Return to Torrin
The original shot that appears in my new book, Glas.
The image above takes pride of place in my new book, Glas, where it occupies a double-page spread. This area is near Torrin, and it is a fascinating place. The foreground rock is “dolostone”, also known as dolomite. It is a variation of limestone, created when there is magnesium involved in the mixture. Like limestone it has a propensity to fracture. Water gets in and erodes the rock further, resulting in dramatic cracks, fissures and intriguing shapes. It makes for a great foreground, especially when the background is similarly epic.
I needed a time-lapse of this spot to include in some promotional material for the launch of Glas, so I headed back there again with a mind to do a bit more examination of the area while the time-lapse was running.
Time-lapse set up with my GoPro
I usually do time-lapses with my phone (a Samsung S25 Ultra at the moment). It is convenient to use a phone as you can edit the results straight away, sync up to whatever cloud service you use, and have it available on other devices ready for blogging like this or posting to socials.
This time though I decided to revert back to my GoPro 11. The time-lapse functionality on GoPros is really good, and you can fire and forget it. The downside is the tiny not-very-bright screen and the extra steps to get the output off the GoPro.
I have an Arca Swiss tripod mount for the GoPro so it can sit solidly on my main Kingjoy tripod.
Once everything was set up and ticking along, I had a doodle around with my Leica Q3.
“Sea Pinks” or “Thrift” overlooking Loch Slapin. Leica Q3 1/4000th f/1.7 ISO 100
Fracture detail. Leica Q3 1/50th f/13 ISO 320
Clinging on. Leica Q3 1/2000th f/1.7 ISO 100
Moving around is a bit tricky as there are holes and sharp edges everywhere. Care has to be taken but the rewards are worth it.
There are intriguing shapes, nooks and crannies everywhere. The difficult bit is trying to make sense of it in a two-dimensional photograph.
The Sea Pinks image works nicely with a shallow depth of field from the wide aperture setting. You get a feeling for the coastal environment without the background interfering.
The star-shaped fracture shot is an example of finding some sort of order in the chaos. With cracked rock everywhere, trying to make sense of it involves trying to find some recognisable shape to focus on.
And the shot on the left shows some ferns growing in a tiny gap in the dolomite. You can see how sharp and serrated the edges are. How anything survives in such a hostile environment is a mystery.
Anyhow, onto the time-lapse which is below. This was shot at 1-second intervals on the GoPro in “Linear” lens mode. I’d prefer more dramatic clouds so I may just have to go back again. What a hardship.