fforma exhibitiona

fforma exhibition now on at Y Tabernacl, Queens Road, Aberystwyth.  Please go along and visit if you can.  It's open until the 21st of December.  There are six of us exhibiting and there's a variety of prints, photographs and paintings on show.  A good opportunity for a Christmas present or two! www.fforma.org.uk     

Loch Coruisk, July 2011

The Bella Jane

Another trip to the North of Scotland, this time a little later in the year than is usual for me.  I was a little apprehensive as to how the weather would behave as traditionally, the best weather in the North of Scotland tends to be during the months of May and June.  Anyway, as it was I needn't have worried as I had a blissful week of warm sunny days on the whole.  Searching for a new photographic location is always in my mind whenever I head North.  Coruisk wasn't exactly new to me as I'd visited the place about 10 years previously with a camera.  At that time though I only owned the humble 35mm SLR.  This time, it was a trip for my medium format camera.  I still have the original negatives from 10 years ago, but somehow I don't think the smaller format does this kind of landscape the justice it deserves.  Besides, I have a little more experience as a photographer now than I did then - I hope! 

Loch Coruisk

Reaching Coruisk is not difficult if you're based on or near the Isle of Skye.  You can either drive or take the stagecoach bus to Elgol.  Once there, you have the option of taking either the Bella Jane boat as I did, or the Misty Isle boat.  Both operate regular trips from Elgol pier, although it's worth checking the times to be on the safe side, as these can change depending on tide times, the weather etc.  Another option perhaps for the more adventurous and intrepid walker is to take the boat one way only to Coruisk, and then walk back to Elgol.  This is a rather long and arduous journey on foot, but an enthralling and  beautifully scenic walk awaits those brave enough to tackle it.  More details about walking around Coruisk can be found on www.walkingbritain.co.uk and www.walkhighlands.co.uk . 

My trip to Coruisk was a two way trip by boat.  For one thing, I didn't have the time to walk back, and for another, the prospect of carrying a heavy camera, tripod, rucksack and waterproofs was not entirely an appealing one!  I was fortunate enough to have a reasonably dry day with only a few brief showers.  The trip out and back was as exciting as the 4 hours or so that I spent in Coruisk itself.  Plenty of wildlife was on hand to see, including seals, birds and a brief glimpse of Dolphins!  Most of my time was spent around Loch Coruisk itself.  This is only a short walk from the boat landing stage.  However, it is frequently wet and muddy, and the path although quite distinct for the most part, is uneven and rocky in places.  As a consequence, walking boots are strongly recommended.  Once you arrive at Lock Coruisk itself, there's plenty of opportunity to photograph.  I found that I had little difficulty in keeping myself occupied with my medium format camera, and as a consequence, I probably shot approximately 6 films.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip which proved fruitful with the camera.  I will keep you posted as to when I put some of my black and white images on my website, so watch this space!  Please visit the following links for more information on Elgol and the Isle of Skye in general:-

www.isleofskye.net/elgolshop/
www.isleofskyeaccommodation.com
www.isleofskye.com