Photographing Scotland

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Photographing Scotland: "New Mexico-based writer and photographer Ellen Barone takes us through a rain-soaked Isle of Mull and shares how to to photograph and really see a place.

Travel and photography are natural partners and whether you're carrying a sophisticated DSLR, a pocket-sized point-and-shoot or an iPhone, today's technology has made it easier than ever to look, snap, and share.

But seldom does a photograph succeed because of technology. It succeeds for one reason: because the person behind the camera took the time to see. If you're like most travelers, you want to bring back memorable photographs of your trips. Yet how many of us are packing everything but time to see into our vacations?

On a recent business trip to Scotland I discovered a one-day photography workshop on the Isle of Mull, an island off the country's west coast boasting some of the finest and most varied scenery in the Inner Hebrides. Traveling solo and without a car, I welcomed the opportunity to visually explore with a local photographer as the perfect compliment to a week of indoor meetings.

Who knew it would be pouring and blowing a gale on the one day I had available for the excursion? But despite the conditions, photographer Sam Jones of Islandscape Photography met me, and two other intrepid travelers enrolled in the workshop, at the ferry, prepared to either tough it out in the rain or shuttle us to the local distillery for a tasting tour.

Read more about Ellen's Scotland escapade after the jump.


Over a mug of hot tea, Sam began the tour with a tantalizing
computer slideshow of her photography that was equal parts inspiration
and information. Rain or not, she had us hooked. We couldn't wait to get
out there and capture for ourselves the land, sea, and lochs so
beautifully revealed in her images.

'I know a great place to
begin,' said Sam. 'Let's head for the waterfall viewing shelter at Aros
Park first, then there's this moss-covered chicken shed I discovered a
while back that should have gorgeous saturated colors in this weather.'

Photographically
speaking, the day was a challenge. Fogged lenses, muddy trails, and low
light forced me to set aside preconceived photographs and adjust my
vision to the reality of the conditions. And in letting go, I opened up.

Pocketing
a waterproof Olympus point-and-shoot, I was liberated from worrying
about rain-soaked DSLRs and ruined thousand-dollar lenses. I quit caring
if I got soaked and started looking at the incredible beauty around me.
My mind gave rusty boat chains, shimmering pebbles, raindrop-laden leaves their due as it had done earlier in my life, before I'd ever held a camera.

Sometimes
I remembered to take a photograph. More often than not, I was so
absorbed in seeing that I forgot about the camera.  Sometimes, for a
moment, a ray of golden light would render the landscape so lovely and
irresistible I thought I'd dreamed it. For a damp day in western
Scotland, I tuned out the cold, played in the rain, found joy in the
moment, and took time to see.


If You Go:
Islandscape
Photography offers customizable tours on the Isle of Mull starting at
£85 per person;  +44.7747.601.900.

Getting
There: A short ferry trip from Oban takes you to the Isle of Mull.
There are frequent Caledonial MacBrayne (0870 565 0000) ferries from Oban to Craignure.

National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson has a special affection for the Hebrides, as you can see in this photo gallery.

Photo by Ellen Barone. See more of Ellen's stunning Scotland photos here. 


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