Live for the Journey, not for the Prize

 All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

The title comes from  a recent press article describing how Frank Wild's ashes were at last recently buried at South Georgia beside the man with whom he explored the Antarctic a hundred years ago - Sir Ernest Shackleton. The phrase struck a chord with me.

The 'journey' has always been much more important than the 'arrival' for me. I have never considered a mountain climbed as being conquered, for the descent is often more difficult and the interests consuming the days of approach have almost always outweighed the summit moments. 

Likewise I do not list my summits. In Scotland there is great interest in ticklisting the Munros, then the Corbetts, now the Marilyns and also the Islands. I don't object to this, but I dont take part. I prefer to visit a wonderful and complex mountain a dozen times, and in different ways, than arithmetically deal with numbers. My bookshelves are as full of books on nature, old communities, geology, bugs, butterflies, moths and wild flowers and orchids; as of mountain or sea journeys. At the end of a successful day out, I'll be deep inside those books, learning and appreciating the new details of what has been observed. Likewise clubs that foster a feeling of exclusivity are too closed a place for me. My increasingly carefully considered companions on mountain journeys are very much appreciated. I do have a conflict between photographic outings and mountaineering or sailing ones. The issues of mixed agendas conflicting is a difficult one.

This journey made in January 2010 began unusually with a frozen sea at Lochcarron, the stark beauty of the Rannoch Moor as snow clouds lifted, and finished the car caught in deep snowdrifts in the Scottish Borders at sunset. The fleeting moments of good light, occasional throughout the journey were very special indeed.

And some sunrises - all taken from the garden

 All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

I am not by nature an early riser, unless its an Alpine start in the mountains. But the winter sunrises here,  happen across the loch over low tree lined hills, which are framed by our lounge windows. It could not more pleasant than watch the colour develop from indoors and rush outside when the reflected saturated colours reach their maximum, something that lasts an even shorter precious few minutes, sometimes seconds. We are indeed fortunate to enjoy both sunsets and sunrises without having to move more than a few metres. As the predominant colours are usually reds, if there is any blue at all, I sometimes move the White Balance in the camera over towards the magenta/ blue end of the grid.

After a difficult year - a return to posting 

- Some local sunsets from the last few months

 All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

These images are taken looking west towards Skye and Raasay from either side of Loch Carrann. Although I've managed to take many images in late 2010 and throughout 2011, my range has been very limited due to an arthritic ankle now surgically repaired. We have moved house, both retired, seen our son graduate and move to Aberdeen to the Oil Industry as an graduate engineer , and daughter to London to work in Fashion Business. A chocolate labrador puppy has been added to the family to join our mature chocolate labrador bitch. 

The edges of the many weather systems are when the most lovely colours can be seen. A little pre planning for location can be done using the 'The Photographer's Ephemeris' which predicts sun and moon rise and the exact position of sun and moon rise and set overlaid on a version of  Google maps. There are a few moments when the sun low on the horizon illuminates the underside of the clouds, and these in turn reflect onto the sea, or loch or tarn. And in those few moments one has to know the camera its settings, and capability well, and work hard. Most of these  are from a Panasonic Lumix LX2 compact. Some are stitched images. I have recently upgraded to the LX5 which in every single way possible is a great improvement on what was already a very capable camera.