Outer Hebrides

Shot for the Day (30 October 2017)

| Zapfly


After trekking a few miles from a small car park at Huisinis, which itself was at the end of a long single track B road, I camped in a very isolated position, looking over at the Isle of Scarp.

The following morning, I awoke at 3.20am and walked a further 2 miles, to the end of the peninsula, to watch the majesty of the sun rising over the horizon in absolute solitude. The warm, golden light reflected on the rocks in front of me, silhouetting the distant mountains.  This image was a long exposure (201 seconds) as I wanted to soften the choppy waters and elongate the few clouds on the horizon.

Shot for the Day (4 October 2017)

| Zapfly


I drove around Harris on my first evening, looking for the right vantage point for an end of day shot. I spoke to a local farmer, who recommended an isolate beach situated on the far side of his land. Once there, I had the whole place to myself and perhaps one of the finest sunsets I have been fortunate enough to witness.  The colours were so vibrant, the water looked like it was gold, lapping against my feet.

Shot for the Day (25 September 2017)

| Zapfly


The day had been a mixture of rain and clouds. For landscape photography, this can either mean a really interesting cocktail of factors or a nightmare in the making. Alas, the rain had meant that the morning had been a write off. I travelled the length of the north coast of the Isle of Lewis without finding the right ingredients for a memorable image.

After scrutinising a map, I noticed an interesting coastline option that meant transversing a local farmer’s land. With no one around to ask for permission, I trekked the 2km to the beach and found the stormy, isolate image above.  This image is a 100 second exposure using a 10 stop ND filter. The long exposure robbed the photograph of some of the colour. To counter this, I put my longer prime lens on my camera and took a 2 second shot of a section of the same scene.

Shot for the Day (17 September 2017)

| Zapfly

This is a curious shot of an end of day scene in the Outer Hebrides where the setting sunlight was caught in the clouds at the centre of the scene, creating a dual light source. This state lasted for an hour. I can truthfully say I have never seen something like this before. I had trekking a few miles into the middle of nowhere, to free camp for the night. My tent was about 2-3km from where I took this shot. There was absolutely no one around for miles, making this scene all the more eerie.

Shot for the Day (15 September 2017)

| Zapfly

Earlier this year, I had the good fortune to spend a week in the Outer Hebrides, on the Isle of Harris and Lewis. This was taken on day one, very soon after I arrived at Huisinis. The clouds were just beginning to shift as the wind picked up. I was standing completely alone in this stunning landscape, with only flies and cattle to share the moment with.