By Darwin Wiggett

©Darwin Wiggett

When it is a gray colourless day and the light is blah how do you make a more interesting shot? Two ways; one, turn the photo into a B+W and work with the natural monochrome look. Or two, slap on the Singh-Ray Gold-n-Blue polarizer and colour the reflective highlights in the scene with a sheen of blue or gold. Here the polarizer not only blued-up the water, it added lots of warmth to the sky and to the foreground rock which in the end gave me a ‘keeper’. This is Kathleen Lake in Kluane National Park in the Yukon Territory.

A rucksack, camera and 550km of mountain trail – The Slovene High Level Route.

This is the second guest article by Roy and Justi and it helps to celebrate the publishing of their second book :
Trekking in Slovenia – the Slovene High Level Route by Justi Carey and Roy Clark.

“The outdoor life appears intrinsic in Slovenia’s culture, not only for many local rural
livelihoods but also for their recreation and great sense of adventure. For such a small
country it has a fantastic wealth of waymarked trails that crisscross every county and
over 300 manned mountain huts and valley refuges can be found strategically placed
along the routes. “

The PTR team have a special affinity with Slovenia following two trips there and this book and country come highly recommended to anyone who loves mountains and walking. This article, especially written for our photo travellers, touches on some of the trials and decisions photographers following the wilder paths have to face.

As well as having the more well known long distance trails that pass through the land, like the European E6 and E7 and the Via Alpina, it also has another, known mostly only to Slovenes themselves – the 550km long Transverzala or Slovenska Planinska Pot. This is a trail that crosses the country’s high ground, from Maribor in the north east to Ankaran on the Adriatic coast in the south. It takes in the Pohorje hills, the Kamnik-Savinja and Julian Alps, the Karavanke range that forms the natural border with Austria, the Bohinj mountains, many central lower hills and eventually passes through wild maquis and scrub as you approach the coast. When you realize just how passionate the Slovenes are about mountaineering and trekking, it doesn’t come as a great surprise to discover that the Transverzala was the first long distance route to be established in any of Europe’s alpine countries. Like all Slovene mountain trails, it is waymarked with the characteristic ‘target’ sign and also with a number 1.

It was a challenge to be taken up and being given the opportunity to write the first English language guidebook for the route was definitely an added bonus. One of the most enjoyable parts of the challenge for me was to get the best photos I could for the guidebook. As with our first book, the goal was to get descriptive shots that showed important sections of the route, cols and passes, path junctions, hut accommodation etc., but, as always, I was hoping for those magical elusive moments when good light and spectacular mountain scenery combine and a lone walker is highlighted on a summit ridge, adding scale and perspective – rare moments indeed when you have to keep walking to get the route done and meet publishing deadlines – you don’t have the luxury of being able to have a short walk and a purely ‘photos only’ day out!

I was not so concerned with getting useable shots in the high mountain sections – the Julian/Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Bohinj hills offer enough drama and beauty for most folk with an interest in photography – but I had my doubts about the lower hills on the southern section of the route. Many of the southern hills are below the tree line and I wasn’t sure how I could make shots of forest paths and hill tops (where any available view would likely be of more endless tree tops) interesting. This proved to be the case for some sections, so I concentrated more on flower images and macro shots of butterflies when time allowed. Fortunately though, the route also travelled through scenic villages and passed many places of interest – like the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Škocjan caves.

As usual, I was trying to be selective with which camera kit to take/leave out – but even more so on such a long trail which involved more consecutive nights spent in mountain huts than was necessary for our last book about the Julian Alps. I used an old Nikon FE, as its low weight, solid construction and simple functions make it a good outdoor choice, complimented with some sharp primes, 50mm, 35mm and a 200mm in the high mountains. On the more featureless southern sections, I swapped the 200mm for a 100mm Macro. I took my smallish Gitzo (1.7kg) tripod with me for most of the route but swapped this for a more basic aluminium and plastic job to try and reduce the weight on the longer sections. I use a tripod a lot for setting up delayed timer shots, with myself in the picture when no-one else is around to add scale to the shot. Occasionally I took a small flash unit for hut interiors and fill flash. This was to be my last serious outing using 35mm film camera and lenses. I’ve always liked the excellent vibrancy and colour of good slide film and even the anticipation of picking up the results of your efforts from the developers, but this year a few ‘incidents’ left me looking forward to next year when I’ll be working with digital. Some examples being – having a few rolls of supposedly fresh film being developed with a strange magenta colour cast, the usual trials of loading film on exposed summits, but one of the worst moments was going to the developers to collect a week’s worth of film for a particularly remote section of the walk, only to find dozens of slides of a child’s christening! Fortunately disaster was averted and the proud parents of the child returned my slides to the developers, but only after six weeks of very anxious waiting and hoping.

For photographers looking for dramatic mountain shots, the Julian and Kamnik- Savinnja Alps won’t disappoint.  The Karavanke is a more gentle range – still high hills, but wonderful for grassy, flower covered slopes, and they also give great views of the higher ranges. One particular section, south of the main peaks, is a long escarpment high above the town of Ajdovšcina, known as the Gora. Its diversity of flowers, wildlife and interesting geology is stunning. It is also an area that appears to mark a strong change from an Alpine climate to a Mediterranean one.

Further south again, as the coast is approached, the scenery becomes less dramatic but there is plenty of scope for wild flowers, butterflies and sunsets over the the Adriatic Sea – the routes final destination. The Slovenska Planinska Pot is a beautiful route in a beautiful country, demanding in some sections, gentle and easy in others, where peace and solitude can be found, particularly in some of the less frequented southern sections where you may be more likely to encounter a deer or even a bear rather than people.

Links

The Julian Alps of Slovenia, Europe – walking and trekking the first book in this series.

Trekking in Slovenia – the Slovene High Level Route – Europe

See the first PTR article here.

Cicerone travel guides.

Llynnau Cregennen

Location

The Snowdonia National Park covers 840 square miles of mountains, forests, lakes and river valleys and takes its name from mount Snowdon, which at 1113m is the highest mountain in Wales and England.

All photographers will have locations they have visited many times with a vision in their mind that requires the light and weather to come together in order to make the image they think should be possible.

Llynnau Cregennen, in Southern Snowdonia, is one such place for me. I have spent many a dawn at this location and only twice has the light come right.

The first occasion was in August 2008. The summer months are not my favourite time to shoot inland and the mists I really wanted would not be present but I knew the rising sun would be in a good position. I had only one morning available so got up well before dawn. There were no stars to indicate that the early rise would be fruitful but with only one chance to get some shots I decided to take the 10-mile drive from where I was staying. Ten miles is nothing but even though this lake is very accessible by car it takes time to reach on a gated single-track route, requiring sheep dodging, as they like to sleep on the warm tarmac.

There are two lakes and approaching from Dolgellou I recommend ignoring the first smaller one initially BUT the waters are often stiller as it is more protected.

The larger lake gives more options to get wide views of Cadair Idris (892m) a horseshoe shaped mountain, there is a small island with pines, a standing stone, heather in late summer and a nice boathouse.

Parking is at a public car park (with toilets and maps of walks). You may immediately believe that an accessible and beautiful lake would mean you would be sharing the view with many others but I have rarely have seen others here at dawn and on this occasion I was on my own – bar the sheep.

It was when I was opening the sheep gate before the first lake that I realised that the weather was about to work some magic. Stars were appearing and disappearing at a rate of knots and an early glow in the sky indicated that there was a good low-level gap in the clouds with all the activity being at high altitude.

By the time I’d parked I knew I had to work quickly as the light show had started and all the energy was going to be in the sky as the water was being broken by the approaching storm. I prefer to approach a location with time to think, walk a bit and consider options but on this day it was a mad dash to the shore. After a few shots I knew I was wrongly positioned as was trapped by a fence preventing getting a composition that was right as this shows. Nice but not quite right.

I therefore changed my lens and tactics to get this image.

Whilst happy to have caught this sky with the island I went home knowing I would have to return as the image I truly wanted was about the location, the mountain that is not in the shot above and also I wanted a mist.

It was in May 2009 that I was next in this area. Staying in Arthog, which is a perfect location to reach the lakes (a shorter route but steeper and more gates but having my friend Dougie with me made the gates less of a problem – thanks Dougie!).

We had already spent one morning and an evening here on this trip and got these scenes taken when the light was good but the sky lacked atmosphere.

It was the second morning visit that everything came together. It is worth noting that nothing on the drive up had suggested that it was going to be a fruitful journey. The sky seemed too clear. It wasn’t especially still either but as we rounded the last turn we saw that the dip the lake is in was full of mist and clouds were hugging one peak. We had struck gold – we were in the right place and probably the only place in miles where the conditions were showing any drama.

The next hour was a delight. We struggled as the mist came and went causing condensation on lens and grads. The rising sun gave exposure challenges and lenses had to be changed to make the most of changing conditions.

The following images tell the story.

So, do I need to return? The answer is YES. I want to catch images with the heather. This was taken a few years ago but I want a tighter composition.

I want to see what the smaller lake has to offer in winter.

I want frost and snow and ice and autumn colours. I want pink mists. I want moon shots…….

Some places just draw you back again and again but even if the light fails and you go home with nothing in your camera just being there is a joy.

Claire

As a postscript we met a fellow photographer, Andrew Kime, at this lake one morning. He had had a nasty accident with his camera, but despite this tragedy he was kind enough to share his local knowledge with us. Subsequently I looked at his website and would like to share his excellent work with readers here.

By Claire

View map here.

Why Go?

Whilst the whole of the Antrim coast has huge photographic potential with its rugged coastline and beaches with interesting stacks and arches, the lure for me was The Giant’s Causeway. It is an area full of myths and legends and awe-inspiring geology.

About this Location:

The Giant’s Causeway is an area of  basalt columns, formed following volcanic activity. It is located on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles north of the town of Bushmills.  It is truly a natural wonder.

Highlights of my trip:

A magnificent sunset over the Giant’s Causeway one evening coupled with treacherous seas gave me my most memorable evening of photography ever. It was challenging and totally absorbing. The crowds had gone and just my brother and myself remained to battle with the spray and dodge the waves.

Lowlights:

Wild winds are great – the weather keeps flowing past with new vistas every few minutes. The down side to this is a rocky crossing on the ferry; the family sat near us ran out of sick bags. Sea spray was also infuriating at times. Filters were cleaned after every shot. A tip I’ve since learnt from Mel – use kitchen towel to clean them. It works.

When to Go:

The Giant’s Causeway is a major tourist attraction and Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site. As such it can get crowded. I was there during Easter when one would expect visitors but the weather seemed to drive them home early. In the mornings we had the place to ourselves until well past 9am (which is time to head back for breakfast anyway). I’d prefer to go anytime from October to April when the sunsets and rises are at (almost) sensible times.

Access:

Turning up in the dark on my first morning (car park by the visitors centre is pay and display) I was a little alarmed, as I couldn’t see how I gained entry to the track down to the shore. You actually have to walk through the visitors centre but there is open access at all times. During the day there is a bus that takes the tourists down to the causeway but the walk is easy and there are points of interest on the way down.
For facilities visit The National Trust site.

How to Get There:

Travel to and within The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is easy with many regional airports and ferry crossings from England, Wales and Scotland. We chose to sail from Holyhead (Wales) to Dun Laoghaire Port (6 miles south of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland) as this is a short and fast crossing and good value with sensible sailing times. A leisurely 3-hour drive got us to our destination. The roads were a joy; whenever I’ve driven in Ireland it has been stress free.

I’ve flown from Coventry and Bristol to Shannon before on budget flights and this is certainly viable for a fly-drive holiday from the UK but Londonderry and Belfast International are nearer.

If you use Londonderry  (City of Derry Airport) onward flight connections are available to many European and World destinations via the hub airports at London Stansted and Dublin. Connections may also be available via Glasgow International, Liverpool, Glasgow Prestwick and Nottingham East Midlands.

In my experience car hire is cheaper than I’m used to paying in many parts of Europe. Petrol prices (as in all of UK) can come as a shock to US travellers.

Where to Stay:

By choice I stay in self-catering accommodation. This gives flexibility as an early start is essential and I’m usually back home after the sun has set. On wet days one can pour over a laptop, catch up on sleep and wash the thermals. Some B&Bs will cater for early starts by offering a packed lunch instead of breakfast but I’m always aware my pre-dawn preparations may disturb other guests. Early booking to get the best cottages in prime locations is essential as many are booked years in advance, especially during school holidays. I try and find somewhere with a good view so I can watch the effect the changing weather has on the land around. I’ve always booked accommodation through the Internet. I have only once been disappointed, turning up in Barcelona to find the accommodation had been double booked.

A good place to start would be Irish Country Cottages great deals can be had off season.

I’ve never hired a touring van but plan to do so and suggest this is a great location for this.

Advice for travellers:

Do your research before you go. Get a good guide book and OS maps. Use a sunrise and sunset calculator with your maps to work out where the sun will be and with experience you can get a fair idea when / if the light will first hit your point of interest.

This site will help you work out times of sunsets and sunrises.

Research weather conditions and expect the worst. Northern Ireland, like all the UK has totally unpredictable weather. I’ve needed full winter gear in August and worn T-shirts in October and February. Waterproofs are always essential no matter how promising the day looks. Footwear has to be a priority on the causeway – you’ll be clambering over slippery rocks and dodging waves.

Equipment for this trip:

I use a Canon 5D. The full frame ability and good resolution make it the ideal landscape tool. My wide angle (17-35mm 2.8L) was rarely off the camera during this trip.

A tripod is an absolute MUST. Neutral Density filters another essential. I like experimenting with slow exposures and will often add a full grad. I use Lee filters and polarizer.  A backpack like the Lowepro mini trekker is another must. I’ve carried this on board planes with up to 10kg of kit.

You’ll need either plenty of memory cards or a way to download. On a good day I’ll use 4gb with a 12mp camera shooting in raw, so I always carry 8gb. I use an Epson downloader that I download onto each evening. I always carry 3 batteries – rarely use one but when it is cold they can drain quicker and you never know when one will fail.
The rain is never far off – my secret weapon is a shower cap that I pop over the camera when on the tripod!

Experimenting with Shutter Speeds

Fast

Slow

Research:

Sites like Irelandscape are invaluable. Some of my photos from this trip can be found here.  Look at what other photographers have achieved and aim not to replicate them but seek out new angles and better light.

When The Light is good:

Stay focused. Don’t waste a minute of early and late (golden hour) light. When tired it can be tempting to pack up and hope the weather will be the same the next day – it won’t. At this location the prime shots will be taken those few hours before sunset, you’ll be working like mad during a good sunset and still hanging on when the sun has set as there can be a startling after glow. Sunrise can be interesting but it takes a while for the sun to hit the land, at this time I look for pools to reflect any colour in the sky such as here:

Once the sun has risen move on.

When the Light is Bad:

Review your shots. Be critical and plan for good light. Take a walk in a potential location. Visit the Old Bushmills Whisky Distillery, Carrick-a-Rede or Dunluce Castle.

Will I Go Again?

To Northern Ireland certainly. I feel lucky to have got the shots I wanted of the causeway but also discovered many more places along this coast that hold potential.

White Rocks. Stretching from Curran Strand to Dunluce Castle are the limestone cliffs that have fabulous caves and arches.

White Park Bay, County Antrim Whitepark Bay. This is a beautiful sweeping bay. At one end lies Portbraddon and at the other end the basalt islands that surround Ballintoy harbour. I had a glorious morning here and would like to return.

Glenariff, the Queen of the Glens, is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the nine Antrim Glens. On the day I visited it was grey but this area in itself would be worth at least a week’s visit.

UK insurance for trips recommended by PTR:

Travel insurance and camera insurance.

Recommended link: North Antrim.

Recommended reading:

UK buyers click here:  The giant’s causeway and the North Antrim coast (Paperback)

USA buyers click here:  The giant’s causeway and the North Antrim coast (Paperback)

In the days ahead the team will discuss the seminar in great detail, including thoughts about how to deal with bad weather, and impressions of new equipment recently acquired by seminar participants, including the Canon 1Ds Mark III, the Canon 5d Mark II, and the Canon 24mm II lens.  We will also review accommodations, clothing, and the perils of international travel.  We have much to report so please visit again as we outline our experiences during a photographic holiday.

Here, PTR team memer Melanie sets up for a photograph while other participants look on.

Any day in Scotland is a good day, and once in a while the light was good and gave the participants the opportunity to find a subject worth study as in this shot of a Highland Cow by Bill.

As the saying goes, it takes rain to produce rainbows.  And, seminar participants had several opportunities for catching shots of rainbows, as in this shot by Bill of a rainbow over Duart Castle, historic home of the Clan Maclean.

Please visit with us in the days ahead as we show how seminar participants found light in incredibly challenging situations with example photographs done by some of the participants.

We might even see some shots done with the Canon Powershot G9 and G10.  Like this one done of a lighthouse from a Ferry while crossing from the Isle of Mull to Oban.

Also, we might discuss how to attract a Pine Martin using peanut butter, or what it is like to sit in rain for two hours in the hopes of spotting an Otter.

What we will discuss is the wonderful opportunities one can find during a seminar through good discussions, shared advice, and encouragement of one another.

–The PTR Team