes I normally use, it seems much easier to produce images that are less obviously HDR.
I hope to work with this a lot more over the next few months, and spend more time producing taking photographs to work with HDR.

Inspiration

2007-12-20T11:33:00.001Z

Winter Beach 1, originally uploaded by North Light.

Photography is a funny thing! An odd statement?
For the last few weeks I have had no problem seeing photographs, working though my image archive has been equally productive, but I got home last night, cup of tea, and in front of my monitor started going through photographs taken in 2005 with the intention of creating a few new images for my flickr photostream, found four potential images, created bracketed exposures using Camera Raw, processed with Photomatix, and started to do the final work in Photoshop. I rejected all four!
Lack of inspiration, not seeing images, its not a new phenomenon, but why does it happen?
I was motivated, had no problems picking the images to work on, but the results were not in any way inspirational.
Yet 24 hours before I produced the photograph above, to me its the most satisfying image I have produced al month, yet in its original format I probably got very close to deleting it!
Thoughts to ponder on over the Christmas Season.

Night on the Pots?

2007-12-17T10:36:00.001Z

Night on the Pots?, originally uploaded by North Light.

Another bright and frosty morning, we have now had a few days of good winter weather, I was able to take advantage of this yesterday, and spent some time out with the camera, but the days are very short now, sunrise was at 9.00 am, and sunset at 3.14 pm, just over six hours of full daylight! Still the shortest day is nearly here, and we then have spring to look forward to.

Weather Forecast

2007-12-15T10:16:00.001Z

Golden Sand, originally uploaded by North Light.

Thinking about taking photographs, the weather this week has been pretty good, but have been in the hotel office during daylight hours, frustrating!
The forecast for Sunday looks good though, so subject to the accuracy of the forecast it's a photography day tomorrow. Something to keep me motivated for the rest of the day?

Castlehill harbour...2

2007-12-12T08:32:00.001Z

Castlehill harbour...2, originally uploaded by North Light.

Published. I am pleased that this and one other photograph were published in "amateur Photographer" magazine this week. The email from the publishers asking permission to use the two images came as a total surprise as these were part of a portfolio submitted nearly two years ago, the cynical side of me thinks that they were obviously short of suitable photos, so had to resort to the filing system!
On a more positive note, the portfolio was submitted to three publications, two of which have published, the third, which will of course remain nameless rejected the portfolio, two out of three is not bad!
I guess that this indicates that I really should do more with my photographs, a "New Years Resolution" perhaps?

Sunday Morning Walk

2007-12-10T11:29:00.001Z

Sunday Morning Walk, originally uploaded by North Light.

Another week begins, the festive season is creeping up! More functions in the Hotel at the end of this week, next week is then busy, less time for photography!
Got out yesterday with Bev, a walk on Dunnet beach, although there was no direct sunlight the sky was superb, lots of clouds in just about every shade of grey which has I hope produced some interesting images.

Winter Weather

2007-12-05T09:29:00.001Z

Low Tide, originally uploaded by North Light.

Slipped down to Inverness yesterday, a spot of unsuccessful Christmas shopping, no inspiration.
A really strange day for weather, sleet in the rain on the way down, particularly as we were crossing the Causeymire, and at the Ord of Caithness. Outside temperature gauge on the car was reading 3°C, as we were leaving Inverness in the early afternoon the Car was registering 14°C, it was still 12°C when we got back to Thurso late afternoon, Summer's back!
Stooped on the way back at Dornoch for a quick walk on the beach, and a couple of quick photographs, I always find this an inspiring spot.

Thurso Surf

2007-12-03T09:49:00.001Z

Thurso Surf, originally uploaded by North Light.

This was taken yesterday morning, I was able to get out with the camera just before dawn, not too difficult as sunrise was just after 8:30 am. A cold morning, frost on the ground and the odd patch of ice.
It was obviously a good morning for surf as there must have been about ten people in the water in Thurso Bay, COLD, and when I left about an hour later this had probably increased to twenty or so.
These were my first attempts at taking pictures of surfers, I really needed to use a longer lens, but I am not unhappy with some of the results.

Winter Blues

2007-12-01T12:20:00.001Z

Red on Grey, originally uploaded by North Light.

I guess that this should really read "Winter Greys", but its been another week with no photography, had to resort to working on images from the back catalogue!
I should not be negative about this, I have a lot of images I like, and in many cases re-working them is very positive, and I hope that they are benefiting from a little bit more experience!
I received a email from the submissions department of a well known weekly UK Photographic magazine yesterday, some of a portfolio I submitted nearly two years ago is being published in the magazine in December, quietly pleased with this. This will mean that of the three magazines I submitted portfolios to, two will have published photographs from the portfolio. Not a bed hit rate!
On a completely different subject, the forecast for tomorrow looks good, so the plan for Sunday involves photography, and not much else. This is of course subject to the vagaries of the weather.

Withdrawal Symptoms.

2007-11-27T11:11:00.001Z

Autumn Glow, originally uploaded by North Light.

Its that time of year where it's difficult to get out and take photographs, I tend to do the "Day Shift", if there are no residents this starts at about 8.00 am, through to circa 5.00 pm, 5 to 6 days a week. If we have residents this starts at 6.00 am and ends between 4 to 6:00 pm, again 5 to 6 days a week. So my photography in the winter is concentrated into one day a week, with the opportunity to get out on other days if Bev, or a member of Staff cover the office for me.
Well, it feels as if for the last month that the only times I have been out with a camera that its been raining, not even interesting rain, just grey rain!
So I have resorted to working through the back catalogue, and I guess that you will see a few more old images on flickr!
Now the forecast says we are going to get sunshine on ******

Through the Looking Glass

2007-11-24T11:35:00.001Z

Through the Looking Glass, originally uploaded by North Light.

This was taken a couple of years ago, using a Canon 20D handheld. I have always liked the photograph, but having re-processed it using Photomatrix, followed by Photoshop, I have to say I am now much happier with the end result.
This really illustrates the benefit of using RAW images, I have been able to re-process the image, using an updated version of Camera Raw with the benefits of more control. The resulting photograph has also benefited from new techniques and programmes that were not available to me when I took the original picture.

Harrow Harbour

2007-11-19T10:02:00.001Z

Harrow Harbour, originally uploaded by North Light.

Well its Monday again, the sun is trying to shine. Yesterday was another Caithness grey day, rained for most of the day and the light was flat and uninteresting.
So working on old raw files, I continue to be impressed with HDR, the ability to open out images, and increase the apparent dynamic range by processing different exposures from a single raw file is stunning.
I can feel the beginning of a project for the winter evenings!
The photograph of Harrow harbour was taken a couple of years ago on an autumn afternoon, the light had a particularly beautiful quality, the extra processing with HDR software has opened out the shadow detail without introducing too much noise and allowed the production of a very satisfying image.

Clearing Sea Fog

2007-11-15T16:09:00.001Z

Clearing Sea Fog, originally uploaded by North Light.

A quiet day in the North of Scotland, the sun was shining this morning, but had disappeared by lunch time. Feels as though it is also getting colder, so no photography today. Forecast does not look promising for the weekend either, so my thoughts have roamed to how I started my photographic journey.

I didn't seriously start taking photographs until I was in my late twenties, I only remember two earlier forays into the world of photography, my parents gave me a Kodak Brownie 127 when I was about 8, I think the novelty soon wore off, and it was discarded to the bottom of a draw. In the 1970's my brother bought a Olympus OM-1, this sparked off an interest in cameras, with a mixture of envy and a strong desire to own such a beautiful object.
In the 1980's I purchased my first SLR camera, a Minolta X700, this being the beginning of a passion for photography.

My photography has evolved through the use of lots of film, learning to be self critical and the influence of other photographers. Through the 1980's and 1990's I went to as many photographic exhibitions as I could, the highlights of these exhibitions were Ansel Adams at the Barbican and Sebastiano Salgado at the RPS in Bath. Other photographers that made a lasting impression at this time were Don McCullin, Fay Goodwin, Bill Brandt,, Paul Strand and James Ravilious.

Another important influence was the Guardian Newspaper, during the 1990's when Eamonn McCabe was picture editor of The Guardian. During this period the Guardian consistently raised the quality of photography used in quality British newspapers.
During the 1980's Eamonn produced some of the most iconic sports photography, winning Sports Photographer of the Year four times between1978 and 1984.

As my love for landscape photography has developed I have continued to derive inspiration from the work of photographers, those that immediatly spring to mind are Charlie Waite, David Ward, Colin Prior and Joe Cornish.

Dodging the Waves, Oh and now its Started Raining!

2007-11-12T11:20:00.001Z

Dodging the Waves, Oh and now its Started Raining!, originally uploaded by North Light.

Sunday morning, windy, wet, and the sun shining, oh and I nearly forgot the rainbow.

Harbour Steps.

2007-11-12T11:19:00.001Z

Harbour Steps., originally uploaded by North Light.

One from Sunday.

The Sun is Out!

2007-11-12T11:07:00.000Z

Why is it that on days off the sun refuses to come out, and when one is at work out it pops!

One would think that now I am in my fifth decade I would have learnt why, and how to circumnavigate the problem.

Yesterday was a mixture of rain, sun, hail, wind, and i think I even saw some sleet. Oh and I forgot there was a rainbow, Caithness weather I guess. Still a few photographs were achieved.

Used my old 17 - 35 lens for the afternoon shots, I had forgotten that it does not seem to work well on a digital camera, always appears soft. Further experimentation needed, if not happy with the results this will have to go on the replacement list next year!

Waiting to be eaten!

2007-11-10T10:27:00.001Z

Waiting to be eaten!, originally uploaded by North Light.

It's Saturday morning again, in the hotel office and the weather is damp and grey. We have had the first of the winter weather this week, windy for most of the week, particularly strong on Thursday, horizontal rain, this changed on Friday to much heavier rain, but at least it was vertical!
So, a photograph to remind me of the warm, hazy and lazy (I wish) days of summer.

It's Going to be a Rough Night

2007-11-07T10:14:00.001Z

It's Going to be a Rough Night, originally uploaded by North Light.

Winter is here!, dark mornings and nights, and the first winter gale on Monday night. Took a series of photographs at Sandside Harbour, from which I have produced some HDR images. I am pleased with the results, whcih have caught the light and the mood well.
Each image is produced by taking a RAW file, using Adobe Camera Raw 5 different exposures have been produced, -2 EV to +2 EV, and then a HDR image is produced with Photomatix Pro, tone mapped in Photomatix, and finally adjustments and sharpening in Adobe Photoshop.
A rather long winded production process, but I am pleased with the results.
These images do show that, in relatively low contrast situations modern digital slr's are capable of recording a wide dynamic range.
This of course also highlights the benefits of using the RAW image format.

Old Sea Wall,

2007-11-04T08:34:00.001Z

Old Sea Wall,, originally uploaded by North Light.

Sunday morning, weather is grey with the odd hint of blue sky, but the The light is very flat this morning. Have been on the beach with the camera, but no images that I am satisfied with.
So, here is a photograph from last night, I managed to get out just for the last few minutes of daylight, no direct sunlight unfortunatly, but a good opportunity to continu the exploration of HDR. This image was taken using 5 exposures, 1 EV steps, -2 EV to + 2 EV. Because the Nikon D80 will ony auto-bracket 3 exposures this has to be done manually, and with the low light levels this means that the 5 exposures are taken over something in the region of 30 seconds to a minute. This inevitably means that there is movement in the water and clouds. But this image has worked well, and I think is one of my most succesful HDR images yet.

Transom, Crane and Rope.

2007-11-01T10:35:00.001Z

Transom, Crane and Rope., originally uploaded by North Light.

A grey day in Thurso, been like this most of the week, not inspiring!
So, I thought I would put up some old B & W images, all taken with a Canon D60, my first digital SLR.
Black and White is something I have been neglecting, and looking back on these is something I should be exploring, oh for more time in the day, and a little less rain!

Sunrise

2007-10-30T12:52:00.001Z

Sunrise, originally uploaded by North Light.

As promised, a "normal" exposure from Sunday morning. A 0.9 ND neutral graduate filter was used to control the exposure of the sky.

Waiting for the Sun.

2007-10-28T19:53:00.001Z

Waiting for the Sun., originally uploaded by North Light.

Out early this morning, Castlehill Harbour is one of my favourite locations, particularly good in autumn. Succesful morning, spent more time exploring HDR, the results were worthwhile and this is a technique I will spend more time learning.

I feel that it is important not to use HDR as the only solution to taking photographs in high contrast situations, the use of neutral graduate filters is also very effective, and give a more "natural" image I will post some of these later in the week.

Digging for Bait.

2007-10-27T10:28:00.001+01:00

Digging for Bait., originally uploaded by North Light.

Its a grey and wet Saturday morning, I think our rather late summer is now over! Covering reception in the hotel this morning, no one about, no urgent jobs, so time to look back through images taken over the last two years. I thought I would put some of my personal favourites of Caithness on flickr,.
Forecast for tomorrow looks better, sunshine and showers, so I will try and get out with the camera, beats the washing and the ironing!

Sunset over Thurso

2007-10-25T08:36:00.001+01:00

Sunset over Thurso, originally uploaded by North Light.

A frustrating week photographically. I have been out with the camera a few times, and usually seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!
Tuesday evening was an exception, it did not look very promising, in fact I took very few photographs, but one image has made the week worthwhile, and has stopped the onset of the "Victor Meldrew" syndrome!
I am very impressed with HDR, I regard my self as very much a novice in its use and need to spend more time working with it. The goal is to use it to extend the dynamic range, but for the image not to look as though HDR has been used. Not sure if this is realistic, time will tell.

Morning Light

2007-10-20T10:24:00.001+01:00

Morning Light, originally uploaded by North Light.

Taken during a week of touring, stayed for three nights in Port Appin at The Pierhouse.
This photograph was taken from the Pier, I like the monotone colours, with the gentle warmth of the sunlight on Kingairloch.

High Tide

2007-10-06T10:07:00.001+01:00

High Tide, originally uploaded by North Light.

I thought that this would be a good image to start my blog with.
Taken last weekend, 30th September, on one of the best days we have had this year.

My partner and I are away for the next few days, some quality time together, during which I hope to get some good images on the west coast of Scotland.

I plan to use the blog for a commentary on the photographic highlights of my life, and if at all possible to illustrate the best of Caithness and Sutherland.