Cascades of Happiness
Beautiful! Starting at the top of the cascades. Leica Q3 1sec f/14 ISO 100
With a spare day all to myself I thought it was time to head over to Glen Brittle for a good look around. There are so many amazing spots in this area that I already know, but I wanted to explore a part of this massive valley that I hadn’t been to before.
The huge Cuillin range dominates the southern side, and pine-covered gentler hills lie more quietly on the northern side. In the summer the glen is a madcap mix of chaos and overcrowding as tourists pour in to see the Fairy Pools. It’s much better in the winter when, aside from a few residents and farmers, it is largely deserted.
I wanted a waterfall shot, with the snowcapped Cuillin in the background. Not the Fairy Pools, which I have spent a good amount of time studying. I wanted to be further down the glen.
The Cuillin make such a great backdrop, and the key is to find a composition that has interesting foreground and mid-ground to provide drama and context.
A little further down, the waterfalls continue. Leica Q3 1 sec f/14 ISO 100
Parking up at a suitable spot, I thought a short walk up a side valley would get me what I wanted.
Things are never that easy of course. The river has cut a deep chasm into the land, gouging out its course by exploiting fractures in the bedrock. The water is cold, and as clear as glass. Multi-coloured rounded pebbles cover the bottom as though someone has spilled all their marbles.
Making a composition of the river and the mountains was proving impossible, so it was time to head upwards.
The river decided to curve to the left as I walked up the decent, crunchy gravel path. This angle took away the mountain backdrop, so I kept walking.
Gradually, the river turned back so I was looking up towards the Cuillin, but a large rise blocked a lot of the view of the mountains. I was starting to see how this day was going to go. I was going to end up doing a lot more walking than I had anticipated.
Of course I hadn’t packed any food or drink as I had anticipated a 30 minute shoot, but the crystal clear water from the snowfield above was more than adequate for keeping me refreshed. Maybe there was a dead sheep further up in the channel, but I am still alive as I type this so I suspect not. It tasted beautiful. Cold, pure and rounded, almost like you could chew it.
Reversing my route further. Leica Q3 0.6 sec f/16
Upwards, with the river tantalisingly down to my left teasing gently.
After much puffing and panting and false summits, I crested another rise, turned a corner, and I could see a series of waterfalls cascading down some rocky slabs. Beautiful.
I decided to start at the top and work my way back down, so I climbed another 100 meters or so to find the most wonderful target-rich environment I could have wished for. I started to scope out compositions , picked my first at the bottom of a spreading series of falls, and got myself set up.
Periodically, a ferociously cutting wind would funnel down the valley with great force. These katabatic winds are driven by cold air from the snow fields above sinking downhill and concentrating into valleys, much like the water does. They were sudden and powerful enough to blow me and my tripod over if I wasn’t paying attention to my foot positioning on the grippy, dry gabbro (I think).
The wind was preventing me from flying my drone which would have allowed a bit more flexibility with a number of the compositions I wanted, where being 2 meters higher would have made all the difference. That will have to wait for another time.
Continuing my exploration. Leica Q3 1 sec f/16 ISO 100
As usual, I was travelling light with my Leica Q3 and a few tiny filters in a shoulder bag, and my carbon fibre tripod. Being restricted to a fixed 28mm lens isn’t something I find problematic - it just encourages more compositional rigour in my opinion.
These were going to be black and white photographs, attention to detail with regard to contrast and shape is vital. I was looking for “clean” shapes of the light coloured water against the dark rocks. Zig-zags or triangles or curved channels were the order of the day.
I decided to go with shutter speeds of 0.5-1.0 seconds. I always like a very long exposure shot when water is involved, but in this situation I decided to keep some texture in the water to bring out its flow rather than lose a lot of that detail.
I used my tiny Urth magnetic filters, with a polariser on all the shots and some of them with an ND8. The polariser removed a lot of overly-bright sheen from the wet rocks, and the ND8 got the shutter speed to where I wanted it. I chose an aperture of f/14 or f/16 to ensure everything was sharply in focus.
I continue to love the geared head on my tripod. It is a Leofoto G4Pro, almost a direct copy of a much more expensive Arca Swiss item. This head has 3-way geared adjustment (4-way if you count head rotation). It is so valuable in situations like this, where very small and precise camera position adjustments are needed. My old ball heads simply don’t come anywhere close, as loosening the ball head means all 3 dimensions of movement are affected, and inevitable mechanical slop results in a little sag or a little twist and you have to start again.
Triple happiness. Leica Q3 1/5th f/16 ISO 100
Moving gradually down the series of waterfalls and chutes, I was having a wonderful time. Compositions were everywhere, although I would have preferred to have more of the snowcapped mountains in shot.
Criss-crossing the river I found myself in that wonderful frame of mind where all other concerns fade away and I was “in the zone”, totally aware of my surroundings, the play of the light on the mountains, the sound of the rushing water, the spray drifting into my face (and onto the lens). The temperature of the air, cool and then terrifically cold when the wind kicked in.
It is times like this that make photography so rewarding. Being outside in a landscape like this is a beautiful experience. The resulting images are more of a sideshow. The photography is a driver to get out in the landscape and feel alive.
Sadly, I was running out of time. Such was my excitement that I hadn’t really paid enough attention to more detailed compositions, such as the curved chutes worn through the rock over millennia, or the lovely mosaic of rounded pebbles on the river bed. I’ll have to go back and have another go.
As I walked back down to the car I realised just how happy I was. Effort pays off. Exploration invigorates. I had found a new (to me) area that will provide a huge amount of potential for future visits.
The excellent day was topped off by a visit to Adrian and Brigette Trendall’s place just down the glen. Adrian is a very well known Cuillin guide and photographer, and his new book, Skye Munros, had just been delivered and looks superb. I was welcomed by a hot cup of tea and great banter. What a lovely way to finish things off.