Photo Details
| Title: | Sunset, Inverness, Scotland. |
| Taken: | 25 May, 2012 |
| Location: | |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| Focal length: | 105mm |
| Shutter speed: | 1/1600s |
| Aperture: | ƒ/8 |
| ISO: | 100 |
Weather can sometimes be surprising, but few weather experiences have been more surprising than spending an entire trip in the warm Scottish sunshine. Now I’m sure Scotland gets some sun here and there, but this trip was sunny in a way that felt more Mediterranean. The sky in Inverness had that look that I associate with summers in America, where the air was bright, warm, and hazy. This often causes me trouble for photos because the haze tends to mute light and color, while at the same time there are usually very few interesting clouds to balance a scene. Fortunately, Inverness gave me something to work with during this sunset.
I took this photo standing on the Young Street Bridge, which I had photographed the night before. This time, I was now on the bridge watching the sun set in the distance while looking back towards the area I had stood the previous night. The air was hazy and kind of disgusting in a way that makes you wish for a rainstorm to clear it all out, so I didn’t have high expectations for getting anything especially good. But then something interesting happened as the sun set – the light grew diffuse through the haze and created a wonderful silhouette of the many towers, spires, and chimneys that make up Inverness’s historic skyline. I knew this was something special.
This lesson here is the same and bears repeating – good photos can sometimes be found in unfortunate weather. They may not always be found, and in fact they may not be found more than every once in a while. But if you’re not out looking, you’ll never find them at all.
