Not long ago, we featured Fort Augustus in the United Kingdom with a fantastic image from local photographer Gordon Doherty. I solicited some more help from Gordon after I reviewed his website and saw his fantastic work from the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye is a landscape photographer’s dream that has long been on my bucket list. It is located on the Western coast of Scotland and has been made famous appearing in many movies. In this article, I am highlighting four areas from the Isle of Sky with images taken by Gordon Doherty.
The Fairy Glen
The great sunburst above was taken by Gordon at The Fairy Glen above the village of Uig on the Isle of Skye. This location appeared in the Stardust movie (which unfortunately I have seen more often than I would like as it is one of my wife’s favorites). Gordon was on holiday when he made the above image in 2016. He shot it on his Sony a6000 ( current model is the a6500)with the Sony Sel 16 mm f/2.8 mm lens. Gordon shot with a small aperture to achieve the sunburst and took the image handheld with no filters. It was processed in Lightroom. His settings were at 24mm, F22,1/60 sec., ISO 250.
The Old Man of Storr
The above image from Gordon is of the Old man of Storr, which is on a rocky hill above the Trotterish peninsula. Gordon made this image last October whilst again on holiday at the Isle of Skye where he was staying in Portree self catering. He went up with his wife Wendy with an early start: They parked at the car park at around 7:00 am and went up the trail with the use of headlamps (or as Gordon would say, head torches). You probably recognize this scene as a popular landscape photography location, but also from many movies such as The Wicker Man and Promotheus.
When Gordon reached the vantage point to take the image, it was raining and the Old Man of Storr was hidden in deep cloud. Gordon’s wait paid off when the rain stopped and the weather cleared. Gordon used his Manfrotto 055 tripod. For this image, Gordon used his Panasonic G80 (current model is the G85) with 12-60mm kit lens. Gordon’s settings for the above image were F11, 24mm ,0.6 sec. and ISO 200 with no filters.
Sligachan
In addition to the amazing rock features on the Isle of Skye, there are some great water features as well. I love the above image because it captures the water, great landscape and weather all in one image. This image was taken by Gordon at Sligachan next to the Sligachan hotel. Gordon used his Manfrotto 055 tripod. For this image, Gordon used his Panasonic G80 (current model is the G85) with 12-60mm kit lens. Gordon’s settings for the above image were 24mm, F14, and 0.5 sec. He also used a 2 stop grad Cokin ND filter and a Cokin circular polarizer.
Portree Harbour
I love this final image from the Isle of Skye because it shows so much more variety than the typical images you see from the Isle of Skye. Instead of jagged peaks and ominous weather, it is peaceful waters, sail boats and a beautiful sunset. The image of Portree harbour was taken by Gordon with his Panasonic G80 (current model is the G85) with 12-60mm kit lens. Gordon’s settings for the above image were 54mm,1/6sec and Iso 200. Gordon also used his Manfrotto 055 tripod and 3 stop grad Cokin P series filter.
GORDON DOHERTY
Gordon is a UK-based landscape photographer who lives about thirty-five miles from Fort Augustus. You can see more of Gordon’s work at his website or on instragram, @gordondohertyphotography.
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