A memorable landscape photography trip over to the Isle of Harris in March saw every type of weather thrown at me – all in one day.
The long journey over to the Isle of Harris begins with a snowy drive towards Ullapool. A good covering on the ground makes for a beautiful journey to the ferry terminal. After a 2 hour 45 min crossing the drive from Stornoway to where the ferry comes in down into Harris is sunny but bitterly cold. My first afternoon on the island is an interesting one. As I drive towards where I am looking to park up, I see some interesting skies already happening and stop despite not having had a chance yet to get my kit out or dress properly for the occasion. I have learnt over the many years of shooting landscapes that if the weather presents itself, never think you can get that shot later or on another day. Just go out and capture it now!
Standing on the viewpoint over Seilebost, not having had time to get down onto the beach and into good position yet, I hastily set up my cameras on tripods. The stormy skies sweep towards me, with glimpses of sun lighting up parts of the dunes and moving swiftly onwards. As the rain gets visibly closer rainbows appear, one then two and then they are moved onwards by the opening of the skies. Suddenly it’s a frantic scrabble to get the cameras and myself inside as the hailstones and rain hit.
I later move on towards Scarista Bay and the sun comes out in force. I take a quick dip in the ocean whilst the sun is out and the skies are bland anyway and the head back to my van and move on to the next location after warming up a bit. Luckily on this wild stormy day, it doesn’t take long for the next set of stormy skies to roll in. The wind picks up and it becomes hard to manage kit. The stormy skies make a fabulous backdrop to beach images. Soon I’m hit with sleet and am beaten back into the van again to dry off again.
When I plan landscape trips, I always look at the weather forecast in detail. If it looks dreadful, then I will definitly go ahead. Often there are moments between the storms where the you can capture fleeting and wonderful unique moments, skies are dramatic and changeable and seas are interesting. This trip was particularly amazing and I managed to capture a wide range of images in all sorts of conditions as you can see below!
