all images COPYRIGHT asserted David Geddes - The Open Sky
Life has a different feel when lived from viewpoint high in landscape. There is so much more, further, above and below to observe. A wide canvas of beauties, detailed things happening all the time, a chance to be quiet and merge into the background and allow nature to come towards you. Time travels slowly when consumed in observation, distances seem longer but far away things remain in touch. Surprises abound.
It has been a habit for many years that whenever possible the transition from old year to new year happens alone and high on a mountain. Meall Gorm is a modest mountain on the southern edge of Applecross. Its easy of access thanks to the road built over the Bealach na Ba. My faithful chocolate Labrador 'Skye' followed me over the red sandstone glacial slabs and over to the lochans that I knew faced westwards into the setting sun, and where I planned to set up the camera and tripod.
I summitted to see two eagles sat side by side a mere 5 metres away. They indulged me with a long hostile stare, before the dog crested the last false summit and they spread their wings and soundlessly lifted off to soar in tandem. Piercing cold descended upon us as the sun slid between veiled layers of western horizon cloud. Beyond and to the south of the Red and Black Cuillin Skye, the sunset on its way to America, slipped behind the Rum Cuillin.
Moving from lochan to lochan allowed for a variety of colourful foregrounds. Each with a new layer of ice forming quickly, cracking and creaking as the ice flows joined, expanded and distorted each other. One could be forgiven for imagining the mountain was alive.
The signature colours of the west coast - saturated bright lemons, gathered around themselves cloaks of grey. As the sun slipped lower, turquoise and magentas dominated, before a deep red and bright yellow phase gave way to cold blues and indigo. A light show that not even a Pink Floyd concert could rival!
By now the down jacket was on, silk gloves used to handle the camera and tripod, for not to do so without would mean loosing finger flesh. Over mittens and a polartec hat, with fleece lined mountaineering salopettes under the jacket. Film becomes brittle in temperatures well below freezing. Winding on has to be done with a very gentle hand. The camera used on this occasion was a Hasselblad Fuji X Pan2 with a variety of lenses, Lee graded ND filters and a large anti flare hood. The tripod was my trusty Gitzo with a ball head and quick release plate. The film was Velvia 50 ASA exposed at 30ASA. A hand held spot light meter complimented and fine tuned the readings from the camera.
Privileged to have been shown such brief and transient beauty, a little more than awestruck at how perfectly the colours from the edge of the world had revealed themselves, the dog - tired from chasing white hares - and I, returned to the car, still tracked in those dark skies by the eagles. And I marvelled at my luck.
30 Images were recorded. Much more can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/theopensky
No comments:
Post a Comment